Estelle

Too bad for British soul singer Estelle. Her breakthrough album, Shine, with its mega-single “American Boy” had guest appearances from Kanye West and Cee-Lo Green. So why the pity? Unfortunately, she came to fame in 2008, the same year that another British soul chick—Adele—entered the scene. Adele more than took the air from Estelle’s sail, at least from a marketing perspective. It’s not Estelle’s fault that two singers were named so similarly, but it certainly didn’t help her career. Fortunately, Estelle’s music is good enough and different enough to find an audience, but she’s just got to find another way to stand on her own; her upcoming third album, All Of Me, just might do the trick.

Updated 02/08/2012