Dido

[Serena]

No Freedom

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nO45A7tTMs

[Serena]

Portada del single!

[Serena]

Letra de No Freedom

I take it by your silence
That I’m free to walk out the door
By the look in your eyes I can tell
You don’t think I’ll be back for more

Try to think of a world
Where you could stay and these safe hands could go
Take your heart above the water
Wherever I choose to go

No love without freedom
No love without freedom
No love without freedom
No freedom without love

Even when you don’t see me
Even when you don’t hear
I’ll be flying low below the sun
And you’ll feel it all out here

No love without freedom
No love without freedom
No love without freedom
No freedom without love

I’m standing here in silence
The world in front of me
Holding you in my hand
And seeing as you’d see

No love without freedom
No love without freedom
No love without freedom
No freedom without love

[Serena]

Nuevas fotos!

[Serena]

í‰ste será el cuarto disco de estudio de la cantante y tendrá como primer singles el tema “No Freedom”.

Dido deleitará el próximo cuatro de marzo a todos sus seguidores con la publicación de “The Girl Who Got Away”, su cuarto trabajo.

Este álbum, que acaba de estrenar portada y lista de canciones oficial, contará con once temas entre los que destacan el elegido como primer single “No Freedom” y su dúo con el cantante Kendrick Lamar, en la canción ”Let Us Move On”.

La solista lleva desde 1999 en el mundo de la música, una carrera marcada, sin duda, por su primer trabajo, el disco “No Angel” con el que llegó a vender más de 21 millones de copias en todo el mundo.

Tras íéste publicó otros dos, “Life for rent” (con más de 12 millones de copias vendidas) y “Safe Trip Home”, su disco más arriesgado y con el que consiguió ser Top 10 en nueve paí­ses y el número uno entre los discos más vendidos en Europa.

[Serena]

Entrevista Evening Standard

What’s changed most for you over the past five years?

My whole life. Having got married and had a baby [Stanley, 18 months], I don’t think of myself at all any more, which, although it sounds clichíéd, is actually quite liberating.

Does it make songwriting harder?

It does because you don’t have time to wander around and think big thoughts, but my songwriting is still the way I see the world.

Your last album was released in 2008, do you feel the pressure of a comeback?

Not really. I know for everyone else it feels like I’ve been away forever, but there’s never been a break from music for me. It’s not intentional that there are four years between each album, it just makes me look quite slow.

Do you still speak to Eminem?

No, I haven’t spoken to him for years, not for any reason other than we’re not pen pals.

How did he first get in touch with you?

After ‘Thank You’ I got a letter out of the blue when I was in New York with a CD and a note saying: ‘I love your track, I want to use it, and how does this sound to you?’ I put it on and it was ‘Stan’; it just sounded amazing and I was beside myself with excitement.

You’ve called your son Stanley, is there any connection to the song?

No connection. Stanley has always been my favourite name.

Your music is very serene, was it strange hanging out with rappers?

At the time I’d been touring around the States as part of an all-female festival and then I went straight into filming the ‘Stan’ video with Dr Dre and going on the Anger Management Tour with Papa Roach. It was very surreal but they were all very gentlemanly.

Your ‘Dido flip’ haircut was nearly as famous as Jennifer Aniston’s ‘Rachel’, have you got another look in the pipeline?

No. It really freaked me out when I saw a Wikipedia page devoted to my hair.

Dido’s new album Girl Who Got Away is out on 4 March

[Serena]

Así­ suena Blackbird

[Serena]

Four years after the critically acclaimed ‘Safe Trip Home’ became Dido’s third million-seller - taking her to an astonishing career total of 29 million albums sold - the Londoner returns with her fourth album.

And it’s no exaggeration to say that ‘Girl Who Got Away’ might just be her finest record yet. These are the songs of defiance, hope and heartbreak to make the planet fall in love with Dido all over again.
 
Recording ‘Girl Who Got Away’, Dido was often reminded of making ‘No Angel’, her debut album which remains one of the planet’s biggest-selling records of this century. Like that world-conquering debut, the new album is built around waves of sumptuous electronica, Dido’s softly powerful voice and a host of strikingly memorable songs. Warm, evocative and bursting with the emotion of life’s little details, ‘Girl Who Got Away’ is classic Dido; at once modern and timeless.

