Adele

Adkins was raised by a young single mother in various working-class neighborhoods of London. She was fascinated by popular music of the present as a child and was proficient at playing the clarinet and guitar. It wasn't until she was in her teens when she was introduced to Etta James, a rhythm and blues performer, as well as other artists of the mid-20th century, when she began to think about a career in music. As she learned in a secondary school of performing arts that was funded by the government and a friend began posting songs Adkins had written on Myspace. After graduation her music caught the attentions of record labels. She got a contract in the year 2006 with XL Recordings.