Although Estelle's emergence comes several years after her British debut, her appearance on the west end of "the Pond" has brought about numerous comparisons in American circles, with various media outlets dubbing her "the British version of Lauryn Hill." Such a comparison is easy to make at first glance, since soulful lyrics and brutal honesty lie at the core of Estelle's work. Upon closer inspection, however, Estelle breaks the definitive mold.

Unfortunately, in a cultural era best-known for disposable music, Estelle's "second coming" — and formal American introduction — took four years to generate, despite her triumphant crowning as 2004's "Best Newcomer" at the MOBO Awards, which was preceded by three consecutive wins as "Best Female Artist" at the UK Hip Hop Awards. As fate would have it, heavy-weight production assistance was needed to bring the West Londoner to the masses.

With the fervent support of John Legend and Kanye West, "American Boy" soared up Billboard's Hot 100 chart during the summer of 2008, and in the midst of its successful run, the song received gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. Several months later, Shine was placed on the short list for the Nationwide Mercury Music Prize and Estelle garnered two additional MOBO Awards: "Best UK Female" and "Best Song" (for "American Boy").

Upon review of Shine, Estelle managed to squeeze some time out of her busy schedule and settle down for an interview with Clayton Perry — reflecting on Dinah Washington, The 18th Day, and the long road to American success.

Your second album, Shine, serves as your introduction to American audiences. In October 2004, however, you came out with your critically-acclaimed debut, The 18th Day. How have you grown, since then, as an artist?

I was 24 when the album came out. I was mad at myself. I was getting to know me and being comfortable with me. For the past five to six years, I just lived. It was a little crazy what I went through, but it feels great now.

Having experienced a great deal of success on the other side of "the Pond," what does American success mean to you?

It's a springboard to the rest of the world. America is a huge market, so it made sense to try my luck. I kind of want to touch the world efficiently everywhere. America is the biggest audience. For that, it was the biggest target.

On a professional level, what is the most important lesson that you have learned over the years?

The more you know about who you are in life, the quicker things happen. The more you do, the more things happen. I have done this for almost 10 years now professionally, so now it feels like, "Okay, cool." I'm way more efficient, like a machine.