Also, as with ‘No Angel’ (and, indeed, its 2003 follow-up, ‘Life For Rent’) the majority of the new album’s literate, life-affirming songs were written and produced by Dido and her brother, Faithless founder Rollo Armstrong. And, just like in the early days, she worked on it without really imagining that people would ever hear it.
 
“It was an incredibly fun record to make,” she beams. “There was no pressure on me at all. It’s all been so natural and easy.” Dido had a blast, whether working alone at her kitchen table or alongside trusted collaborators Brian Eno, Jeff Bhasker, Rick Nowels, Greg Kurstin and, of course, Rollo in various home studios and hotel rooms on either side of the Atlantic. “On every other record I’ve made, there have been really tricky days,” she says, “but there weren’t any like that on this one.”
 
Much of the album was written and recorded before the summer of 2011 when - not long after receiving an Oscar nomination for If I Rise, the 127 Hours theme she made with A R Rahman - Dido and her husband had their first child.

“I wrote everything on this album before I got pregnant,’ she says. “And a lot of it was actually recorded while I was pregnant. It’s really fun to think back to when I was singing these songs. Like with ‘Girl Who Got Away’, I remember the baby was kicking me to the point I thought I was going to fall over!”

An unmistakable optimism shines through the new album, which Dido completed late in 2012 after taking a year off to concentrate on motherhood. That positive spirit is there in the life-loving, ‘Go Dreaming’; in the ode to true love that is the album’s first single, ‘No Freedom’; and in the driving ‘Let Us Move On’, which features a pin-sharp guest spot from the world’s hottest rapper, Kendrick Lamar. And it glows particularly brightly in the loved-up redemption of the folksy, autobiographical Sitting ‘On The Roof Of The World’.
 
Which isn’t to say that this album is all sweetness and light: Dido certainly retains her knack for disguising a barbed lyric with a beguiling melody. So, the propulsive ‘End Of Night’ might sound like one of her most upbeat songs yet, but it is, in fact, a rather vicious break-up song. Blackbird, meanwhile, is deliciously withering.
 
And the album’s title? “It’s one of my favourite songs on the record,” she says. “But I guess it also sums up the last few years for me. Taking a step back from it all and going off to have the whole happy adventure of starting a family and making an album that I really am so proud of. And now I just can’t wait for people to hear it.”
 
She might be the girl who got away. But make no mistake, Dido is back.

‘Girl Who Got Away’ is out March 4th. You can pre-order the album from iTunes at http://smarturl.it/gwgadigidlx or Amazon at http://smarturl.it/GHGAamz

[Serena]

Letra BlackBird

He put the coffee in the cup and when milk filled it up
He added sugar and I never knew he liked it like that
He took his coat from the hook and his scarf and his hat
And he put down a key and said I won’t be needing that

And he turned and smiled and said that´ve explained it all
And he walked down the hall and he opened the door
And said "Of course, I’ll call"

Oh why do I bring you love
When all you give me back is pain
Oh why do we search it out
To watch you wash your hands and walk away

Now there’s a black black black bird in my chest
All the flatter all caged in
Wanting to break free with the wolves in my head
You’re tearing every wise thing I should have said

Oh why do I bring you love
When all you give me back is pain
Oh why do we search it out
To watch you wash your hands and walk away

We’re like the strangers we were when we first met
But the pain in strangers had the end
And all that remains is a day without plans
The loneliness and the forever lost

Oh why do I bring you love
When all you give me back is pain
Oh why do we search it out
To watch you wash your hands and walk away

[Serena]

English singer-songwriter. Dido acquired international success with her debut album No Angel in 1999. She talks about her 4-year break from the music industry, settling down, getting married, becoming a mom, dealing with a hyperactive 18 month old son named Stanley, and enjoying a very reclusive private life. Her 19th album, Girl Who Got Away, will be out March 4th.

The last time we met was in sunny California when you had just finished Safe Trip Home, but were about to go back into the studio and record yet another album. What happened?

Yeah, well I sort of did – almost. But then, then I had a baby in the middle of it all. (laughs)

So you were actually working in ‘08/‘09?

