Adele

When the U.K. press began dubbing Adele "the next Amy Winehouse" in late 2007, the hype didn't touch upon the singer/songwriter influence found in the Londoner's music. Influenced by Roberta Flack and Suzanne Vega as much as Jill Scott, Adele soon became a phenomenon in her own right; her second album, 21, eventually sold an estimated 30 million copies worldwide, making her one of the few sales successes in an age of digital streaming. Adele first made an impression in 2006 when her demo landed her a deal with XL Recordings. She toured as an opening act for Jack Penate, and g...