On the Verge: Soul folk singer Michael Kiwanuka

• He was born to Ugandan parents and is from North London
• Although his music is described as soul and folk, he cites Nirvana as a big influence
• Single 'I'm Getting Ready' peaked at No. 7 on USA TODAY's adult-alternative airplay chart

Comforts of Home: With his soothing baritone and thoughtful acoustic guitar, Michael Kiwanuka is as warm and familiar as Sunday morning, drawing comparisons with Bill Withers. So it's surprising to find out that Home Again is his debut album and that Nirvana is one of his influences. "It sounds strange because my music is completely the opposite of Nirvana," says Kiwanuka, 25. "But their music is so raw, so unveiled, that's the kind of music that I want to make."

His second single, I'm Getting Ready, peaked at No. 7 on USA TODAY's adult-alternative airplay chart, and album sales are at 40,000 and growing. His music is often called retro, his name mentioned alongside legends such as Otis Redding and Withers. "It's nice to be called an old soul," he says. "As long as I'm being honest in my music, I don't mind being called retro." He's also got a big fan in his corner: Adele, who asked him to tour with her last year. The U.S. leg of that tour, which would have been his introduction to American audiences, was unfortunately canceled because of Adele's throat surgery. Despite that setback, he went on to top the BBC Sound of 2012 list, which showcases the best rising stars, ahead of Skrillex and Frank Ocean.

Late bloomer: Born to Ugandan parents in Muswell Hill in North London, Kiwanuka's childhood was musically bare; there wasn't enough money to spend on luxuries like CDs. "My dad was often unemployed and my mom didn't make much money, so they spent the money on school supplies like pencils and books," he remembers.

"One year, my brother asked for a hi-fi for his birthday, but my mom had three cassette tapes and we didn't like any of them," he says. "We borrowed CDs from kids at school." At 13, he discovered Nirvana. "I was at camp with a friend and we used to listen to Nirvana every day. It was because of them that I learned to play guitar."

Brave new world: An unexpected advantage to growing up in a household where music was largely absent was that everything sounded new: Marvin Gaye and Bob Dylan were as novel to him as Nirvana and Radiohead. "I was hearing all this music for the first time," he says. "It's more than just about a cool beat or rhythm to me, I like music that makes you think a bit -- the emotion in the music inspired by the words and the melody, I think that's the point of music."

Music school dropout: Kiwanuka played in a couple of bands with names like The Feather Heads and The Fuse before going to music college. "When I finished school at 18, I was getting gigs and I wanted to pursue a career in music, but my parents weren't happy with that. So I went to music school to study jazz guitar as a compromise," he says. "It didn't last long; I dropped out two years later." At 20, he focused completely on songwriting and his parents have since amended their outlook. "They come to my shows when they can," he says. "They're really supportive."

Looking ahead: Kiwanuka hopes to work with Jack White. "He's amazing live, you never what to expect with his shows. He's constantly pushing himself, his records are always different," he says. "And he just seems like a cool dude." Until then, Kiwanuka daydreams about singing alongside late great Marvin Gaye. "Most of my music heroes are already dead," he says. "But if they were alive, I'm not sure that I would want to work with them, because they can't possibly live up to my imagination." He's just wrapped a U.S. tour with a stop at the Austin City Limits Music Festival, is finishing up a European tour and looks forward to returning to the studio in the new year. "I love New York -- we had three shows there and the energy in that city is crazy," he says. "I might go there to record a new album. I think the pace will help me with my work."