Well, ‘08 I was promoting the last record. And then ‘09 … OK, sorry, let me just check this very quickly, sorry. And then ‘09 I started … you know, doing some bits and bobs of writing. And then did a lot of it… yeah, sort of was working. Yeah, I was working with Rollo in ‘09 in the studio; we got a lot of stuff done. And then in 2010 I went to America for a while to do some stuff there. I worked with Greg Kurstin and Jeff Bhasker and Rick. And there was a lot of sort of waiting around for various people. So I ended up spending some time there. And just sort of working on my own. And then I got pregnant and I had a baby. And actually by the time I had Stanley, I’d pretty much written and recorded everything. And then we really just sort of pulled it together in the last couple of months. So then I did take some time off.

Eighteen months to be more precise.

(laughs): And then sort of just… Yeah, the last few months we sort of pulled the record together. And, you know, we were always sort of doing bit and bobs. But it was a proper like: “OK, now we’re finishing this record now.”

However, you were still quicker than with the last one…

Exactly. (laughing)

Was becoming a mother and having a baby a conscience decision? Did you feel the clock ticking?

No, I mean, I just fell in love and, you know, it’s the simple story. I fell in love and we wanted to have a baby. And we’re very lucky, very lucky to had one. I think… yeah, it wasn’t complicated the thought process, you know. (laughs) You meet the right guy, you want to have a baby.

Plus you had been training as auntie Dido for years?

Exactly. My lovely, lovely nephews.

Were you sort of lacking something over the years? Like a shoulder to rely on or someone that makes you feel complete?

No actually, no. I’ve never been someone who is like: “Oh my God, I have to have a baby ah… to complete everything.” But having had a baby, now I see that it just is brilliant. It’s the best thing ever. Like I am so glad I’m getting to experience that type of love, you know. It’s a whole different type of love. And whole different way of seeing the world, you know.

That’s why I asked. I mean, in ́08 you had reached a point in your career where there was a lot of pressure, your dad had passed away and you had experienced some nasty break-ups. So taking time off and starting a family was probably the best decision you could have made.

Yeah, I mean, there was probably more expectation about that record than there is about this one, which is really nice, you know. Like I love, you know, I’ve always been much happier being the underdog. No expectation, nobody’s even knowing that there’s a record coming, you know. That is a great place for me to be in. And I think, you know, since that point that I last saw you, you know, I’ve had this amazing adventure of getting married, and, you know, falling in love, getting married, having a kid. And, you know, when you have a baby – I don’t know how it is for other people – but for me it’s like life begins again. You see everything through someone else’s eyes, you know. And everything’s fresh and it’s this whole, you know, whole new world you’re seeing through somebody else’s eyes. And it’s just so exciting. You just get these rushes like: “Oh, I can’t wait to go here with him and do this with him.” And, you know, it’s brilliant.

Did you re-write the album once you were pregnant? Did the topics in your songs change?

Actually, no, no. Because, you know, like at the end of the day I still, you know, what I do is I write songs about things that mean something to me. So actually there are no songs on here that, you know, are about that directly, you know. And I think… you know, it doesn’t change the way I write songs, you know.

Is that why there are still lots of dark songs then?

Absolutely.

Like “Loveless Hearts”, “Love To Blame”, “No Freedom”, and of course “Day Before We Went To War”…

See “No Freedom” I see as quite a positive song. I think, you know, I definitely don’t see that as a dark song. But, you know, like something like “End of Night” is quite a sort of dark, it doesn’t sound like it is, but you know. It’s a dark song and…

A break-up song?

Yeah, it’s actually about a sort of friend. But yeah, I mean, that that’s the thing with songwriting is you can sort of take something and when you turn it into a song, when you turn a feeling into a song, it can then become about so much other stuff, you know. And become relevant to all sorts of different times of our life. And I think, you know, like I’ve always, you know, what I do it’s never sort of directly autobiographical, it might be personal, but I also think in life – even in your incredibly happy times – you’re still going to have your dark times, do you know what I mean. You can’t help it. And vice versa.

It sounds like a warning as well…

Yeah. (laughs)

Like: “Don’t mess with me – I am going to celebrate our separation?”

Yeah, exactly. I mean, you know, that song’s really just a sort of, you know, I feel nothing song. (laughs)

Honestly: Weren’t you tempted to write about babies, husbands and dippers – at least a bit?

