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Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (, ; born 5 May 1988), professionally known by the mononym Adele, is an English singer and songwriter. After graduating in arts from the
BRIT School The BRIT School is a British performing and creative arts school located in Selhurst, Croydon, England, with a mandate to provide education and vocational training for the performing arts, music, music technology, theatre, musical theatre, dan ...
in 2006, Adele signed a record deal with
XL Recordings XL Recordings is a British independent record label founded in 1989 by Tim Palmer and Nick Halkes. It has been ran and co-owned by Richard Russell since 1996. It forms part of the Beggars Group. Although only releasing an average of six albu ...
. Her debut album, '' 19'', was released in 2008 and spawned the UK top-five singles "
Chasing Pavements "Chasing Pavements" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele for her debut studio album, '' 19'' (2008). Written by Adele with its producer Eg White, the song was released as the second single from the album on 14 January 2008. I ...
" and "
Make You Feel My Love "Make You Feel My Love", also known as "To Make You Feel My Love" is a song written by Bob Dylan for his album '' Time Out of Mind'', released in September 1997. It was first released commercially in August 1997 by Billy Joel for his compilation ...
". The album was certified 8× platinum in the UK and
triple platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
in the US. Adele was honoured with the Brit Award for Rising Star as well as the
Grammy Award for Best New Artist The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967. The official guidelines are as ...
. Adele released her second studio album, '' 21'', in 2011. It became the world's best-selling album of the 21st century, with sales of over 31 million copies. It was certified 18× platinum in the UK (the highest by a solo artist of all time) and
Diamond Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, ...
in the US. According to '' Billboard'', ''21'' is the top-performing album in the US chart history, topping the ''Billboard'' 200 for 24 weeks (the longest for a female artist ever). She was the first female artist in the history of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 to have three simultaneous top-ten singles as a lead artist, with "
Rolling in the Deep "Rolling in the Deep" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele for her second studio album, '' 21'' (2011). It is the lead single and opening track on the album. The song was written by Adele and Paul Epworth. The singer herself de ...
", " Someone Like You", and "
Set Fire to the Rain "Set Fire to the Rain" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele for her second studio album, '' 21'' (2011). The song was written by Adele and Fraser T. Smith while the production was handled by the latter. It became Adele's third ...
", all of which also topped the chart. The album received a record-tying six Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, and the
Brit Award for British Album of the Year The Brit Award for British Album of the Year is given annually by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), which represents record companies and artists in the United Kingdom. The accolade is presented at the Brit Awards, an annual celebration of ...
. The success of ''21'' earned Adele numerous mentions in the '' Guinness Book of Records''. In 2012, Adele released "
Skyfall ''Skyfall'' is a 2012 spy film and the twenty-third in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. The film is the third to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond and features Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva, the vill ...
", a soundtrack single for the ''James Bond'' film of the same name, which won the
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
and the
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song The Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song is a Golden Globe Award that was awarded for the first time in 1962 and has been awarded annually since 1965 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The award is presented to the songwriters of a ...
. Her third studio album, '' 25'', was released in 2015 and became the year's best-selling album, also breaking first-week sales records in the UK and US, where it is the only album to sell over three million copies in a week. ''25'' was her second album to be certified
Diamond Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, ...
in the US and earned her five Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, and four Brit Awards, including British Album of the Year. The lead single, "
Hello ''Hello'' is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826. Early uses ''Hello'', with that spelling, was used in publications in the U.S. as early as the 18 October 1826 edition of the '' Norwich ...
", became the first song in the US to sell over one million digital copies within a week of its release. Her fourth studio album '' 30'', which contains the chart-topping single "
Easy on Me "Easy on Me" is a song by English singer Adele from her fourth studio album '' 30'' (2021). Adele wrote the song with its producer, Greg Kurstin. Columbia Records released it as the album's lead single on 15 October 2021. It is a minimally pr ...
", was released in 2021 and became the year's best-selling album worldwide including US and UK. ''30'' won the 2022 Brit Award for British Album of the Year. Adele is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 170 million records as of 2022. Her
accolades The accolade (also known as dubbing or adoubement) ( la, benedictio militis) was the central act in the rite of passage ceremonies conferring knighthood in the Middle Ages. From about 1852, the term ''accolade'' was used much more generally to ...
include fifteen
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
s, twelve
Brit Awards The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...
, an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
, a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. In 2011, 2012, and 2016, '' Billboard'' named her Artist of the Year. At the 2012 and 2016
Ivor Novello Awards The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They have been presented annually in London by the Ivors Academy (formerly the BASCA) since 1956, and over 1,000 statuettes have been a ...
, Adele was named Songwriter of the Year by the
The Ivors Academy The Ivors Academy (formerly the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors – BASCA) is one of the largest professional associations for music writers in Europe. The academy exists to support, protect, and campaign for the interests ...
. ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' magazine named her one of the most influential people in the world in 2012, 2016, and 2022. She was appointed a
MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...
at the 2013 Queen's Birthday Honours for services to music. Her album ''21'' has been listed in ''Rolling Stone''s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2020).
Insider ''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German publ ...
magazine called her the greatest artist of 2010s decade.


