Corinne Bailey Rae's career path as a musician has been one of great exploration and personal tragedy. She was born on February 26, 1979 and grew up Leeds, fighting overt racism. She found solace in church, where she first discovered her love of music. Years later, Corinne Bailey Rae tickets are being sold for a musician whose passion for music has never waned, but whose genre preference has.

She began singing mostly gospel and playing the classical violin. A few years later she adopted a Baptist and discovered rock and roll, with a particular fascination with Lenny Kravitz. This led to her first band, Helen. Helen was a group completely comprised of girls in a time when white men held a strong hold on indie rock. They were signed to a heavy metal label, but the signing quickly disintegrated after the band's bassist left the group pregnant.

Corinne Bailey Rae then explored University, studying English Literature and, more importantly, discovering jazz. Jazz became her new obsession and the years of dissatisfaction after the breakup of Helen had dissipated.