No, not really, not yet. No, I don’t know. I just sort of feel like some things you don’t, you know, like a lot of what I write about are the things that are a little bit complicated, you know. That might have a sort of darkness and a lightness, you know. Things that aren’t black and white, cut and dry, you know. When it inspires me to write a song is because there’s actually a juxtaposition of something going on. And that’s what to me makes something worth writing about, you know. And in a way having a baby doesn’t have that at the moment. Because it is just, you know, yes I’m absolutely exhausted, but it is amazing, you know. It’s like you’re laughing all day and as I said: “It’s this sort of fresh feeling of, you know, seeing life through new eyes.”

While most people think that every songwriter basically writes about himself?

Yeah. I think, you know, if you only did that you’d soon run out of things to write about probably. And I think … I also am lucky cause I have Rollo’s lyrics to work with as well, which is just brilliant, you know. And I’ve always had that. And I think that always gives it a different energy. And it means that we can sort of mix both our feelings on one subject, you know. And to me it’s always, you know, I’m never trying to sort of write a diary. I’m just trying to write a great song that means something to me. And wherever it means different things at different time, you know, that’s fine. But you know, it’s not like I’m trying to just sort of say: “This is how I feel and I want you all to know it”, you know. (chuckles) It’s more like: “Here’s a song and it’s come from somewhere in my emotions and my brain.” And then someone will come back, you know, song like “No Freedom”, people have come back to me with so many different reactions of what it means to them. Some of which I put in there and some of which I didn’t, you know. And I’ve had everything from, you know, it’s about love or death or religion or, you know, war, all of these things come back to me. And yeah, a lot of it is the things I was thinking. But a lot of it isn’t. And that’s what I’ve always loved about songwriting.

With “No Freedom” being like a lesson in simplicity and minimalism?

Yeah, yeah. But, you know, it’s funny, ́cause usually I tend to write sort of, you know, bigger songs about a very small moment in time. But that’s actually a sort of smaller song about a lot, you know, it’s sort of a lot of how I feel about the world or about love or death or anything. It’s all in there.

And the “Girl Who Got Away”? That’s you, isn’t it? Because you got away with everything so far?

(laughs): Yeah. Lots of people are having lots of, lots of different meanings to that. I mean, you know, essentially it’s sort of, you know, it’s one of my favorite songs on the record. It’s a song I really enjoyed writing. It’s a song I really enjoyed singing. I remember when I was singing it I was pregnant at the time. And, and really nearly about to have, it was like, only a few weeks before Stanley came along. And I just remember him like kicking me to the point of like, I thought I was just going to just fall over, you know. Like you’re sort of singing and you think: “Is this actually going to hear us?” you know. Like it’s sort of, was so big I thought he was going to hear it. And I think, you know, it’s this sort of good evocative title. It sort of sums up lots of things I feel. And, you know, and I guess the thing that people keep mentioning is that I just keep disappearing and coming back. And I’m okay with that. (laughs)

You’ve always been into that phantom thing, haven’t you?

Yeah, well I just sort of feel like, you know, that’s just… Not consciously, that’s just, I guess what’s happened, you know. You make a record and then you go off and have an adventure of some description or whatever it is, and then you feel inspired to write some more songs and then you put another record out, you know. It’s a pretty simple life.

So you’re not one of those pop stars who have to be in the press every day?

Yeah, no I’m not one of those, thankfully. And no that would be a… I’d find that very exhausting. (laughs)

Also the title track seems to refer to a happy day with no commitments whatsoever. Is that your definition of joy or happiness: Having time off, wasting the hours doing nothing?

Yeah, and I think it’s about sort of shedding off, you know. There is a sadness in there and a happiness in there, you know. Cause it’s about shedding off responsibility. And also wanting to be the, you know, not the dependable, reliable, you know, girl, you know. But actually being, you know, the sort of flighty, restless, sort of person as well, you know. And I think, you know, so we’re, you know, we’re both. (chuckles)

Like you’re no angel?

Yeah, exactly. (laughs)

But musically this is a departure, isn’t it? Like going more electronic for a change?

