Dido

The daughter of a French poet and an Irish publisher, Dido rocketed to success in extraordinary fashion in 2000 when Eminem sampled her beautiful love song Thank You as a bitter-sweet counterpoint for the gruesome tale that unfolds on his rapping hit Stan. Raised in London, she'd studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama but was diverted by music after collaborating with her brother Rollo Armstrong on tracks for his band Faithless. Thank You, also included in the soundtrack of the movie Sliding Doors, was originally released on her debut album No Angel which, with its themes of melancholy and heartbreak, went on to become the world's biggest-selling album of 2001, with sales of over 21m. The follow-up Life For Rent in 2003 followed a similar pattern of heartfelt love songs which again touched a nerve with audiences, though third album Safe Trip Home failed to achieve the same level of success.