Samantha Mumba

Born in Dublin, Ireland, teen sensation Samantha Mumba projects an urban style and American-accented vocals that position her as a younger counterpart to TLC. She left formal education at age 17 to focus on crafting her debut album, whose sophisticated musical elements belie her youth. Her early training at Dublin's Billie Barry Stage School, which she attended from the age of three until fifteen, proved instrumental in shaping her entertainment career; the same institution later supplied members of the British boy band Westlife and equipped her with foundational show-business skills. In 2000 Polydor issued that first album, Gotta Tell You, whose dense pop production and candid, assertive tone set her apart from the surrounding wave of adolescent artists.