| Years active: |
1999 - Present |
| Genre(s): |
Acoustic, Folk, Indie |
| Label(s): |
Heffa |
| Members: |
Damien Rice |
HISTORY
Damien Rice (born December 7, 1973) is an Irish musician, born in Kildare near Dublin, whose album O was an enormous success, quickly adding him to the roster of notable Irish musicians.
Rice was originally the singer for Juniper, a rock band with a notable stage show, which released the singles "The World Is Dead" and "Weatherman". On the eve of recording their first full album for Polygram in 1999, Rice became disenchanted with the commercial direction he felt pushed into by the label, and quit. His Juniper bandmates would become Bell X1.
Moving to rural Italy, he lived quietly, until deciding to return to the music business on his own terms. Turning to acoustic guitar and intensely personal songwriting, he busked penniless around Europe until he was able to attract a band and coffeeshop gigs in the Dublin area. Exploiting a lucky connection to David Arnold, his uncle, Rice was able to record O. The songs "The Blower's Daughter"-- featured in the 2004 film Closer-- and "Cannonball" became international hits.
His band consists of Lisa Hannigan (Backing Vocals), Vyvienne Long (Cello), Tomo (Drums) and Shane Fitzsimons (Bass), while Rice plays guitar and sings lead.
They have often toured with The Frames. In both 2003 and 2004 he played Glastonbury Festival, with the first performance arguably giving him his first notable recognition in Britain.
In 2003, he won the Shortlist Music Prize.
His songs "The Blower's Daughter" and "Cold Water" were featured on the 2004 Mike Nichols film Closer. His song "Delicate" was featured on the TV drama Lost, and his single "Cannonball" was featured on the TV dramedy "The OC."
He appeared on the new Tori Amos album The Beekeeper, released on February 22, 2005, on the song "The Power of Orange Knickers."
Rice is involved in a human rights campaign to free Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
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