Scotland’s Emeli Sandé studied neuroscience before fully committing to music and, through her songs, she still explores the mysteries of human behaviour. From her beginnings as a melodic foil for UK MCs (Professor Green feature “Read All About It”) through to the supercharged, brain-invading ballads of her debut record (especially the skittering, drum n’ bass-inflected “Heaven”), Sandé–who wrote her first song at 11—has only grown in ambition and open-hearted honesty. “Breathing Underwater” is spacious, bruised and spine-tingling and “Sparrow” is a gargantuan hymn to self-empowerment, fired into the atmosphere by the exhilarating soul of Sandé’s peerless delivery.