Damien Rice

In the closing years of the 1990s, Damien Rice began his musical journey as the frontman of Juniper, an intense indie rock band from Ireland. The outfit inked a deal with Polygram in 1997 and put out a pair of singles, “The World Is Dead” and “Weathermen,” both of which received respectable airplay on Irish stations. Plans for a full-length release soon stalled, however, when contractual stipulations imposed by the label blocked the recording process, prompting Rice to leave the group.

Following a short period abroad in Europe, he came back to Dublin intent on restarting his career and scraped together funds to cut a demo. The recording reached producer and film composer David Arnold, whose prior credits include work with Björk, Nina Persson, and Paul Oakenfold; Arnold responded with such enthusiasm that he arranged a mobile studio so Rice could complete an album. The resulting debut single, “The Blower’s Daughter,” climbed into the Irish Top 20 upon its autumn 2001 release, and the full-length O appeared in early 2002. The record quickly crossed the Irish Sea, earning a Top Ten berth on the British charts and achieving four-times platinum certification.

Rice first performed in the United States in 2003, cultivating a loyal American following to complement his European audience. After releasing a set of B-sides in 2005, he issued his second album, 9, late the following year. The effort reached number one in Ireland, landed inside the Top Five in Great Britain, and marked his initial appearance inside the American Top 40. Extensive touring followed, highlighted by a Glastonbury appearance and an opening slot for Leonard Cohen during a 2008 Dublin concert, after which Rice stepped back from the spotlight. In 2014 he resurfaced with a modest performance at Whelan’s 25th-anniversary events in the Irish capital. His third album, My Favourite Faded Fantasy, arrived in November of that year under the guidance of veteran American producer Rick Rubin and again topped the Irish charts while performing strongly throughout Europe.