Adele

Adkins was brought up by a single young mother in various working-class communities of London. Adkins loved listening to modern pop music as a child and learning how to play the clarinet as well as the guitar. She came across Etta, a mid-century rhythm-and blues singer in her teens, and started to consider a career as musician. While she was being trained at a secondary school for performing arts funded by the federal government, a friend started posting songs Adkins had written onto Myspace. Following her graduation, Adkins' music caught the attentions of record labels. She signed a deal in the year 2006 with XL Recordings.