Not really. I think it’s where I came from, isn’t it? To me it’s sort of, it just ah… it feels very natural this record. It was a very easy record to me. Like it didn’t feel like I was doing anything that didn’t feel really natural. And I hope that it feels timeless because of that, you know. Because that’s what I always want it to be. And that’s always the highest compliment when people sort of say, you know: “It sounds modern, but it sounds timeless.” And that’s what I always want. Cause I want to be able to listen to things in 10 years from now and still enjoy it. And still feel really proud of it. And, you know, not be sort of bowing to sort of temporary trends or whatever. But having said that I also love listening to music now. And you can’t help referencing the things that you loved, the things that are going on around you.

But essentially what I do is, you know, I’m a songwriter. And then I want the songs to sound as good as they possibly can. And, you know, often what you’re trying to do is you’ve written a song and on most songs on this record I’ve recorded at home at first, or in a hotel room, or wherever I was just on my own. So recorded appallingly by me. Because I hate editing on the computer. So everything’s done in one take. But then the problem is that there’s a flavor on the demo that has a sort of magic, you know. If you fall in love with a song there’s a magic. So Rollo’s job a lot of the time was to, you know, was me sort of going: “That there’s just something I love about this demo, and I’ve recorded appallingly”, you know. But we keep as much as we could from those original recordings. And then he would be: “But it needs to sound like a record,” you know. (chuckles) And I think that’s often been his challenge on this album. And I think, you know, he’s risen to it brilliantly. And that sort of, that’s how it all, you know, that’s how it all starts.

Well, obviously he had his magic trousers on again.

Yeah, exactly. (laughing) And I just think, you know, I love going back to what I know. I love dance music and hip-hop and dub and, you know.

So you’re paying homage to Faithless as well?

Not really. I think it’s almost just like what feels, I mean, you know, it’s like you write a song… Like for instance a song like “Blackbird” I wrote on the guitar, played it to Rollo, it sounds like a folk song. And then he looks at me and he’s like: “You do realize that that’s like 140 beats per minute, you know. That is the perfect tempo, you know.” Like, so then him and Sister Bliss come along and just turn into this brilliant, you know, electronic… But that was not, you know, the original thing was this sort of picky guitar thing. And that’s what I find so exciting about working with Rollo is because he’ll just suddenly change it into, you know…

Like transforming your original version into something new?

Yeah, and he gives it back to you, and you’re just like: “Wow this just really, really works”, you know.

Why did you pick “No Freedom” for the first single then?

You know what, I just love the song, you know. I love the song, I love the lyric. I think it means something, it’s emotional. Like to me, you know, I think like those, you know, there’s a lot of songs, you know, I could put out first. But I just feel like essentially, you know, what I love doing is writing songs that are emotional, you know. And that’s what I love listening to as well. And I think I got to trust my instincts on that.

Even though it’s not representative of the album?

I think it’s representative of the album.

Well, I only got played five songs and that one really stands out…

Oh, okay yeah. I think it is really represents the album, you know. And that is a song in its sort of natural form. And I think to me it is really represents of what’s on the album.

Working with people like Greg Kurstin and Rick Nowels – are you after the Lady Gagas and Katy Perrys of this world?

No. (laughing) No, I wouldn’t dare. I mean, you know, I think we’re all probably quite different. Lady Gaga’s amazing, she’s a force to be reckoned with.

Just imagine being on tour for four years nonstop and having to record two albums in between…

I know, she’s incredible. She just like works so hard. And she’s so good to her fans. And she really, you know, she’s very, I do really admire her.

While you prefer listening to Aloe Blacc?

Yeah, love him. He’s great.

And the Jungle Book obviously…

(laughs)

Not to forget Gotye, whose “Somebody That I Used To Know” was one of the best singles in years…

It’s just brilliant, wasn’t it? It was just fantastic.

Other than that: What are you into at the moment?

Lots of stuff actually. And what have I been listening to? I’ve really enjoying the Alt-J album. And just been listening to that. And Kendrick’s album, love that. And The Weekend stuff, you know, all of that. I really love all that stuff, you know. There’s a lot of really exciting music out there.

Is Brian Eno involved in this album as well?

Yeah, so he did a track – “The Day Before We Went To War”, which I love, you know. I just love to work with him on every album forever. You know, he’s just so enjoyable to work with.

So what’s that like? Is he just stopping by, spreading some magic dust?

