Our Version Of Events

If you're wondering which album will be the sound of 2012, look no further than the one in this very envelope. Emeli Sandé's Our Version Of Events will be the album to own in 2012. Like classic debut albums before it, Sandé's debut is a moment in musical time. Credible without attempting to be too cool', heartbroken yet crazy in love, it is considered without trying to be too clever. This is a distinctly British record with undeniable global appeal, created by one of the most exciting debut artists we have seen in recent years.For a relative newcomer, Sandé has already had an incredible career. As a published writer she's written hit singles for Chipmunk (Diamond Rings) and Wiley (Never Be Your Woman) and album tracks for Cheryl Cole, Susan Boyle and Tinie Tempah. Since signing a record deal with Virgin Records in 2011, Emeli has had a No. 2 debut single with Heaven, a No.1 single with Professor Green (Read All About It), won Best Newcomer at the Scottish Style Awards, been nominated for a MOBO and nominated for the New to Q Magazine award and won the Brits Critic's Choice award 2012 following in the footsteps of Adelle, Florence And The Machine and Jessie J. After selling out her own UK tour, she was recently announced as the main support on the Coldplay European tour. In November, Emeli travelled to New York to record with Alicia Keys and they appear together on the cover of Dazed and Confused in December. Emeli has also been booked on all the big TV shows including Later With Jools Holland and X Factor. It seems pop stars, award ceremonies and the music industry are utterly in love with Sandé's outstanding song writing, breath-taking vocals and credible compositions with commercial crossover. The album is written entirely by Emeli and produced by her creative partner Shahid Naughty Boy' Khan with contributions from Craze and Hoax, Mojam and Paul Herman.Recorded at her East London studio, Brooklyn', and at Naughty Boy's studio Hotel Cabana' in West London, the pairing of Shahid "Naughty Boy" Khan as producer and Emeli as singer and writer is one of the most productive creative forces seen since Alicia and Krucial Keys, Amy and Mark Ronson, Florence and Paul Epworth and Adele and Rick Rubin. After meeting at an acoustic night in London, the pair have written for everyone from Tinie Tempah to Tinchy Stryder, Wiley, Chipmunk, Cheryl Cole, Cher Lloyd, Susan Boyle, Leona Lewis, The Saturdays and Professor Green. The gorgeous Heaven was the single that put Sandé on the map; hitting the charts at No.2, the expansive bass underscored and served as the perfect introduction to her incredible voice. "It's about growing up and realising you can't always be perfect; but what counts is knowing you could have done better, your intention to improve is what counts," says Sandé. The track won her legions of fans, including Jools Holland and Coldplay's Chris Martin. New single Next To Me could, at first glance, be about a boy, or even be perhaps spiritual in its sentiment. In fact, says Emeli, it was written about her No.1 love; music. You won't find him drinking under tables/ Rolling dice and staying out till 3/ You won't ever find him being unfaithful/ You will find him next to me.' Emeli supported Keys at the Royal Albert Hall earlier this year and it was the beginning of the creative spark between the two. In November 2011, Emeli flew to New York to work with Alicia. "Because we both play piano, it made it much more of a natural process," she says of the experience. "I don't write with other people very well in general, so it was really cool to find someone that I like to write with. And even better that the person happened to be someone I've loved since I was a teenager." The pair created a song to be used on Keys' next album, and also the track Hope on Our Version Of Events. Like the artists she admires - Lauryn Hill, Jill Scott, Joni Mitchell - Sandé too is truly exceptional. A strong, socially aware woman who isn't afraid to laugh at herself or point out her faults, she has the potential to become one of the greats that she so admires. Her voice alone puts her in the upper echelons of singers; add into the mix her incredible writing ability, creative eye, mastery of the piano, guitar and cello and it's clear to see why she's already 2012's biggest story.