Adele

Adele Adkins was born in Tottenham, North London in 1988. She released her debut album '19' in 2008, which established her as a singer-songwriter with a voice that could handle both quiet reflection and big emotional moments. Her songs like 'Best For Last' and 'Crazy For You' showed she could write about relationships without resorting to pop formulas.

In 2011, she had vocal cord surgery that paused her career, but she returned later that year with the album '21'. Her voice had a soulful quality that reminded some listeners of Etta James or Amy Winehouse, but she kept her writing grounded in personal experience rather than genre exercises.

She followed with '25' in 2015 and '30' in 2021, continuing to work with various producers and musicians while maintaining her focus on vocal delivery and lyrical directness. There was some criticism about a 2013 Oscars performance where she appeared to lip-sync, which she addressed by apologizing and avoiding similar situations afterward. Throughout her releases, she's stayed a solo artist who brings in collaborators as needed rather than forming a permanent band.