SOUNDS OFF

The saucy 23-year-old British chanteuse has people buzzing stateside with her second album and first U.S. release, Back to Black, a collection of retro-'60s soul for the hip-hop generation.

ON HER U.K. HIT "REHAB" [The lyrics 'They tried to make me go to rehab'] are autobiographical. It's all true. [My former manager] saw pictures of me [out partying] and thought it would be a good idea for me to go [to rehab]. I wasn't working at the time. It was my time off.... I don't have a drinking problem.

ON HER TATTOO FIXATION I have 12 or 13. The first one was a little Betty Boop on my back I got about eight years ago. The last one was a sailor girl on my right arm that I got done in New York. I want to get another one. When you start getting tattoos, you can't stop yourself.

ON HER GUM HABIT I don't smoke that much, so I guess I chew gum instead. I've got a drawer full of gum. I go through about four packs a day. I have like this gum-off competition with one of the guys from my band over who can find the weirdest gum when we're on tour.

ON HER MUSICAL HEROES I used to love Salt-N-Pepa. A lot of rappers: Nas and Mos Def, Busta Rhymes. People like Sarah Vaughan. My dad always used to have jazz on in the car. My mum used to listen to James Taylor in the car. These cheesy singers, you really develop an affinity for them.