Adele

Adkins was born to a young single mother living in various working-class areas of London. Adkins was a fan of contemporary pop music as a child and also learning how to play the clarinet and the guitar. It wasn't until she was in her teens that she was introduced to Etta James, a r&b performer, as well as other artists from the early 20th century when she began to think about a career in music. While she developed her talents at a school that was funded by the government for the performing arts a friend began posting songs Adkins had written and recorded on the social network site Myspace. She was soon discovered by record labels and signed a contract with XL Recordings in 2006.