Damien Rice

Damien George Rice was born in Dublin, Ireland, on December 7, 1973, and grew up in Celbridge, County Kildare. He began his musical journey in 1991 as a member of the rock band Juniper, alongside Paul Noonan, Dominic Philips, David Geraghty, and Brian Crosby. The band released their debut EP ‘Manna’ in 1995 and signed a six-album deal with PolyGram. Juniper achieved moderate success in Ireland with singles like “Weatherman” and “The World is Dead.” By 1998, Rice grew dissatisfied with the artistic compromises demanded by the record label and decided to leave the band. Following his departure from Juniper, Rice spent time farming in Tuscany, Italy, and traveled throughout Europe as a busker, developing his songwriting and musical perspective. He returned to Ireland in 2001 and began his solo career, building on the experiences and influences he gained during his travels.

In 2002, Rice released his debut solo album, ‘O’, which reached number 8 on the UK Albums Chart and remained on the chart for 97 weeks. ‘O’ sold 650,000 copies in the US and earned him the Shortlist Music Prize. The album produced three top 30 singles in the UK, including “Cannonball” and “Volcano,” a song initially written during his time with Juniper. His second album, ‘9’, was released in 2006. Throughout his career, Rice has engaged in collaborations and contributed to various charitable projects, demonstrating his commitment beyond music. These include the Freedom Campaign, the Burma Campaign UK, the U.S. Campaign for Burma, and the Enough Project. He released “Unplayed Piano” in support of Aung San Suu Kyi and contributed “Making Noise” to ‘Songs for Tibet: The Art of Peace’ in support of the 14th Dalai Lama and Tibet. He featured on French actress and singer Melanie Laurent’s debut album ‘En t’attendant’ in 2011.

After an eight-year hiatus from solo album releases, Rice announced his third studio album, ‘My Favourite Faded Fantasy’, in September 2014, releasing it in November of the same year. This album was met with critical acclaim from publications such as NPR and the London Evening Standard. His career includes consistent touring, with appearances at major festivals like Glastonbury and Rock Werchter. In more recent years, Rice has continued to perform, embarking on specialized tours such as the ‘Sailboat Tour’ in July 2023 across Italy and Spain, and announcing tours for Japan in March and April 2024, Australia and New Zealand in 2025, and Seoul, South Korea in 2025, with additional shows added due to demand. He also covered Sia’s “Chandelier” for the ‘Songs for Australia’ benefit album in 2020.