Tina Dico was born in Aabyhøj near Aarhus. At a very young age she was introduced to music by her father who owned a big hifi-system in their basement.
After public school, she attended a music boarding school, and after that she went to high school. Music was still 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 to the erotic TV-series, Karrusel (Carrousel), (inspired by the famous play Reigen (La Ronde)) 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 didn’t like to be recognized as the "naive girl from Jutland" which was why she refused every offer.
In 1998, Tina Dico introduced the other members of the band Fester Kester to a song of her own, and their enthusiasm made them 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 lead to some degree of fame.
Hereafter several conversations with established record labels followed, but the way they intended to market her was not satisfying. Instead she got a loan from a bank, and started her very own record label, Finest Gramophone, in 2000.
The company’s first release was Dico’s Fuel in 2001. The critics were modest, but most recognized her potential as an artist. Also in 2001, Tina Dico 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 the English publisher, Kojam Music.
In the beginning of 2002 Tina Dico moved to England in an attempt to escape from the cosy atmosphere in Denmark. The lack of challenge in Denmark drove her to seek her fortune and uncertainty in England.
Thanks to her contract with Jonathan Morley she had the opportunity to step into the English music community which lead to a collaboration with the Australian singer, Holly Valance on the song "Send My Best".
The album Notes was written during her stay in England and it captured the loneliness and fear of being all alone in London. Notes was recorded in two days and was released later same 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 Holly Valance, Tina Dico met Sam Hardaker, the man behind 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, USA and Asia followed after.
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 Tina Dico 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 cancelled. The legal rights to the songs was handed over to Tina Dico, and the album was released in cooperation with the Danish company, A:Larm in June 2005. The album went straight to number one on the Danish album chart in front of prominent names such as U2 and Coldplay.
In January 2006 Tina Dico won the P3 Award and DKK 100,000 which is granted by Danish National Radio P3. Some of the motivations from the jury were: “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 Tina Dico won the Danish Music Award in the category "Singer of the year".
Dico also appears on "Side By Side - Duets Vol. 1" by AM which features original tracks and two cover tunes, performed with friends of AM; Meiko, Susie Suh, Julianna Raye, Buddy, Tina Dico and Rick Garcia. (5 Bonus tracks available at iTunes) The EP is worth owning if only on the strength of the incredibly haunting and beautiful cover of George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." - performed by Tina
The Other Side
Tina Dico Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The worst in many years
Had me biting on my pillow
Had me waking up in tears
I was knocking on a door
I'd been knocking all my life
Expecting great things on the other side
Expecting great things on the other side
There was a beam of light
I sensed the time was near
I was getting all excited
Saw my future bright and clear
The lock gave out a roar
And the door slid open wide
I was free to walk out on the other side
On the other side
Finally free to walk out on the other side
That's when the dream got frightening
I was not at all prepared
For the empty hall that met me
And the truth that lived in there
The castle and the king
And the diamonds in the sky
Were nowhere to be seen on the other side
On the other side
No, there were no lights on the other side
On the other side
Yeah, the lights were off on the other side
Now, if the dream is right
And if I'm thinking clear
I guess I should be thankful to have woken up right here
And not half-way up a ladder into an empty sky
Not looking for a better place to live my life
No, I think I'll just stay and live it on this side
On this side
I'll just stay and live my life on this side
In her melancholic song "The Other Side", Tina Dico dreams about what is on the other side of her life. She describes how she had a vivid dream in which she was knocking on a door she had been knocking on for years, expecting great things on the other side. Finally, the door opens and she is free to walk out on the other side, but the dream takes a frightening turn when she realises that the castle, the king and the diamonds in the sky that she had been expecting were nowhere to be seen. The lights were off on the other side.
The lyrics of the song are a reflection on the idea that we all have expectations and visions of what we want our life to be like. We work hard to achieve our goals, hoping for success and happiness, but sometimes, when we finally reach the other side, we find that things are not what we had hoped or anticipated. Tina Dico's message is one of acceptance and gratitude for the life she has and the side she is on. She realises that it is better to live in the present than to chase illusions and dreams that do not truly fulfill. She decides to stay and live her life on this side.
