Adele

Adkins was the daughter of a young single mother born in a variety of working-class London neighbourhoods. She was a lover of contemporary pop songs as a child and was adept at playing the guitar and clarinet. She came across Etta, a mid-century rhythm-and blues singer in her teens, and started to pursue a career musician. As she was honed in a secondary school for performing arts that was funded by the federal government, a friend started posting songs Adkins wrote on Myspace. The site was soon contacted by record companies and signed a contract with XL Recordings in 2006.