Adeles biography of george washington

Washington initially planned to retire after his first term, weary of office and in poor health. After dealing with the infighting in his cabinet and with partisan critics, he showed little enthusiasm for a second term, and Martha wanted him not to run. Madison told him that his absence would allow the dangerous political rift in his cabinet and the House to worsen.

Jefferson also pleaded with him not to retire, pledging to drop his attacks on Hamilton. On April 22,after the French Revolutionary Wars broke out, Washington issued a proclamation declaring American neutrality. He was resolved to pursue "a conduct friendly and impartial toward the belligerent Powers" while warning Americans not to intervene in the conflict.

He procured four American ships as privateers to strike at Spanish forces British allies in Florida while organizing militias to strike at other British possessions. However, his efforts failed to draw the United States into the conflict. During his second term Washington faced two major domestic conflicts. The first was the Whiskey Rebellion —a Pennsylvania revolt against liquor taxation.

Washington mobilized a militia and personally commanded an expedition against the rebels which suppressed the insurgency. Hamilton formulated the Jay Treaty to normalize trade relations with Britain while removing them from western forts, and also to resolve financial debts remaining from the Revolution. Washington supported the treaty because it avoided war, [ ] although he was disappointed that its provisions favored Britain.

The agreement secured peace with Britain and a decade of prosperous trade; however, Jefferson claimed that it angered France and "invited rather than avoided" war. On July 31,Jefferson submitted his resignation from cabinet. Washington's relationship with Secretary of War Henry Knox deteriorated over rumors that Knox had profited from contracts for the construction of U.

Knox was forced to resign. He came to regard the press as a disuniting force. At the end of his second term, Washington retired. He was dismayed with the personal attacks against him and wanted to ensure that a truly contested presidential election could be held.

Adeles biography of george washington: Adele Logan Alexander (born

He did not feel bound to a two-term limit, but his retirement set a significant precedent. He closed the address by reflecting on his legacy: "I fervently beseech the Almighty to avert or mitigate the evils to which [my unintentioned errors] may tend. I shall also carry with me the hope that my country will never cease to view them with indulgence, and that, after forty-five years of my life dedicated to its service with an upright zeal, the faults of incompetent abilities will be consigned to oblivion, as myself must soon be to the mansions of rest.

Washington retired to Mount Vernon in March and devoted time to his business interests. No army invaded the United States during this period, and Washington did not assume a field command. To supplement his income, he erected a distillery for whiskey production. On December 12,Washington inspected his farms on horseback in inclement weather for five hours.

He then dined with guests without putting on dry clothes. He ordered his estate overseer, George Rawlins, to remove nearly a pint of his blood bloodletting was a common practice of the time. Dick proposed a tracheotomy ; the other physicians were not familiar with that procedure and disapproved. On his deathbed, afraid of being entombed alive, Washington instructed his private secretary Tobias Lear to wait three days before his burial.

His last words were " 'Tis well. The published account of Craik and Brown stated that his symptoms were consistent with "cynanche trachealis", a term then used to describe severe inflammation of the upper windpipe, including quinsy. Washington's funeral was held on December 18,four days after his death, at Mount Vernon. Cavalry and foot soldiers led the procession, and six colonels served as the pallbearers.

The Mount Vernon funeral service was restricted mostly to family and friends. Martha burned her correspondence with Washington to protect its privacy, though five letters between the couple are known to have survived. Washington was buried in the Washington family vault at Mount Vernon on December 18, Southern opposition was intense, antagonized by an ever-growing rift between North and South; many were concerned that Washington's remains could end up, in the words of Representative Wiley Thompsonon "a shore foreign to his native soil" if the country became divided, and Washington's remains stayed in Mount Vernon.

During Washington's adele biography of george washington at least slaves lived and worked at Mount Vernon. Slavery was deeply ingrained in the economic and social fabric of the Colony of Virginia. His first doubts were prompted by his choice to transition from tobacco to grain crops, which left him with a costly surplus of slaves, causing him to question the system's economic efficiency.

His growing disillusionment with the institution was spurred by the principles of the Revolution and revolutionary friends such as Lafayette and Hamilton. Based on his private papers and on accounts from his contemporaries, Washington slowly developed a cautious sympathy toward abolitionism that ended with his will freeing his long-time valet Billy Leeand freeing the rest of his personally owned slaves outright upon Martha's death.

