美国国家公共电台 NPR Dido Returns With Family-Focused Album 'Still On My Mind'（在线收听）

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

Let's go back to the turn of the century - a time of reality TV, worries over Y2K and Dido.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THANK YOU")

DIDO: (Singing) And I want to thank you.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WHITE FLAG")

DIDO: (Singing) There will be no white flag above my door...

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SAND IN MY SHOES")

DIDO: (Singing) I've still got sand in my shoes, and I can't shake the thought of you.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: The British singer who was born Dido Florian Cloud de Bounevialle Armstrong (ph) entered the music scene 20 years ago. Her first two albums, "No Angel" and "Life For Rent," are some of the bestselling albums in the U.K. And she's back with a new album that critics say has never sounded, quote, "bigger and better." It's called "Still On My Mind."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "STILL ON MY MIND")

DIDO: (Singing) Rolling seas, endless roads, heading into the sun.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Dido joins us now from the BBC in London.

Hello.

DIDO: Hi. How are you?

GARCIA-NAVARRO: I'm very well, thank you. How are you...

DIDO: Good.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: ...More importantly?

DIDO: I'm very well. Yes, all is good.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: All is good. I want to start by asking you, do you hate the comeback narrative?

DIDO: Well, it's every time, like, it's a comeback. But I think that's just because I leave it a bit too long. I mean, it's funny. This time does feel really exciting for some reason, I think, because I'm finally going back on tour. In that respect, it does feel really sort of fresh and new and exciting. But, yes, I think pretty much the last..

GARCIA-NAVARRO: (Laughter).

DIDO: ...Two - three records have been a comeback album.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: She's back. She's back again (laughter).

DIDO: She's gone. She's gone. She's back.

(LAUGHTER)

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Is there more pressure or less each time...

DIDO: Less.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: ...That happens? Less.

DIDO: Like, yeah, way less. I mean, there was so little pressure on this album. A, I didn't have a record deal. And, you know, I wasn't even sure what I would do with it. I just thought, you know, I really want to make a record. And then, I might go and get a record deal, and I might put it out. But I wasn't sort of sure about any of it. But I just knew I wanted to make some music with my brother.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "STILL ON MY MIND")

DIDO: (Singing) You were there when I called for you. Then I walked away. I've run so far, but you're still on my mind. You're still on my mind.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Explain to me why it's taken so long for you to put out another album. The last one came out in 2013 - "Girl Who Got Away."

DIDO: Yes, I've outdone myself this time. It's six years this time.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yeah. So what happens in those six years?

DIDO: The usual five years - I mean, the big thing that happened in this last six years was I had my son. So I just wanted to hang out with him. And we've just been having an amazing time. And in that time, I've also been writing some songs, and music sort of happens.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: All right. Well, speaking of parenthood, let's listen to the song "Have To Stay."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HAVE TO STAY")

DIDO: (Singing) You were born with a smile on your face, and it's been there every day. When you cry, I remind you that I'm never going away.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: So touching this song - it is about your experiences as a mother, isn't it?

DIDO: It is. It's a very simple sort of, you know, write-what-you-feel song. I really didn't want to write about having a kid. I sort of was quite adamant that I'm not writing a song about having children partly because what I write about tends to be sort of little moments of sort of conflict. And I just felt like, well, that's - you know, that's not interesting to write about. I just love him.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HAVE TO STAY")

DIDO: (Singing) When your words don't sound as sweet anymore, I'll listen to what you say. And when you're pushing me and telling me, I still won't walk away.

But then I did sit down one day and write this song. And then, actually, writing that song's - I didn't really intend for anyone to hear it. It was just a sort of little moment of personal thinking about sort of unconditional love, really. And then it sort of opened the floodgates because it suddenly made writing really simple again, you know? It was just like, oh, you just - you know? You...

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Write what you feel.

DIDO: ...Write the things that are important and what you feel. And you put it down, and you sing it. And then you've done it (laughter).

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HURRICANES")

DIDO: (Singing) I want to wake up with your weight by my side. And I want to think that you look good as you rise. And I want to turn to you.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: This album also has another family element. It was exclusively made with your brother, who you've worked with in the past. Why did you want him to have a part of this?

DIDO: For me, music has always been this sort of family thing. And I realize sort of very clearly that I just didn't really want to do it if it wasn't with him this time. I just had a real sort of need to do that and go back to the basics, where I'm just hanging out with my brother. And we make some music. And, yeah, I would say it's definitely been the sort of easiest record I've ever made.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: I'm so envious of your relationship with your sibling (laughter).

DIDO: I know. Everyone says that. I mean, look. We've - I'm sure we've had our wilderness years. But...

(LAUGHTER)

DIDO: But I think we sort of - you know, it's like when you're sitting, looking at a piece of art or a picture with someone. And sometimes, you're seeing something completely different. And sometimes, you're seeing the same thing. And, I think, when I work with him, we're hearing the same thing. And we're seeing the same thing. And we're - and our values are the same. And I think we both just feel really lucky to be making the music that we want to make and just sort of unashamedly using whatever sounds and thoughts we want to use and still being able to do that, like, 25 years on.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Many people know you here in the United States not only for your music but also for your relationship with Eminem. Do you guys keep in touch?

DIDO: I saw him a few years ago because we performed "Stan" at a big festival here - Reading and Leeds Festival. And it was sort of completely out of the blue, actually. They called him and like - do you want to come do "Stan"? It's been, like, 10 years. And I was sort of not - you know, I hadn't been on stage for ages. And I was just being sort of the full-time mom. And I just thought, yeah, you know, that'd be really fun.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "STAN")

DIDO: (Singing) Even if I could, it'll all be gray. But your picture on my wall, it reminds me that it's not so bad. It's not so bad.

EMINEM: (Rapping) Dear Slim, I wrote you, but you still ain't calling. I left my cell...

GARCIA-NAVARRO: And what was that like, seeing him again?

DIDO: Absolutely lovely - I mean, there's a history there of - you know, that song's really special and just lovely to have been part of something that was so well-received and a special moment.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: What would you tell your younger self now, 20 years after the release of "No Angel"?

DIDO: Practice the guitar because you would rather have been a bit better at it now.

(LAUGHTER)

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Really? That's the advice?

DIDO: I just don't have regrets. I'm not a sort of regret-y (ph) person. I don't tend to look back. But I also don't tend to look forward. I'm very much a sort of in-the-moment person. And I'm terrible at planning, and I'm terrible at looking back. But if I had one regret, it's that I just feel I should be better at this by now.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CHANCES")

DIDO: (Singing) I will stand and wait until it's morning. And I won't make it lying down.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: That's Dido. Her new album is called "Still On My Mind." Thank you so much.

DIDO: Total pleasure.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CHANCES")

DIDO: (Singing) And I will have all my chances again.