Singer Tina Dico, straight outta Denmark
By Chris Nixon
For the San Diego Union-Tribune
March 16, 2006
Since growing up in Denmark, vocalist Tina Dico's world keeps expanding as more music fans worldwide gain exposure to her simple, sultry vocals.
The daughter of a nurse and carpenter raised in her country's second largest city Arhus, the 27-year-old soulful singer found an American and European audience over the past few years working with producers Sam Hardaker and Henry Binns in Zero 7.
But her track record reaches beyond the high-profile collaborations. Dico started her own record label (Finest Gramophone) in 2000, recording a couple of critically acclaimed discs in her homeland.
“Zero 7 was always a side project for me,” said Dico, currently on tour supporting her latest release “In the Red.” “I had already released two albums in my home country when I started working with them.”
While singing on Zero 7's 2003 disc “When It Falls,” and hitting the road on the subsequent tour, Dico learned some serious lessons hanging with the British downtempo group.
“Most important to me, it was amazing to get insight on the lives of artists signed to major labels,” recalled Dico. “How does it all work? What kinds of problems do they face and how much do they have to compromise? It was very inspiring for me, because they were really adamant about what they wanted to do. It was good for me to see that it is possible to not get lost in the big system and just be yourself.”
Despite a long list of influences and influential musical experiences, Dico has focused on remaining true to her roots in the singer-songwriter tradition: “I suppose my guitar is my natural element at the end of the day. That is the tradition I grew up with as well, listening to Dylan and (Leonard) Cohen.”
After signing to a major label in Denmark, Dico attended the Royal Danish Academy of Music but wasn't a good student. Instead of conforming to the school's idea of singing (“jazzy vibrato” as she describes it), the young musician instead moved to London with her guitar and a guitar case full of songs.
After recording and touring with Hardaker and Binns, Dico set off to record her first post-Zero 7 album. Along with Zero 7 collaborators Mozez, Sophie Barker and Sia Furler (coming to the Casbah April 1), the partnership of Binns and Hardaker provided a springboard to bring her own music to new and larger crowds. The resulting album, “In the Red,” showcases Dico's sweet and pure vocals, surrounded by subtle and bittersweet pop accented by electronic touches and lush production.
In contrast, Dico is traveling with just her guitar on this tour, which stops at the Casbah Sunday. Unlike her last stop in San Diego (at 4th & B with Zero 7), Dico will be center-stage.
“I suppose the nerve-racking part of being on your own is you have to hold everything together,” said Dico. “When there are 10 people onstage you can just drift away.”
While she's only 27, Dico's success hasn't come suddenly, so she's been able to stay focused and centered on the most important aspects of her career: singing, songwriting and performing.
“Fortunately, it has been a very healthy slow buildup in a way,” said Dico. “It's not something that's come out of the blue. It's slowly been getting busier and busier over the past three years, so it feels kind of natural now. Having said that, it is something that's really hard and you have to give yourself to it 100 percent.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
