Dido grateful to Eminem

EDINBURGH, Scotland (Reuters) — British singer Dido will be forever grateful to “Bad Boy” rapper Eminem for launching her on the road to stardom.

She was promoting her debut album “No Angel” across the United States in the spring of 2000 when a CD arrived in New York for her with a covering letter from one of the most controversial figures in American music.

Eminem’s decision to use the Dido song “Thankyou” in his ode to an obsessed fan “Stan” transformed her career. “It was a bolt from the blue when I got word of his interest,” she said. “Naively, I just didn’t predict the effect it would have on my career. I simply told a few mates, who also thought Eminem was cool, and then carried on promoting my album. But of course the eventual effect would be insane,” she told Reuters on Wednesday after rehearsing for her appearance at this year’s MTV Europe awards in Edinburgh.

“We both really enjoyed the song, enjoyed performing. Of course I am thankful to him,” she added.

Her critically acclaimed debut album went on to sell 12 million copies and establish her as an international star. Now she has no fears of suffering from what she calls “Difficult Second Album Syndrome.” “I was so excited to be back in the studio,” she said of the time writing the newly released album “Life for Rent.” “Being on tour for two years I was desperate to get down all these songs that were going around in my head and driving me crazy,” she said. “I got to be at home for a year and make music. I don’t know why you get a syndrome.”