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When the UK press began dubbing Adele "the next Amy Winehouse" in late 2007, the hype didn't touch upon the heavy singer/songwriter influence found in the Londoner's music. Influenced by Suzanne Vega as much as Jill Scott, Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald, Adele first made an impression in 2006 when she toured as an opening act for Jack Penate. She had graduated to headlining status by the end of 2007, thanks to BBC Radio 1 playing her single "Daydreamer" another song, "Hometown Glory," was also released as a single on the label Pacemaker. An appearance alongside Paul McCartney and Björk on the BBC 2 television show Later with Jools Holland came next, and a recording contract with XL Recordings was finalized soon after.

Early 2008 brought similar luck as Adele found herself atop the BBC's new music talent list, which was compiled from the votes of 150 music critics. That same January, XL issued a new single, "Chasing Pavements," along with her debut album, 19. The title reflected Adele's age at the time of the album's release, and its popularity resulted in the release of several bonus editions throughout the year. Adele is a VH1 You Oughta Know artist since April 2008. She has performed on Saturday Night Live, David Letterman, The Tonight Show, and Dancing With the Stars. Covers she's performed range from Bob Dylan to Sam Cooke to Etta James. To this date she has sold almost 700,000 albums world wide.

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Best known for her role as Effie White in the 2006 film version of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls, vocalist/actress Jennifer Hudson was first brought to the public's attention while a contestant on the third season of the reality show vocal competition American Idol. Born in 1981 in Chicago, IL, Hudson sang from a young age, first performing in her church. Various talent shows and school musical productions followed until she eventually secured a role in a local Chicago production of the musical Big River. Prior to auditioning for American Idol, Hudson also sang professionally while working on the Disney Wonder cruise ship.

In 2004, she auditioned for and won a spot on the third season of American Idol along with eventual winner Fantasia Barrino. Though a strong contender and fan favorite from the start, Hudson would eventually become the sixth of the 12 finalists to get voted off the show. Ironically, after the show ended, there was speculation that Barrino would get the coveted role of Effie in the film version of Dreamgirls. However, Hudson won the role and went on to receive not only critical acclaim for her performance, but also both a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Her debut album, Jennifer Hudson, finally materialized on Arista in September 2008, led by the Top Ten R&B/Hip-Hop single "Spotlight." ~ Matt Collar, All Music Guide

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Jordin Sparks may have been the youngest American Idol when she won the title on the reality show's sixth season, but the Glendale, AZ, resident had already packed plenty of accomplishments into 17 years. The daughter of Phillippi Sparks, former left cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys and former defensive back for the New York Giants, Sparks had no formal vocal training, but showed a flair for singing while still a toddler and was drawn to performing of all kinds at an early age. By her early teens, Sparks was singing, acting in plays and modeling, and already winning acclaim for her talents.

Along with performing with Alice Cooper and Michael W. Smith, she was Coca Cola's Rising Star in 2002 and made her recording debut with 2003's "For Now" EP with CCM artist Matthew Ward and engineer Gary Leach. The following year, she won two awards at the 2004 Gospel Music Association Academy, placed second overall in that year's Music in the Rockies competition, and appeared on America's Most Talented Kids twice. In 2006, she won a plus-size model search held by the Torrid clothing line and appeared in an ad for Torrid in the December issue of Seventeen magazine. That year, Sparks also auditioned for American Idol, performing in the Los Angeles tryouts; while she didn't make the cut, she later won the American Idol-affiliated contest Arizona Idol, which allowed her to audition again for the show in Seattle. She made it through to Hollywood on the strength of her rendition of Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me" and found a place among the 12 American Idol finalists early in 2007. Her performances of songs such as "I (Who Have Nothing)" and "Hey Baby" showed her charm and versatility, and soon made her a fan favorite.

Like fellow American Idols Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and Taylor Hicks, Sparks was never in the bottom two or three performers throughout the entire competition. Ultimately, Sparks beat out Blake Lewis and Melinda Doolittle to become the sixth American Idol on May 23, 2007. Her debut single, "This Is My Now," was released soon after the show's May finale, and Sparks spent that summer appearing on the American Idol tour. She also began working on material for her album, reteaming with Leach on songs that were previewed on her website. The single "Tattoo" preceded her self-titled debut album, which arrived in time for the 2007 holiday season. It also spawned the 2008 hit "No Air", which featured Chris Brown and peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Sparks returned in summer 2009 with Battlefield, which was heralded by its namesake single.

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Texas-born Kelly Clarkson is the first "American Idol" winner and the top-selling former "Idol" contestant. Her first album "Thankful" sold over two million copies. Her second album, "Breakaway," was an even bigger success, selling more than 6 million copies in the US, with over 10 million in sales worldwide, spun off five Top 10 hits, and stayed on the charts for two full years. In 2006 she won Grammy Awards for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance ('Since U Been Gone') and Best Pop Vocal Album ('Breakaway'). Kelly also performed "Because of You" at the ceremony and received a standing ovation. Her favorite artitists are Reba McIntire, Mariah Carey, and No Doubt.

