Rumer

As surprising as it might sound when you hear her voice, not to mention her music, success was not handed to Rumer on a plate. This talented pop chanteuse fought long and hard to get her break; ten years, to be precise, during which she performed anywhere and everywhere she could. Eventually, her effortless velvet-smooth vocals caught the attention of TV music composer Steve Brown and the pair began to work together on her debut album. Whilst Rumer is prepared for the comparisons with classic artists - the likes of Carole King and Karen Carpenter are certain to crop up - she is certainly not intimidated by them. She has sung with and stayed in the house of Carly Simon, and worked with her son, Ben Taylor. Burt Bacharach heard of Rumer through the grapevine and was so won over that he flew her to California and asked her to sing for him. "If Burt Bacharach says you're good, you have to start believing you're good too," she says. Her first single, "Slow," became one of the most requested tracks on the BBC's Radio 2, and reached number 16 in the U.K. charts. During 2011, she was nominated for several Brit Awards, and three MOJO Awards. Her self-penned debut album, "Seasons of My Soul" is out now.