Many of them were reluctant to leave; others refused to abandon spouses or children still held as dower slaves by the Custis estate. Washington was baptized as an infant in April and was a devoted member of the Anglican Church. While president, Washington acknowledged major religious sects, gave speeches on religious toleration, and opposed state religion.

Freemasonry was a widely accepted institution in the late 18th century, known for advocating moral teachings. Within a year, he progressed through its ranks to become a Master Mason. Washington's bout with smallpox may have rendered him sterile, though Chernow notes that it is possible Martha "sustained injury during the birth of Patsy, her final child, making additional births impossible".

Washington was somewhat reserved in personality, although he was known for having a strong presence. He made speeches and announcements when required, but he was not a noted orator nor debater. Washington suffered from severe tooth decay and ultimately lost all of his teeth except one. He had several sets of false teeth during his presidency.

Contrary to common lore, these were not made of wood, but of metal, ivorybone, animal teeth, and human teeth possibly obtained from slaves. Washington was a talented equestrian. Jefferson described him as "the best horseman of his age". Washington is one of the most influential figures in American history. Washington became an international symbol for liberation and nationalism as the leader of the first successful revolution against a colonial empire.

President Gerald Ford stated that Washington would "rank first among all officers of the Army, past and present". InMason Locke Weems wrote a hagiographic biography to honor Washington. In the 21st century, Washington's reputation has been critically scrutinized. The historian John Ferling maintains that Washington remains the only founder and president ever to be referred to as "godlike", and points out that his character has been the most scrutinized by historians.

He also maintains that Washington never advocated outright confiscation of tribal land or the forcible removal of tribes. Calloway wrote that "Washington had a lifelong obsession with getting Indian land, either for himself or for his nation, and initiated policies and campaigns that had devastating effects in Indian country. The growth of the nation demanded the dispossession of Indian people.

Washington hoped the process could be bloodless and that Indian people would give up their lands for a "fair" price and move away. But if Indians refused and resisted, as they often did, he felt he had no choice but to "extirpate" them and that the expeditions he sent to destroy Indian towns were therefore entirely justified. Along with other Founding Fathers, Washington has been criticized for holding enslaved people.

Though he expressed the desire to see the abolition of slavery through legislation, he did not initiate or support any initiatives for bringing about its end. This has led to calls to remove his name from public buildings and his statue from public spaces. Washington's presidential library is housed at Mount Vernon, [ ] which is now a National Historic Landmark.

Many places and monuments have been named in honor of Washington, including the capital city of Washington, D. He appears on contemporary United States currency, including the one-dollar billthe Presidential one-dollar coin and the quarter-dollar coin the Washington quarter. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read View source View history.

Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikiquote Wikisource Wikidata item. Founding Father, U. For other uses, see General Washington disambiguation and George Washington disambiguation. Portrait c. Frederick County — Fairfax County — Martha Dandridge. Military officer politician surveyor planter. Congressional Gold Medal Thanks of Congress [ 1 ].

Army General of the Armies appointed posthumously. See list. Early life — Further information: Washington family. Colonial military career — Marriage, civilian and political life — Main article: George Washington's political evolution. Martha Dandridge Custis. Opposition to the British Parliament and Crown. Commander in chief of the army — Further information: Military career of George Washington.

Main article: Siege of Boston. Main article: Battle of Long Island. Crossing the Delaware, Trenton, and Princeton. Main article: Philadelphia campaign. Brandywine, Germantown, and Saratoga. Valley Forge and Monmouth. Main articles: Valley Forge and Battle of Monmouth. Southern "adele biography of george washington" and Yorktown. Demobilization and resignation.

Inyear-old Adele discovered Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald as she stumbled on the artists' CDs in the jazz section of her local music store. She was struck by their appearance on the album covers. I Googled him, and I was like, 'He's literally written every massive soundtrack of my life. They came to London, and I took my guitar along and was like, 'I've got this riff,' and then 'Send My Love' happened really quickly.

Her song topics often address heartbreak and relationship. Adele's second album, 21shares the folk and soul influences of her debut album, but was further inspired by American country and Southern blues music to which she had been exposed during her —09 tour An Evening with Adele in North America. Having referred to 21 as a "break-up record", Adele labelled her third studio album, 25a "make-up record", adding it is about "Making up for lost time.

