When you first hear Adele sing, it's hard to imagine she is only 21 years old, because at times, the British singer sounds like she's lived way beyond her years.
"I would always listen to Etta James for passion and Ella Fitzgerald to get to know my voice," said Adele. "Roberta Flack for control, and Carole King for, like, amazing writing skills."
With songs such as "Cold Shoulder," "Chasing Pavements" and "Hometown Glory," it's hard not to be cast under her haunting spell.
"I think there are like lot of elements of R&B and the soul thing (in my singing), but only because of, like, it's the artist that inspires my voice more than anything," said Adele. "But it gets a little bit annoying when everyone is like, 'Oh she is so retro.' But I'm really contemporary. I don't think there is any old sounds in my music."
Fresh off her double-Grammy win, Adele performed to a sold-out crowd at the Granada Theater on Greenville Avenue in Dallas.
"Being nominated was, like, phenomenal and was, like, the best thing that had ever happened," said Adele. "I could not believe it, because the Grammys are so far away from where I'm from and who I am and what I do."
We caught up with Adele at Gloria's Restaurant for lunch just a few hours before her show, where she talked about her motivation for becoming a singer.
"I want to see the world a little bit and don't want to just kind of (have) my life end before it starts," said Adele. "I've seen so many people. I've seen it happen to them, and that makes it really sad, like, and I don't want that. I think that is the motivation, where it comes from."
The singer is proud of who she is and how she looks and hasn't given into the pressures of the pop princess world.
"I'm lucky. I'm doing so well, and I'm kind of in everyone faces. And I think people are aware that you don't have to look like Britney Spears for your dreams to come true," said Adele.
Adele also said she has given up drinking to concentrate on her career and does her best to keep out of the tabloids for the sake of her family, friends and her future.
"I'm more concerned about my nan -- my nana -- reading or seeing a disgusting photo of me falling out of a club with my tits hanging out," said Adele. "I'm more afraid of embarrassing my grandma than anything."
And fresh off the success of her first album, the woman who started singing at 14 continues to chart her own path.
"I don't think the second album will have my definite sound either. I'm still really young. I don't know what kind of woman I want to be yet or (what) kind of musician," said Adele.
For more on James Chippendale, the host of "Last Call," and his Love, Hope, Strength Foundation click here.
