Songbirds
of Summer

The summer music scene swelters with some of the hottest up-and-coming acts primed for a mainstream breakout. Here are a few ladies that all have the right chemistry to blow up this year.

Adele
For three months now, I've been listening to Adele's album, 19, and I can't stop. Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, known simply as Adele, is the songstress who has taken the world by storm. The critically acclaimed 19-year-old UK soul sensation is truly going to blow up even more this summer. Born in London, Adele has recently been the toast of the U.S. music press and record-buying public since the release of her first single, "Hometown Glory," an autobiographic heart-rendering ode to London, back in early June. Her second single, "Chasing Pavements," has been the #1 Most Watched clip in VH1's XXL rotation while the track is currently picking up adds. Adele's third single, her cover of Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love," will make you cry and fall in love with her. She has sold more than 84,000 copies in the states and is consistently selling upwards of seven thousand units per week. Adele sings with conviction and an inner-knowledge that is translated only through life experience. Her lyrics relate with listeners on a profound level. Although labeled by many as a jazz singer, Adele has described her sound as "heartbroken soul."

Janelle Monae
A charismatic singer, songwriter, producer and performer, Janelle Mon‡e's groundbreaking style crosses musical genres. Her album, The Chase Suite, which melded cabaret, hip-hop, rock 'n' roll and soul, sees the Atlanta-based artist continuing the epic musical journey of her android alter ego, Cindi Mayweather, as she traverses a sci-fi inspired world of cybersoul. She first garnered national attention for her collaborations with Big Boi on OutKast's Idlewild, even appearing in the video for "Morris Brown." Big Boi was so impressed by what he heard that he put two of her songs on his 2005 compilation, Got Purp?, Vol. 2. Metropolis: Suite I of IV, which was released last year, was well received and helped bring the singer onto Sean "Diddy" Combs' radar. Diddy officially announced Mon‡e as the newest member of his Bad Boy roster. A re-release of The Chase, featuring bonus content, appeared in August 2008. A full-length debut album is slated for release in 2009.

Laura Izibor
Dubbed "The Soul of Ireland," Dublin's leading singer/songwriter R&B diva with a sassy lilt in her voice is among a fast-emerging wave of female singers who could rule the charts next year. Laura Izibor's debut album, Let The Truth Be Told, out early next year, combines funky workouts with gospel ballads and lush orchestration. Born and reared in Dublin, the piano-playing 21-year-old has played with Al Green and James Brown and, in 2006, became the first unsigned artist to win a Meteor, Ireland's equivalent of a Brit. She has since signed with Atlantic Records and is for sure to be the next big thing.