Early life and education

Adele Laurie Blue Adkins was born on 5 May 1988 in the
Tottenham Tottenham () is a town in North London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, bordering Edmonton to the north, Wal ...
district of London, to an English mother, Penny Adkins, and a Welsh father, Marc Evans. Evans left when Adele was 2, and she was brought up by her mother. She began singing at age 4 and asserts that she became obsessed with voices. In 1997, 9-year-old Adele and her mother, who by then had found work as a furniture maker and an adult-learning activities organiser, relocated to Brighton on the south coast of England. In 1999, she and her mother moved back to London; first to Brixton, then to the neighbouring district of
West Norwood West Norwood is a largely residential area of south London within the London Borough of Lambeth, located 5.4 miles (8.7 km) south south-east of Charing Cross. The centre of West Norwood sits in a bowl surrounded by hillsides on its east, ...
in south London, which is the subject of her first song "
Hometown Glory "Hometown Glory" is the debut single by English singer-songwriter Adele, released on 22 October 2007 in the United Kingdom. The song appears on her debut studio album '' 19'' (2008). In 2008, the song was re-released as her fourth single. Adele ...
". She spent much of her youth in
Brockwell Park Brockwell Park is a 50.8 hectare (125.53 acres) park located south of Brixton, in Herne Hill and Tulse Hill in south London. It is bordered by the roads Brixton Water Lane, Norwood Road, Tulse Hill and Dulwich Road. The park commands views of th ...
where she would play the guitar and sing to friends, which she recalled in her 2015 song "
Million Years Ago The abbreviation Myr, "million years", is a unit of a quantity of (i.e. ) years, or 31.556926 teraseconds. Usage Myr (million years) is in common use in fields such as Earth science and cosmology. Myr is also used with Mya (million years ago) ...
". She stated, "It has quite monumental moments of my life that I've spent there, and I drove past it
n 2015 N, or n, is the fourteenth Letter (alphabet), letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is English alphabet# ...
and I just literally burst into tears. I really missed it." Adele graduated from the
BRIT School The BRIT School is a British performing and creative arts school located in Selhurst, Croydon, England, with a mandate to provide education and vocational training for the performing arts, music, music technology, theatre, musical theatre, dan ...
for Performing Arts & Technology in Croydon in May 2006, where she was a classmate of
Leona Lewis Leona Louise Lewis (born 3 April 1985) is a British singer, songwriter, actress and activist. Born and raised in the London Borough of Islington, she attended the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon. Lewis achieved nationa ...
and Jessie J.Collis, Clark (19 December 2008), "Spotlight on... Adele." ''Entertainment Weekly.'' (1026):62. Adele credits the school with nurturing her talent even though, at the time, she was more interested in going into
artists and repertoire Artists and repertoire ( colloquially abbreviated to A&R) is the division of a record label or music publishing company that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists (singers, instrumental ...
(A&R) and hoped to launch other people's careers.


Career


2006–2010: Career beginnings and ''19''

