Damien Rice (born 7 December 1973) is an Irish singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He began his career as a member of the 1990s rock group Juniper, who were signed to Polygram Records in 1997. The band enjoyed moderate success with two released singles, "The World is Dead" and "Weatherman," which did moderately well in Ireland. However, an anticipated studio album floundered because of record company politics. After leaving the band, Rice worked as a farmer in Tuscany and busked throughout Europe before returning to Ireland in 2001 and beginning a solo career. The rest of Juniper went on to perform under the name Bell X1.