A couple of years ago medical student Emeli Sandé was just like any other student, spending her days writing essays, cramming for exams and dissecting the odd body part (okay so maybe we spent more time propping up the university bar than hacking up cadavers, but you get the idea!). Fast forward a year or so and now the 24-year-old is far from ordinary - her debut single Heaven is sitting pretty at number two in the UK charts and Sandé is being hailed as the new voice of a generation.
Crane.tv caught up with Sandé at her label in London, EMI, and, even on a day when the city was amid rioting chaos, the Scottish native was relaxed, smiling and excited about her bright future.
"I was a big fan of Amy Winehouse. Her song writing, even from the early days when she released Frank, was so profound. I want that. To be respected as a songwriter is my main goal, I want to build a reputation."
Before branching out on her own Sandé worked with UK acts such as Wiley and Professor Green, and is adamant that the UK is newest hotbed for urban talent - sentiments shared with several US musical heavyweights, including mogul Jay-Z.
"Musically, London is a very exciting place to be. There are less rules here than in the States, which means you can be more creative. The rest of the world is looking to the UK to see what we're going to do next." In that case, watch out world.
Text by Holly Fraser for Crane.tv
Crane.tv App now available for Nokia devices from the OVI Store