Lend an ear to Dido

British artists, according to all statistics, are finding it harder to sell records in America than ever before. Yet nobody seems to have told the ethereal Dido. Her debut album, No Angel has already gone "platinum" in the US, with only Sting and Radiohead among the British acts keeping her company in the US Top 50.

Before you ask – and everyone does – yes, Dido is her real name. And if you want to know where it comes from, check out Virgil’s Aeneid, the tragic tale of the Queen of Carthage who leapt into the fire with grief when she lost her lover.

Dido traces her musical roots to her childhood. At the age of 5, she learned to play the recorder. A year later, she enrolled at the Guidhall School of Music where she added piano and violin to her repertoire.

Dido first tasted the spotlight when she joined her brother, Rollo member of the hit electronica dance group Faithless. She sang in both of their million-selling albums Reverence and Sunday 8 p.m. "The way I got on the first record of Faithless was quite manipulative, I suppose," Dido admits. "I’d appear at the studio without being asked, especially when I knew they were doing vocals. They wouldn’t have asked me but I was there and Rollo would say. . . my sister is here. We may as well use her!" The rest of the time, I’d sit around making cups of tea for people and that’s how I ended up doing more and more on the album."

In between touring with Faithless, Dido started writing her own songs and when she inked a recording deal, she decided to quit Faithless. "I hated leaving them," she recalls. "But I was determined to finish my own album."

Upon completion of the album, it was first released in the United States where Dido spent 18 months touring and promoting the album Thank You, one of her songs was featured in the closing credits to the Gwyneth Paltrow movie Sliding Doors while Here With me, a song she wrote was chosen as the main theme of the TV smash Roswell High.

Then, Eminem sampled Thank You on Stan the second single released from his multi-million selling Marshall Mathers LP. "I loved it and thought that his rap on the song was brilliant," Dido says.

Sensibly, she has kept her connection with the controversial rapper at arm’s length from her own career. "Of course, that sample did me a big, big favor," she says. " I adore Eminem but it would be tacky to exploit it."

And Dido has no need to exploit anything other than her own unique talent. She’s already writing her next album and is clearly here for the long haul. Her rise and rise appears unstoppable.

Side A’s platinum album

Side A has recently released an album that chronicles their 15 years as one of the country’s most successful bands. Billed as Side A: The Platinum Collection, this album contains all of Side A’s multi-platinum selling hits that have given the band more than their fair share of recognition both from their peers and their legions of fans.

Each of the song included in this album was carefully chosen to create a collector’s item. For what else could have more value than songs that inspire the most touching memories?

Included in the Side A Platinum Collection are Forevermore, So Many Questions, Tell Me, Ang Aking Awitin, Will I Ever, The Girl’s Right For Me, If Only, By Your Side, Think It Over (duet with Zsa Zsa Padilla), Let The Pain Remain, Endlessly, Anak, Set You Free, Umagang Kay Ganda (duet with Chedi/Tillie), Clara’s Eyes, All This Time (duet with Sharon Cuneta) and Foolish Heart (live version).

So grab a copy of Side A Platinum collection. It’s all you’ll ever really want, forever more!