Paolo Nutini

Hometown: Paisley, Scotland
Fun fact: Nutini picked up his love of vintage soul from his parents’ record collection. And he pursued it to a logical conclusion: Singing onstage with Solomon Burke and Ben E. King, who applauded the kid’s “great sound.”
Why he’s worth watching: All this and he’s only 19.
For fans of: James Blunt, John Mayer, Joss Stone

While he’s in his short-sleeve soccer jersey, they’re difficult to miss — the small, distinct burns scarring both of Paolo Nutini’s skinny forearms, sustained on the frontlines of Castelvecchi’s, a tiny Scottish fish-and-chip shop that’s been in the artist’s family for 124 years. “It’s like a war zone,” says Nutini, who dutifully battered cod there as a kid. “And if you’re not getting burns, it’s cuts—it’s life or death every time you step up in front of the fryer, because it could explode at any time. Working there was like playing Russian roulette.”

With classmates dropping by for his generous portions, Castelvecchi’s made Nutini the hit of his high school. But he countered that popularity by being one of only two lads in a 40-piece class choir. “I learned how to talk to a woman, since the choir was all women,” he says. “And I realized that a fish-and-chip job isn’t the best job in the world for me.” No offense to his folks, he says, “but I’m hoping that in 10 years’ time, I can actually be in Tuscany, where my family’s from, writing songs. My dad isn’t forcing anything on me—he’s always wanted me to do something I loved.”

Nutini is well on his way, thanks to his Live Sessions EP, followed by a solid old-school-soul debut These Streets, which will be out in January, when he turns a long-toothed 20. His raspy, unusually seasoned delivery makes originals like “Rewind,” “New Shoes” and the funky “Jenny Don’t Be Hasty” sound like that of a road-weary veteran rather than a recent escapee from the grease-spattered kitchen. Not that he’s completely unfazed when passing a “chippie” on tour. “I feel like I wanna go in and burn the place, set fire to the fryers,” he chuckles. “So, gradually, by eliminating all the fish-and-chip places, one by one, it’ll make our shop the only one. And business would at least quadruple!” H. Salt and Arthur Treacher—watch your backs.