Adele was born on 5 May 1988 in Totten ham, London, the daughter of an English mother, Penny Adkins (born c. 1970) and a Welsh father, Mark Evans. Evans left when Adele was two, leaving her 20-year-old mother to raise her single-handedly. She began singing at age four and asserts that she became obsessed with voices. Adele has cited Spice Girls as a major influence in regard to her love and passion for music, stating that "they made me what I am today." Adele impersonated Spice Girls at dinner parties as a young girl. She stated she was left "heartbroken" when her favorite Spice Girl, Geri Hallowell aka "Ginger Spice," left the group. To make her look like English R&B and urban contemporary singer Gabrielle, her mother made her an eye patch with sequins, which Adele later said was embarrassing. In 1997, at the age of nine, Adele and her mother, who by then had found work as a furniture maker and an adult-learning activities organizer, relocated to Brighton.