He just has magic dust, you know. He’s just one of those people who is interested in everything, he’s interesting about everything. He sees music in a way that I really like, you know. He’s sort of not afraid of just something really simple, but you’ve put a huge amount into. You know, the track I did with him, the riff he did is so simple, but it’s actually built up of so many interesting parts. But you wouldn’t know it, you know. And what comes back at you is this pure simplicity. But no, I just think he’s just so clever.

Meaning: He’s like a muse or a spiritual advisor?

Not even like… just someone that I just feel very lucky every time I’ve got to work with him, you know. That simple. It’s just like, you know, who do you most want to work with? – Brian Eno. Okay, you know. (chuckles)

And whatever happened to the track you recorded with Rizzle Kicks?

Oh that will, that will just sort of appear at some point. And ah… they’re so many tracks that aren’t on the record that will be sort of used for other stuff and around, on the internet and blah, blah, blah.

I assume you must have written tons of songs over the years.

So many, yeah. I mean I had like a huge amount to choose from for the album. But for the album I picked the sort of 11 that worked really well together. And then there’s another 6 on the deluxe album thing. And then there are loads more that will just float out. (chuckles) There’s a lot of music this time.

And why Kendrick Lamar? Is he like the hottest thing in rap these days?

Yeah, I mean we recorded that quite a while ago. And I just love his voice. And I love his record. And, you know, just feel really lucky I love what he does on the track, it’s brilliant.

It’s got that Massive Attack thing, doesn’t it?

Yeah, a little bit. Who knows? People hear all sorts of different things in my music, which I like, you know. It’s sort of…

I liked the headline in The Sun: “Dido Gets Her Hip-Hop Kicks.”

(laughs)

But to quote “Blackbird”: Do you feel like there’s something caged in you and you have to let it out every once in a while? What do you do then? How do you react?

(laughs): Well, music is fine. I have music as my outlet for anything that feels caged. I can write a song about it.

On a daily basis or how does it work?

I don’t write songs daily. But I’m always thinking about things. And writing bits and bobs here and there.

Having sold 35 million albums: What’s your poison? Have you bought the big house, are you driving around in fancy sports cars, is there an army of servants and private security?

No, no I lead a pretty simple life, you know. And ah… no, I mean, you know, wish I could say something more interesting. I think, you know, I’m always going to enjoy traveling and, you know, traveling the world that would be great. I haven’t done much recently. But that will always be something I’ve always loved doing is, is feeling, you know, the world is not such a big scary place, you know.

You’ve always been a very reclusive, though. Is it all about protecting yourself or what is it?

Again, it’s not really intentional. Yeah, I mean I just don’t see the need, you know. I just sort of feel like, you know, I haven’t really given it a whole heap of thought. It’s more like, you know, this is what I do: I write songs, I put them out there, you know, and I guess I keep myself to myself in a way because I love having something to write about. And I love having a pretty normal life. And at the end of the day sort of, you know, I don’t want to feel like I live in a bubble or overprotected or, you know, I don’t want any of that. And I think uhm… thankfully I’ve been able to strike a balance of having a pretty sort of normal life with all my old friends that I’ve always had, and writing songs and putting them out there and then disappear. (laughs)

[Serena]

Entrevista!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM4nr86hUdg

[Serena]

Bonita foto!

[Serena]

Fragmentos de los temas

[Serena]

Just Say Yes:


If by chance I saw you at first,
first time now there on the dance floor
I will put my coat back in town now head for the door
And I’ll ask your name,
just because you’ve been there before
have been burned, don’t walk away

Just say yes, I say no
You can say yes and just come home,
just come here don’t step away
don’t stay up there when you can be here
nothing is familiar, nothing stays the same but it’s ok.

Even if you think you should walk
Before you can run and falling is wrong.
Even if, if you believe think spars against you again

Just say yes, I say no
You can say yes and just come home,
just come here, I step away
don’t stay up there when you can be here
nothing is familiar, nothing stays the same but it’s ok.

You should clear a space in your head
Kick out the lame, the lost and the death
And who will know you and you at just bones
and who will care, how beautiful you are

Just say yes, I say no
You can say yes and just come home,
just come here, we step away
don’t stay up there when you can be here
nothing is familiar, nothing stays the same but it’s ok,
nothing is familiar, nothing stays the same but it’s ok.

[Serena]

Guapa!