From church violin to a debut that went straight to number one

Corinne Bailey Rae's first stages were in churches. Born in Leeds to a father from Saint Kitts and Nevis and an English mother, she studied classical violin at school before turning to singing. She sang at a Plymouth Brethren church, later moved to a Baptist one, and there a youth leader who coached rock bands offered to lend her money for a first guitar. The young people wrote their own worship songs, and she even recorded two albums with them under the name Revive.

By her mid-teens she was listening to Lenny Kravitz, Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. She read English language and literature at the University of Leeds and graduated in 2000. Her first band, an indie group called Helen, was inspired by Veruca Salt and L7, played around Leeds and was approached by Roadrunner Records, a label known for metal, but the deal collapsed before signing and the group split.

Her solo debut in February 2006 changed the picture. The BBC's Sound of 2006 poll had named her the top predicted breakthrough, and the album made her the fourth British female act to have a first album debut at number one. It has sold over four million copies, and “Put Your Records On” became the song people remember, with “Like a Star” beside it. She earned three Grammy nominations and three Brit nominations in 2007 and won two MOBO Awards.

The Sea followed in January 2010 and brought a Mercury Prize nomination. A Grammy for Best R&B Performance came in 2012 for her cover of “Is This Love”, and in 2008 she had already shared in the Album of the Year win for Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters. The Heart Speaks in Whispers appeared in 2016.