Adele

Adkins was the daughter of a single mother of just a few years born in a variety of working-class London neighbourhoods. As a young girl she loved singing pop songs of the day and was taught to play the guitar and the clarinet. She came across Etta, a mid-century rhythm-and blues singer in her teens and began to think about a career as a musician. She was in an elementary school for visual and performing arts that was funded by the government. A friend posted songs Adkins composed on Myspace. Her music soon caught the attention of recording companies, and in 2006, several months after graduating, she signed a contract with XL Recordings.