Damien Rice

Irish singer/songwriter Damien Rice grew up in County Kildare, Ireland. He was originally in a band called ‘Juniper’ but left after he became uncomfortable with the commercial label (Polygram) that they were signed to. While ‘Juniper’ went on to create ‘Bell X1,’ Rice decided that the solo road was the right way for him.

His decision took him to Tuscany, in Italy, where he started writing songs using an acoustic guitar. Rice then travelled around Europe performing low-key shows until he could form a band around him.

When he arrived back in Dublin, Rice recorded a demo and sent in to Bjork producer, David Arnold. They set about recording ‘O,’ which was released in 2003. The album won the Shortlist Music Award in 2003. The LP also made number eight in the UK charts and went triple platinum. It saw Rice heralded as one of Irelands finest musical exports.

After ‘O,’ Rice went underground to record his second album. In between album sessions he recorded a song called, ‘Cross-eyed Bear,’ for the War Child album. The song had originally been a ‘Juniper’ track.

After recording throughout 2004 and 2005, the songwriter finally released, ‘9,’ his second full studio album in November 2006. The album reached number four in the UK charts, and received wide spread critical acclaim. The first single to be taken from the album, ‘9 Crimes,’ featured the vocals of Lisa Hannigan – a long time member of Rice’s band.

After playing a number of dates at the end of 2006 and the beginning of 2007, Damien Rice announced that he would play his first full arena tour in 2007, beginning in October.