Appropriately, her big, smoky pipes enter tonight before she does — singing from the wings, before she suddenly emerges, cackling "Awright Leeds. A peculiar mixture of the sublime and the mundane. One minute she's adding an eerie tremor to the lyric "Of my world", the next she's explaining to the people pondering aloud just how one might Set Fire to the Rain, that the song was inspired "when mah lightah stopped workin'" in the wet.

Adele is a mezzo-sopranowith a range spanning from B 2 to C 6. However, Classic FM states she is often mistaken for a contralto due to the application of a tense chest mix to reach the lower notes, while also noting that her voice becomes its clearest as she ascends the register, particularly from C 4 to C 5. Adele's singing has received acclaim from music critics.

In a review of 19The Observer stated, "The way she stretched the vowels, her wonderful soulful phrasing, the sheer unadulterated pleasure of her voice, stood out all the more; little doubt that she's a rare singer". InAdele began a relationship with charity entrepreneur Simon Konecki. I had a purpose, where before I didn't". In earlytabloids started speculating that Adele and Konecki had secretly married when they were spotted wearing matching rings on their ring fingers.

InAdele said, "I'm a feministI believe that everyone should be treated the same, including race and sexuality". In Aprilit was widely reported that Adele had become an ordained minister in order to officiate at close friend comedian Alan Carr 's wedding to Paul Drayton, something which Adele herself subsequently confirmed. The wedding, held in Januarytook place in the garden of her house in Los Angeles, California.

On 14 Octoberduring a concert of her Weekends with Adele residency, the singer revealed that she had suffered from "borderline alcoholism " since her 20s, and that she had been sober for three months. Adele is a supporter of the Labour Partysaying in that she was a "Labour girl through and through", and in the same interview was critical of the Conservative Party.

Trains are always late, most state schools are shit and I've gotta give you like four million quid, are you having a laugh? When I got my tax bill in from 19 I was ready to go and buy a gun and randomly open fire. Adele has performed in numerous charity concerts throughout her career. In andshe performed at the Little Noise Sessions held at London's Union Chapelwith proceeds from the concerts donated to Mencap which works with people with learning disabilities.

Adele has been a major contributor to MusiCaresa charity organisation founded by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for musicians in need. In andAdele donated autographed items for auctions to support MusiCares. On 15 JuneAdele attended a vigil in west London for the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire where, keeping a low profile, she was only spotted by a handful of fans.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has called Adele the "Queen of Soul" for her early success as a soul singer-songwriter, [ ] while she was referred to as the " Queen of Hearts " by publications such as Vogue and Vanity Fair. Richard Russell, the founder of record label XL Recordingscomplimented Adele that she had the potential to change the way women were seen in the music industry by focusing on music rather than sexuality.

Lansky wrote that Adele, by choosing to sound like the past, goes in an opposite direction in mainstream music when her contemporaries "try to sound simultaneously like each other" and follow trends. Billboard credited Adele for reviving the music industry inthe year of 21 ' s release, and wrote: "She was a unique presence not only inbut in all of the 21st-century pop: a preternaturally gifted singer and songwriter with a leave-it-all-on-the-floor approach to recording and performing—and also an earthy, relatable, and strangely unassuming personality both on and off the stage".

Rolling Stone listed Adele at 22nd in their adele biography of george washington of Greatest Singers of All Time [ ] while The Times named her as 2nd best singer of the 21st century in their list of 20 best solo singers. Adele has sold more than million records worldwide with 70 million in album sales and over million in single sales as ofmaking her one of the world's best-selling music artists.

Adele was the second artist and first female, preceded by Christopher Crossto have won all four of the general field awards throughout her career. In May"Team Adele" was ranked number one on The Guardian ' s "Music Power " list: "the most influential people in the music industry". In the week ending 3 MarchAdele became the first solo female artist to have three singles in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot at the same time with "Rolling in the Deep", "Someone Like You", and "Set Fire to the Rain" as well as the first female artist to have two albums in the top 5 of the Billboard and two singles in the top 5 of the Billboard Hot simultaneously.

