Adele

Adele's evocative vocals, confessional songwriting, and soul-infused sound could have easily landed her at the top of the charts in the 1960s, decades before her birth. As a teenager, the British chanteuse entered the music scene with the critically lauded, neo-soul debut album, 19 (2008), that spawned the international hit "Chasing Pavements." The post-breakup ballad, inspired by Adele's own heartbreak, launched her promising career all the way to winning a Grammy Award in 2009 for Best New Artist. Celebrated by millions for her self-assured and fun-loving personality as much as her artistry, Adele defied the conventions of a mainstream pop star. Adele conquered the charts once again with her second album, 21 (2011), which broke records all over the world and established her as a compelling artist and a legend in the making. That was topped yet again by the staggering success of 2015's 25, which broke first-week sales records when it sold over 3 million copies in the United States alone in only seven days.