He began his career as a member of the 1990s rock group Juniper, who
were signed to Polygram Records in 1997. The band enjoyed some 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.
In 2002, Rice released his debut album, O. It
reached No. 8 on the UK Albums Chart, won the Shortlist Music Prize, and
generated three top 30 singles in the UK. He released his second album,
9, in 2006. After eight years of various collaborations
and gaining more popularity through the appearance of his songs in
numerous films and television series, Rice released his third
studio album, My Favourite Faded Fantasy, in 2014. He
has contributed music to charitable projects such as Songs for Tibet,
the Enough Project, and the Freedom Campaign.