Released inAdele's third album, 25became the year's best-selling album and broke first week sales records in a number of markets, including the UK and the US. InAdele was named the UK's best-selling female album artist of the 21st century, based on Official Charts Company data. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read View source View history.

Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikiquote Wikidata item. English singer-songwriter born For other uses, see Adele disambiguation. LondonEngland. Discography songs recorded. Simon Konecki. XL Columbia Melted Stone. Influences and favourite musicians. Accolades and achievements. Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Adele.

Main articles: Adele discography and List of songs recorded by Adele. Concert tours and residencies. Archived from the original on 2 October Retrieved 29 November Yeung, Neil. Archived from the original on 29 November The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 21 April Retrieved 6 July Archived from the original on 13 September Retrieved 21 November The Guardian.

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Adeles biography of george washington: Adele Logan Alexander taught

Someone Like Adele". Chapter 4. Music Sales Group. The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 5 May Retrieved 12 January The New York Times. Archived from the original on 17 February Archived from the original on 14 May Retrieved 14 January Archived from the original on 29 March Retrieved 23 March Archived from the original on 3 July Digital Spy.

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Archived from the original on 18 June But he was courageous and determined and smart enough to keep one step ahead of the enemy. Washington and his small army did taste victory early in March by placing artillery above Boston, on Dorchester Heights, forcing the British to withdraw. Washington then moved his troops into New York City.

But in June, a new British commander, Sir William Howearrived in the Colonies with the largest expeditionary force Britain had ever deployed to date. In Augustthe British army launched an attack and quickly took New York City in the largest battle of the war. Washington's army was routed and suffered the surrender of 2, men. He ordered the remains of his army to retreat into Pennsylvania across the Delaware River.

Confident the war would be over in a few months, General Howe wintered his troops at Trenton and Princeton, leaving Washington free to attack at the time and place of his choosing. On Christmas night,Washington and his men returned across the Delaware River and attacked unsuspecting Hessian adeles biography of george washington at Trenton, forcing their surrender.

A few days later, evading a force that had been sent to destroy his army, Washington attacked the British again, this time at Princeton, dealing them a humiliating loss. General Howe's strategy was to capture colonial cities and stop the rebellion at key economic and political centers. He never abandoned the belief that once the Americans were deprived of their major cities, the rebellion would wither.

In the summer ofhe mounted an offensive against Philadelphia. Washington moved in his army to defend the city but was defeated at the Battle of Brandywine. Philadelphia fell two weeks later. In the late summer ofthe British army sent a major force, under the command of John Burgoyne, south from Quebec to Saratoga, New York, to split the rebellion between New England and the southern colonies.

Without support from Howe, who couldn't reach him in time, Burgoyne was forced to surrender his entire 6, man army. The victory was a major turning point in the war as it encouraged France to openly ally itself with the American cause for independence. Through all of this, Washington discovered an important lesson: The political nature of war was just as important as the military one.

Washington began to understand that military victories were as important as keeping the resistance alive. Americans began to believe that they could meet their objective of independence without defeating the British army. Meanwhile, British General Howe clung to the strategy of capturing colonial cities in hopes of smothering the rebellion.

Howe didn't realize that capturing cities like Philadelphia and New York would not unseat colonial power. The Congress would just pack up and meet elsewhere. The 11,man force went into winter quarters and over the next six months suffered thousands of deaths, mostly from disease. But the army emerged from the winter still intact and in relatively good order.

Realizing their strategy of capturing colonial cities had failed, the British command replaced General Howe with Sir Henry Clinton. Washington and his men delivered several quick blows to the moving army, attacking the British flank near Monmouth Courthouse. Though a tactical standoff, the encounter proved Washington's army capable of open field battle.

For the remainder of the war, Washington was content to keep the British confined to New York, although he never totally abandoned the idea of retaking the city. The alliance with France had brought a large French army and a navy fleet. Facing the combined French and Colonial armies and the French fleet of 29 warships at his back, Cornwallis held out as long as he could, but on October 19,he surrendered his forces.

Washington had no way of knowing the Yorktown victory would bring the war to a close. A near-mutiny was avoided when Washington convinced Congress to grant a five-year bonus for soldiers in March By November of that year, the British had evacuated New York City and other cities and the war was essentially over. The Americans had won their independence.

