Known for her stunning talent and huge voice, British soul-pop chanteuse Adele (nee Adele Laurie Blue Adkins) got her start in 2005 when a friend helped her set up a MySpace page to promote her songs. Record execs hunting for "the next Lily Allen" discovered her work online and a contract with XL followed. Unfortunately, an ill-timed case of writer's block put a halt to Adele's songwriting--until romance and a breakup opened the floodgates of emotion and creativity. The result was her debut album 19, which peaked at #1 on the UK charts and earned Adele a Grammy for Best New Artist. Inspired by both great soul dames like Etta James and Billy Holiday and the more contemporary sounds of Bjork, Jeff Buckley, and Dusty Springfield, Adele's staggering, heartbreaking honest and artistry give voice to the experiences and resilience of the everywoman.Known for her stunning talent and huge voice, British soul-pop chanteuse Adele (nee Adele Laurie Blue Adkins) got her start in 2005 when a friend helped her set up a MySpace page to promote her songs. Record execs hunting for "the next Lily Allen" discovered her work online and a contract with XL followed. Unfortunately, an ill-timed case of writer's block put a halt to Adele's songwriting--until romance and a breakup opened the floodgates of emotion and creativity. The result was her debut album 19, which peaked at #1 on the UK charts and earned Adele a Grammy for Best New Artist. Inspired by both great soul dames like Etta James and Billy Holiday and the more contemporary sounds of Bjork, Jeff Buckley, and Dusty Springfield, Adele's staggering, heartbreaking honest and artistry give voice to the experiences and resilience of the everywoman.