Corinne Bailey Rae, 26-year old singer/songwriter, ascended the charts after her first album, Corinne Bailey Rae, earned triple platinum status in the United Kingdom in March.

Her debut album also earned gold and platinum sales awards. The CD made history on charts as number 17, the highest debut for a UK artist in the United States.

Born and raised in Leeds, UK, Corinne Bailey Rae studied classic violin until her music preference changed with the arrival of Led Zeppelin.

At fifteen, Rae obsessed over female-led groups, like Veruca Salt and L7. She then created a group named Helen, who lost the attention of recording companies and local fans, when the bassist became pregnant; the band split up.

Rae then enrolled at Leeds University and received a degree in English Literature. While she worked on her degree, she held a job as a hatcheck girl at a local jazz club. The atmosphere inspired Rae to begin writing songs, in hope of a solo career.

After ten years of experience, she signed with EMI Records in the spring of 2005. In Rae’s words, her music “is a little bit of everything: its chilled out, acoustic, kooky, atmospheric and soulful”. I completely agree; her music carries a fresh and carefree sound.

“Put Your Records On” received numerous awards including the Mojo and Q Award for best newcomer, two MOBO Awards and three Grammy nominations. In the first few sentences Rae captures the listener’s attention with light-hearted and upbeat lyrics. It seems evident why she received such recognition.

Rae sings, “Three little birds sat on my window. And they told me I don’t need to worry. Summer came like cinnamon so sweet…. Maybe sometimes, we’ve got it wrong, but it’s all right, the more things seem to change the more they stay the same. Oh, don’t you hesitate girl put your records on, tell me your favorite song….”

Although the back-up instrumentation supports Rae’s voice, it does not carry the melody. She has the ability to vary rhythms. “I’d like to”, track 1 on the latest album, maintains a quicker pace, with a jazz twist. While, “Like a Star” consists of a comforting element.

Rae’s chorus reads, “Just like a star across the sky, just like an angel off my page, you appeased my life, feel like I’ll never be the same, just like a song in my heart, just like oil on my hands, honour to love you…”

Her gentle voice remains strong, while changing to different melodies. I enjoyed every song on Rae’s album. She is an artist who genuinely believes her lyrics, a rarity in the music industry.

Rae will finish her tour in the UK this month and plans to release her first live DVD soon.