Tina Dico (born Tina Dickow on October 14, 1977) is a singer and songwriter inspired by artists such as Tracy Chapman, Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen.
In her home country of Denmark, she worked with the lead singer of the band TV-2, Steffen Brandt. She won a Steppeulv and a Danish Music Award in 2004 for her album, Notes, and the award for best female vocalist at the Danish Music Awards 2006. Internationally, she may be best known for her collaboration with the English duo Zero 7 on their second album, When It Falls, with the song "Home" and "The Space Between". In Denmark she performs under her real name, Tina Dickow.
Dickow was born in Åbyhøj near Århus, Denmark. At a very young age, she was introduced to music by her father who owned a big hi-fi stereo system in their basement. After public school, she attended a music boarding school, and after that she went to high school. Music still was her passion, and during her first years she performed with the cover band, Fester Kester.
In 1997 while attending her third year at high school, she was cast in the erotic TV-series, Karrusel (Carrousel), where she starred with Peter Steen and Michael Falch (produced 1997, broadcast 1998 on Danish TV2). After her performance she was offered several parts but did not like to be type cast as the "naive girl from Jutland," which was why she refused every offer. While Dickow performs under her real name in Denmark, abroad she is known as Tina Dico in order to avoid mispronunciation by American English speakers.
In 1998, Dickow introduced the other members of the band Fester Kester to a song of her own, and their enthusiasm led them to enter, and win, two talent contests the same year: "Talentspot" on Danish TV2, and "Vi har scenen, har I musikken?" (We have the stage, do you have the music?) in Aarhus. The band "Tina Dickow and Sheriff" was formed in 1998, and later that year the single "Your Waste of Time" was released. It was picked as "Song of the Week" on Danish National Radio, P3, and led to some degree of fame.
Several conversations with established record labels followed, but Dickow was unhappy with the way they intended to market her. Instead she got a loan from a bank, and started her own record label, Finest Gramophone, in 2000. The company’s first release was Dickow’s Fuel in 2001. The critic's response was modest, but most recognized her potential as an artist. Also in 2001, Dickow teamed up with her current manager, Jonathan Morley, on the SPOT-festival in Aarhus. She signed a four-year contract with Morley, and during the 2002 MIDEM-festival in Cannes, France she signed with English publisher Kojam Music.
Finest Gramophone went on to sign another Danish act, Love Julie, which released two albums. Dickow has said that she has no intention of signing future acts, due mostly to time constraints.
In the beginning of 2002, Dickow moved to England in an attempt to escape from the cozy atmosphere in Denmark. Thanks to her contract with Morley, she had the opportunity to step into the English music community, which led to a collaboration with Australian singer Holly Valance on the song "Send My Best." Dickow wrote the album Notes during her stay in England, capturing the loneliness and fear of being alone in London. Notes was recorded in two days and was released later that year. The critics were very positive this time. Notes won a Steppeulv (the Danish music critics award) in the category "Composer of the Year" and a Danish Music Award for "Songwriter of the Year".
During her work with Valance, Dickow met Sam Hardaker, one of the members of the English trip-hop-lounge duo, Zero 7. She was asked to collaborate with them, and they recorded "Home" and "The Space Between" which are featured on the album When It Falls. A tour with more than 100 shows in Europe, U.S., and Asia followed. While Dickow does not appear on Zero 7's The Garden, she has stated her desire to someday work with Zero 7 again.
The EP Far, with new versions of some of the tracks from Notes, one track from Fuel and a brand new song, was released in 2004. The purpose of the EP was to follow up on the success from the Zero 7 tour. In 2004, Dickow signed a multinational record deal with Sony UK, and the recordings to her international debut begun in late 2004. In early 2005, Sony and BMG merged, and the deal was canceled. The legal rights to the songs were handed over to Dickow, and the album was released in cooperation with the Danish company, A:Larm in June 2005. The album went straight to No. 1 on the Danish album chart in front of prominent names such as U2 and Coldplay.
In January 2006, Dickow won the P3 Award and DKK 100,000 which is granted by Danish National Radio P3. The jury said this of Dickow's effort: “Courage, self-esteem and talent is required if you want to be yourself and perform your own songs – without overstyled fuss. The winner of the P3 Award certainly possesses these qualities.” In March 2006, Dickow won the Danish Music Award for "Singer of the Year".
Dickow has released her fourth studio album entitled Count to Ten on September 3rd, 2007.
In September 2008, Dickow won the Kronprinsparrets Kulturpris and DKK 500,000 which was granted by Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark for “having the courage to look the contradictory and difficult parts of existence in the eye, and for the ability to express it in a very special, life-affirming fashion that many can identify themselves with.”
Discography
Fuel (2001)
Notes (2003)
Far (EP, 2004)
In the Red (2006)
Count To Ten (2007)
Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur" (2007) Tina Dico (listed as Tina Dickow) cover of Working Class Hero (John Lennon)
Side By Side - duets Vol. 1" Award-winning American artist AM (musician) and Tina Dico perform the duet "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (2008) a cover of a George Harrison song
A Beginning, A Detour, An Open Ending (2008)
