"As soon as I got a microphone in my hand, when I was about 14, I realised I wanted to do this," she says. "Most people don't like the way their voice sounds when it's recorded. I was just so excited by the whole thing that I wasn't bothered what it sounded like." 

A fan of such diverse artists as Jill Scott, Etta James, Billy Bragg, Peggy Lee, Jeff Buckley and The Cure, Adele's soul-tinged songs of love's lost and memories made are set to resonate with all who hear them.

"I've got no problem explaining what my lyrics are about," ADELE says. "I really like poetry: I'm not very good at reading it, but I love writing it. Singers like Jill Scott and Karen Dalton are amazing; proper poets."

"My debut album is about being between 18 and 19; about love," she continues. "‘Daydreamer' is about this boy I was in love with, like proper in love with. He was bi and I couldn't deal with that. All the things I wanted from my boyfriend, he was never going to be. I get really jealous anyway, so I couldn't fight with girls and boys. It's quite a sad album, [with songs about] being cheated on and not getting what you want".

Anchoring it all together is ADELE's incredible voice. As immediate as it is undeniable, its power is matched only by her Force 10 personality. "I've always liked being the centre of attention, yes," she laughs.

ADELE is from a resolutely un-musical family. "It all comes from impersonating The Spice Girls and Gabrielle," she cheerfully explains. "I did little concerts in my room for my mum and her friends. My mum's quite arty; she'd get all these lamps and shine them up to make one big spotlight. They'd all sit on the bed." Later, when her dad's best friend, a dance producer, rightly declared ADELE's voice ‘wicked', he invited her to record a cover of ‘Heart Of Glass'. The first time she got a microphone in her hand, she realised her calling.