Line by Line Meaning
I had a dream last night
The author describes a dream that occurred the previous night
The worst in many years
This dream was particularly bad and left a lasting impact
Had me biting on my pillow
The dream was so tough that the author's physical reaction was to bite down on a pillow
Had me waking up in tears
The dream was so distressing that upon waking, the author was in tears
I was knocking on a door
The dream began with the author knocking on a door
I'd been knocking all my life
The author has been knocking on doors, metaphorically seeking opportunities and new experiences for the entirety of their life
Expecting great things on the other side
However, the author's hope is for great things on the other side of this particular door
On the other side
The concept of the 'other side' is important in this song and represents a metaphor for another plane of existence or level of experience
Expecting great things on the other side
The author is hopeful that once through this door, something wonderful awaits
There was a beam of light
The door appears to open upon a beam of light, suggesting a new realm of understanding and experience
I sensed the time was near
The author feels that their time has come, that something important is about to happen
I was getting all excited
Despite initial trepidation, the author becomes excited at the thought of what's to come
Saw my future bright and clear
The author understands that this new door represents an opportunity for their future to become bright and clear
The lock gave out a roar
As the lock is opened, it gives out a roar; a metaphor for the author bursting through the previous barriers and entering a new, potentially powerful realm
And the door slid open wide
Finally, the door slides open and the author is free to explore 'the other side'
On the other side
As before, this line represents the metaphorical plane of existence different from the author's previous level of experience
Finally free to walk out on the other side
The author is now completey unleashed to experience the other side, well-prepared to do so
That's when the dream got frightening
However, despite initial excitement and enthusiasm, the author finds the other side more frightening than anticipated
I was not at all prepared
The author did not realize the struggles or challenges that awaited them
For the empty hall that met me
The new realm was not what the author had hoped, represented by the 'empty hall'
And the truth that lived in there
The author understood that they could not escape the truth in this new realm, that they must face struggles rather than living in constant comfort
The castle and the king
The author's initial hopes and visions of greatness represent the 'castle and the king,' now proven to be nothing more than a fantasy
And the diamonds in the sky
This goes hand-in-hand with the previous line, the 'diamonds in the sky' being a metaphor for an imaginary future
Were nowhere to be seen on the other side
The truth challenged the author's prior belief, revealing the other side to be different than the initial concept
On the other side
This line serves to repeat and underline the aforementioned diminished hopes and dreams for the other side
No, there were no lights on the other side
This is a continuation of the conveying the truth is not the way the author had hoped, there is no brightness to chase or follow
On the other side
Simply furthering the repetition of discovering the other side is different than previously thought
Yeah, the lights were off on the other side
This reiterates the disappointment of the author and their burgeoning belief that what they wanted has vanished
Now, if the dream is right
Having experienced the other side, the author contemplates whether they truly liked it
And if I'm thinking clear
The author wants clarity on this contemplation, and wishfully assumes that clear thinking will give them a better grasp of the concept
I guess I should be thankful to have woken up right here
After experiencing the truth of the other side, the author is thankful they woke up from the dream and found themselves in their present reality
And not half-way up a ladder into an empty sky
Metaphorically, the author feels they have avoided the trap of chasing empty dreams, indeed they have left the ladder altogether and accepted their current location, the present moment.
Not looking for a better place to live my life
The past hope of always finding a bright, shining place to experience and live is gone, and the author is happy to fully live their life in the present moment, without looking for a better version of itself in the future
No, I think I'll just stay and live it on this side
The author acknowledges the importance of staying where they are, finding joy and the positive in the present, and taking all the ups and downs of their present moment to shape their life
On this side
This line once again reemphasizes the importance of the present moment
I'll just stay and live my life on this side
Finally, the author has accepted the truth in the other side, and is happy to live in the present, and live their life to the fullest and happiest.
Writer(s): Tina Dickow
Contributed by Adam V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@moonoggin
I had a dream last night
The worst in many years
Had me biting on my pillow
Had me waking up in tears
I was knocking on a door
I'd been knocking all my life
Expecting great things on the other side
On the other side
Expecting great things on the other side
There was a beam of light
I sensed the time was near
I was getting all excited
Saw my future bright and clear
The lock gave out a roar
And the door slid open wide
I was free to walk out on the other side
On the other side
Finally free to walk out on the other side
That's when the dream got frightening
I was not at all prepared
For the empty hall that met me
And the truth that lived in there
The castle and the king
And the diamonds in the sky
Were nowhere to be seen on the other side
On the other side
No, there were no lights on the other side
On the other side
Yeah, the lights were off on the other side
Now, if the dream is right
And if I'm thinking clear
I guess I should be thankful to have woken up right here
And not half-way up a ladder into an empty sky
Not looking for a better place to live my life
No, I think I'll just stay and live it on this side
On this side
I'll just stay and live my life on this side
@andreaslossek509
Meine Frau und ich lieben Tina Dico !!! Und wir freuen uns total, dass sie am 23.06.2023 während der Kieler Woche ein Konzert in Kiel spielen wird - wir sind dabei 😊😊
@JannikLoekke
As with all her songs, she has an amazing ability to write in a way, that speaks to my most inner thoughts and fears. She is one of the most precious thing to ever come out of Denmark. Been a fan for years, and will continue to be, for many many years to come!..
@stevekirschenbaum9801
Tina Dico...one of Europe's best kept secrets.
@xyzbb4692
True
@075672820
This is seriously so great. This woman is incredibly talented! That voice! The songwriting! So grateful that there are humans like this out there in the world.
@enriquevalladares1684
I from mexico and really love tina dico!
@xyzbb4692
I love the lyrics. And I love people who think so deep so that they can write such wonderful lyrics and chords.
@TheClk88
Oh she's definitely not undiscovered ;) She's very popular in Denmark and all over Scandinavia. :) One of our greatest Singer/Songwriter in Denmark so far :-)
@P1NKM4U5
In deed she is ! :D... i love her, i've listened to her songs all the way through my teens and till now... .:D
@homusik
One of the best song writers i Denmark - in the world.