Kelly's newest album "All I Ever Wanted" has just been released and has already sold nearly 700,000 copies, with the single "All I Ever Wanted" selling the same number so far. "I just want to be able to look back at this album and be proud, and to think, 'Man, that was awesome!'" she says. She has sold over twenty million records around the world and landed eight singles in the Top Ten. She's won MTV Video Music Awards, American Music Awards, and even been nominated for a Country Music Award.

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A striking young woman with a strong vocal resemblance to the young Whitney Houston and a large mop of blonde corkscrew curls, Leona Lewis won the third series of the British reality talent show The X Factor in a landslide. (For non-Brits: The X Factor is the revamped follow-up to the original U.K. talent search, Pop Idol, of which American Idol is the massively successful U.S. version; AI's Simon Cowell is the show's lead judge and executive producer.)

Born and raised in the Islington section of north London, Lewis won a talent show at the age of 13 and devoted herself to music thereafter, eventually graduating from the prestigious BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology. Lewis' debut single, a soulful cover of Kelly Clarkson's "A Moment Like This" (Clarkson's own debut American Idol showcase single), was the number one single in the U.K. at the turn of the year, including the coveted "Christmas Number One." Along with her TV-driven U.K. success, Leona Lewis signed an American recording deal with Clive Davis' J Records in February 2007. By the end of the year, she had launched her debut album, "Spirit", in England on Simon Cowell's record label. The album went to the top of the charts (along with the single "Bleeding Love"), and became is the first British solo artist to top the chart with a debut album. The American release followed in 2008, with similar success, selling about 1.6 million copies. That year Leona also joined fellow Diva Adele in becoming a VH1 You Oughta Know artist, and was nominated for three Grammys. A bit of notable trivia, her video for "I Will Be" featured Chase Crawford from "Gossip Girl".

Leona performed "Whole Lotta Love" with guitarist Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin at the 2008 Summer Olympics closing ceremony in Beijing. She's a vegetarian, and a spokesperson for PETA who named her Sexiest Vegetarian Alive in 2008.

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In her short career, Miley has proven herself a true diva. She sings, acts on TV and in movies, sells a clothing line through Wal-Mart, and her memoir Miles to Go reached #1 on the New York Times children's best seller list.

Born Destiny Hope Cyrus, she was nicknamed "Miley" because she kept smiling ("Smiley") as a baby, and she changed her name legally to Miley Ray Cyrus in May 2008. She's written over a hundred songs in her career, including many that have been used in her hit Disney show "Hannah Montana," and co-wrote 8 of the 13 songs on her 2008 album "Breakout." By 2007, she was ranked number 17 on Forbes' List of the 20 Top-Earning Young Superstars. She released a 3D concert movie of her "Best of Both Worlds Tour" in early 2008, which became the highest grossing Super Bowl weekend release ever. She was listed in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in The World, and Forbes magazine ranked her number 35 on "The Celebrity 100" list with earnings of over $25 million in 2008. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for the song "I Thought I Lost You" for the "Bolt" soundtrack, and hosted the 2008 CMT Music Awards with her father that April. That same year she hosted the Teen Choice Awards.

Miley celebrated her 16th birthday with a charity fundraiser at Disneyland, which was closed early for the event. It was attended by 5,000 fans at $250 per ticket, with the proceeds going to the charity Youth Service America, a youth volunteering organization.

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In the wake of Madonna's success, many dance-pop divas filled the charts, but out of them all, Paula Abdul was the only one who sustained a career. The former L.A. Lakers cheerleader and choreographer began to make inroads in pop music when she was hired as an assistant dance director on the Jacksons' Victory tour, which led to a job choreographing Janet Jackson's videos for "Control". Paula's work on Jackson's videos helped make the album a hit, making her a sought-after choreographer. After working on "The Tracy Ullman Show" and videos for ZZ Top, Duran Duran, and the Pointer Sisters, Paula began a recording career, releasing her debut album, "Forever Your Girl," in 1988.

The first two singles drawn from the record were moderate hits, but the release of "Straight Up" at the end of the year made her a superstar. Staying at the top of the charts for three weeks, "Straight Up" began a string of six number one singles (with "The Way That You Love Me" recharting at number three in 1989) that ran through the summer of 1991. Paula's spectacular big-budget videos helped push the sales of "Forever Your Girl" past seven million in the U.S. alone. While her second album, 1991's "Spellbound," wasn't as successful, it still sold over three million copies and spent two weeks at number one.

She released her third studio effort, Head Over Heels, in the summer of 1995. The singer withdrew from the spotlight for several years before resurfacing in 2000 to co-write "Spinning Around" for Kylie Minogue. Debuting at the top of the charts in Australia and the U.K., the single effectively relaunched Minogue's career, and Paula experienced a similar surge in popularity when she joined the judging panel of American Idol in 2002. Rumors began to circulate in 2007 about Paula's return to the studio, and a statement on her website in January 2008 confirmed them, promising a new Abdul album by that summer.

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