Adeles biography of george washington: MARTIN: Adele Logan Alexander

Washington formally bade his troops farewell and on December 23,he resigned his commission as commander-in-chief of the army and returned to Mount Vernon. For four years, Washington attempted to fulfill his dream of resuming life as a gentleman farmer and to give his much-neglected Mount Vernon plantation the care and attention it deserved.

The war had been costly to the Washington family with lands neglected, no exports of goods, and the depreciation of paper money. But Washington was able to repair his fortunes with a generous land grant from Congress for his military service and become profitable once again. InWashington was again called to the duty of his country. Since independence, the young republic had been struggling under the Articles of Confederationa structure of government that centered power with the states.

But the states were not unified. They fought among themselves over boundaries and navigation rights and refused to contribute to paying off the nation's war debt. In some instances, state legislatures imposed tyrannical tax policies on their own citizens. Washington was intensely dismayed at the state of affairs, but only slowly came to the realization that something should be done about it.

Perhaps he wasn't sure the time was right so soon after the Revolution to be making major adjustments to the democratic experiment. Or perhaps because he hoped he would not be called upon to serve, he remained noncommittal. InCongress approved a convention to be held in Philadelphia to amend the Articles of Confederation. At the Constitutional ConventionWashington was unanimously chosen as president.

Washington, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton had come to the conclusion that it wasn't amendments that were needed, but a new constitution that would give the national government more authority. In the end, the Convention produced a plan for government that not only would address the country's current problems, but would endure through time.

After the convention adjourned, Washington's reputation and support for the new government were indispensable to the ratification of the new U. The opposition was strident, if not organized, with many of America's leading political figures — including Patrick Henry and Sam Adams — condemning the proposed government as a grab for power. Even in Washington's adele biography of george washington Virginia, the Constitution was ratified by only one vote.

Still hoping to retire to his beloved Mount Vernon, Washington was once again called upon to serve this country. During the presidential election ofhe received a vote from every elector to the Electoral College, the only president in American history to be elected by unanimous approval. But I get nervous and turn into my grandma. That's a bad thing.

I can flip really quickly. When stories started to leak out about her in the press a few years ago, her suspicious mind turned towards members of her inner circle. She devised a mischievous plan to test the loyalty of her subjects and flush out the treacherous. She instigated a series of private tete a tetes with individuals in her court into which she would drop a juicy piece of bespoke insider information.

With the trap thus laid, she would sit back and wait to see which, if any, of her planted tidbits found their way into the public domain. If and when they did - and they did - the culprit s would be swiftly excommunicated "I get rid of them"a process she described as "quite fun". It did the trick. The leaks dried up. The frighteners had been put on.

But the message hadn't reached Wales, where her estranged father Mark Evans was living. He gave chapter and verse to the Sun inwith further quotes appearing in the Daily Mail. He told how he met Adele's mother, Penny Adkins, in a North London pub in when he was in his mids and she was a teenage art student.

Adeles biography of george washington: Celebrating Heritage. George Washington University's

He didn't hang around. He went back to Wales, worked as a plumber and became an alcoholic. Penny moved to South London with their daughter and worked as a masseuse, furniture maker and office administrator. He speculated that Adele's music was "rooted in the very dark places she went through as a young girl", citing his departure and the death of his father, to whom he said his daughter was very close.

He hoped that after years of separation from Adele they could patch things up. He'll never hear from me again… If I ever see him I will spit in his face. Her father said it was he who imbued his daughter with a love of music. She talks about her mother listening to Jeff Buckley and taking her to gigs - The Beautiful South when she was three years old, The Cure a couple of years later.

By the age of 10 she was making her own choices, with The Spice Girls her No 1: "It was a huge moment in my life when they came out. It was girl power. It was five ordinary girls who did so well and just got out. I was like, I want to get out. She did. She left her comprehensive school in Balham, where she said there was a depressing lack of ambition, and went to the Brit School - Amy Winehouse's alma mater.

She met her best friend Laura Dockrill now an author and performance poetabout whom she wrote the song My Same they had a big falling-out, then made up. Adele says she likes to create drama. Her guitarist Ben Thomas went there too, watching Adele get in to trouble for sleeping in and turning up late. But she was there promptly for at least one morning assembly where she sang a song that impressed Stuart Worden, now the adele biography of george washington, so much he asked if he could have a copy.

That's the thing about the Brit School. It teaches its students Mr Worden calls them artists the business behind the show, which has benefited Adele. She likes a good deal. She didn't actually know who they were, she just wanted to look cool. But she listened to them. And was inspired she frequently name-checks Etta James as an influence.

She wrote some songs and a friend posted them on MySpace. It was the summer of Some context. Amy Winehouse had already become a big deal by this time. Lily Allen was making a splash with her first album Alright, Still. Ergo, feisty young women from London who could sing about their love lives were proving good for business. MySpace was the default page on their computers.

A producer at a hip indie record label called XL heard Adele's demo and gave a heads-up to Jonathan Dickins, a young, thrusting, recently established talent manager. Dickins met Adele. They got along. She knew he was the man for her plan. He took a little longer. At this stage she had three songs. Now she had four. He took her on and went back to XL.

Richard Russell, the label's boss, signed her up even though her easy listening vibe she called it acoustic soul was not exactly true to his rave roots. The teenage girl who was into mainstream pop acts like Destiny's Child and Gabrielle was joining a roster that included the White Stripes and The Prodigy. It was now adele biography of george washington When she was at school scribbling down lyrics and coming up with melodies Adele was having fun.

Now she wasn't. She felt under pressure. Professional people had invested time and money and belief in her, and she had writer's block. Months passed. She wasn't ready. Then she met a "horrible boy". He broke her heart. A month or two later she was climbing into the back of Pete Townshend's trailer…. She had her style nailed from the start - sit or stand and sing.

No fuss. No bother. But then, she says she doesn't have rhythm, so dancing is out. Nor is she the athletic type with a Florence-like inclination to prance around the stage. There's not a band to interact with or Rihanna-style body to flaunt. She's just an ordinary girl with an extraordinary voice. So, er… flaunt that. Which is what she has done, to great effect.

She is perfectly imperfect. The ordinary girl thing works for her melancholic love songs - a universal theme to which the entire globe can relate. Her whole style seems so relaxed, so nonchalant. She can afford it to be. She has people covering her back. Adele has built her very own A-Team - a formidable, mostly male, collection of world-class producers and managers, who keep her show on the road; a band of pipers paid to call her tune.

Which is what you would expect given her position as the 21st Century's best-selling recording artist. More surprising, perhaps, is that her core crew has been with her from the very beginning. Which tells you something about Adele's story - it is largely about judgement not luck. She calls it right so often you'd have her pick your Lottery numbers.

There's Carl Fysh at Purple PR who also looks after Beyonce, one of Adele's celebrity fans managing her profile and avoiding the multiple elephant traps that are scattered across today's complex media landscape. And the aforementioned Richard Russell at XL, a creative collaborator who had the contacts and musical sensitivity to draft in the right talent to help her where and when she needed it, hiring producers of the calibre of Mark Ronson, Jim Abbiss, Brian Burton, and perhaps most notably, Rick Rubin, the celebrated, Svengali-like American co-founder of Def Jam Records.

These were all good choices made by a savvy teenage Adele. But her best pick has to be Jonathan Dickins, her manager. The fit appears to be perfect, the vision shared. They are in it for the long haul, they say. Which is why you don't see the singer endorsing products, tipping up at celebrity openings, or rushing to get her next record out. Unlike her one-time rival Duffy - another British purveyor of "blue-eyed soul" - who was neck-and-neck with Adele for a while in the bestselling, Grammy-winning stakes, until she agreed to star in an awful commercial for Diet Coke inafter which the wheels seemed to come off.

By contrast, Adele and Dickins - who also decided to get into bed with a multi-national consumer giant - didn't go down the route of providing a celebrity face for their corporate suitor. They did the opposite. The deal they did with Sony's Colombia Records was to use its reputation and clout to be the face of their product in America.

Being on the super-cool XL label in the UK worked. It set her apart from her major-label peers, and helpfully suggested her ostensibly commercial pop was tinged with an indie edge. But when it came to cracking the US market they needed something different, a partner with access to the all-important entertainment TV shows. XL could look after the rest of the world, but Rob Stringer at Columbia was going to be their man in America.

He didn't let them down.