Four months after graduation, Adele published two songs on the fourth issue of the online arts publication ''PlatformsMagazine.com.'' She had recorded a three-song demo for a class project and given it to a friend. The friend posted the demo on Myspace, where it became very successful and led to a phone call from Richard Russell, boss of the music label
XL Recordings XL Recordings is a British independent record label founded in 1989 by Tim Palmer and Nick Halkes. It has been ran and co-owned by Richard Russell since 1996. It forms part of the Beggars Group. Although only releasing an average of six albu ...
. She doubted if the offer was real because the only record company she knew was
Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), Tom Newman. It ...
, and she took a friend with her to the meeting. Around this time, Adele collaborated with Ricsta on "Be Divine", a song described as an "electronic club-ready" track. Nick Huggett, at XL, recommended Adele to manager Jonathan Dickins at September Management, and in June 2006, Dickins became her official representative. September was managing
Jamie T Jamie Alexander Treays (born 8 January 1986), better known by his stage name Jamie T, is an English singer, songwriter, rapper, guitarist and record producer from Wimbledon, South London. Jamie T released his debut album, '' Panic Prevention ...
at the time and this proved a major draw for Adele, a big fan of the British singer-songwriter. Huggett then signed Adele to XL in September 2006. Adele provided vocals for
Jack Peñate Jack Peñate (; born 2 September 1984) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. Early life Peñate was born in London on 2 September 1984, the son of an English mother and Spanish father. His maternal grandfather was author Mervyn Peake ...
's song, "My Yvonne," for his debut album, and it was during this session she first met producer
Jim Abbiss Jim Abbiss is a British music producer, best known for his work on records including the debut album of Editors ('' The Back Room''), Arctic Monkeys' Mercury Music Prize winning debut album, '' Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not'', ...
, who would go on to produce both the majority of her debut album, ''19,'' and tracks on ''21.'' In June 2007, Adele made her television debut, performing "Daydreamer" on the BBC's '' Later... with Jools Holland''. Adele's breakthrough song, "
Hometown Glory "Hometown Glory" is the debut single by English singer-songwriter Adele, released on 22 October 2007 in the United Kingdom. The song appears on her debut studio album '' 19'' (2008). In 2008, the song was re-released as her fourth single. Adele ...
", written when she was 16, was released in October 2007. By 2008, Adele had become the headliner and performed an acoustic set, in which she was supported by
Damien Rice Damien George Rice (born 7 December 1973) is an Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He began his career as a member of the 1990s rock group Juniper, who were signed to Polygram Records in 1997. The band enjoyed moderate success ...
. She became the first recipient of the
Brit Awards The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...
'' Critics' Choice'' and was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2008 in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2008. She released her second single, "
Chasing Pavements "Chasing Pavements" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele for her debut studio album, '' 19'' (2008). Written by Adele with its producer Eg White, the song was released as the second single from the album on 14 January 2008. I ...
", on 14 January 2008, two weeks ahead of her debut album. The song reached number two on the UK Chart, and stayed there for four weeks. The album '' 19,'' named for her age at the time she wrote and composed many of its songs, entered the British charts at number one. ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'' ''Encyclopedia of Modern Music'' named ''19'' an "essential" blue-eyed soul recording. Adele was nominated for a 2008
Mercury Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album released in the United Kingdom by a British or Irish act. It was created by Jon Webster and Robert Chandler in association with the B ...
award for ''19''. She also won an Urban Music Award for "Best Jazz Act," and a Music of Black Origin (
MOBO The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and ...
) nomination in the category of Best UK Female. In March 2008, Adele signed a deal with Columbia Records and XL Recordings for her foray into the United States. She embarked on a short North American tour in the same month, and ''19'' was released in the US in June. ''Billboard'' magazine stated of it: "Adele truly has potential to become among the most respected and inspiring international artists of her generation." The An Evening with Adele world tour began in May 2008 and ended in June 2009. She later cancelled the 2008 US tour dates to be with a former boyfriend. She said in ''
Nylon Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic. Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from pe ...
'' magazine in June 2009, "I'm like, 'I can't believe I did that.' It seems so ungrateful.... I was drinking far too much and that was kind of the basis of my relationship with this boy. I couldn't bear to be without him, so I was like, 'Well, I'll just cancel my stuff then.'"Shapiro, Marc (2012). "Adele: The Biography". p. 88. Macmillan. She referred to this period as her "early life crisis". She is also known for her dislike of flying and bouts of homesickness when away from her native London. By the middle of October 2008, Adele's attempt to break in America appeared to have failed. But then she was booked as the musical guest on 18 October 2008 episode of
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
's ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
.'' The episode, which included an expected appearance by then US vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, earned the program its best ratings in 14 years with 17 million viewers. Adele performed "Chasing Pavements" and "
Cold Shoulder "Cold shoulder" is a phrase used to express dismissal or the act of disregarding someone. Its origin is attributed to Sir Walter Scott in a work published in 1816, which is in fact a mistranslation of an expression from the Vulgate Bible. There ...
," and the following day, ''19'' topped the iTunes charts and ranked at number five at Amazon.com while "Chasing Pavements" rose into the top 25. The album reached number 11 on the ''Billboard'' 200 as a result, a jump of 35 places over the previous week. In November 2008, Adele moved to
Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a cosmopolitan and multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting Hill Carnival and Portobello Road Ma ...
, London after leaving her mother's house, a move that prompted her to give up drinking. The album was certified gold in early 2009, by the RIAA. By July 2009, the album had sold 2.2 million copies worldwide. At the
51st Annual Grammy Awards The 51st Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, on February 8, 2009, honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2007, through September 30, 2008. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the b ...
in February 2009, Adele won the award for
Best New Artist The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967. The official guidelines are as ...
, in addition to the award for
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The awar ...
for "Chasing Pavements", which was also nominated for
Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...
and Grammy Award for Song of the Year, Song of the Year. Adele performed "Chasing Pavements" at the ceremony in a duet with Jennifer Nettles. In 2010, Adele received a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Hometown Glory." In April her song "My Same" entered the German Singles Chart after it had been performed by Lena Meyer-Landrut in the talent show contest ''Unser Star für Oslo,'' or ''Our Star for Oslo,'' in which the German entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 was determined. In late September, after being featured on ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor,'' Adele's version of Bob Dylan's "
Make You Feel My Love "Make You Feel My Love", also known as "To Make You Feel My Love" is a song written by Bob Dylan for his album '' Time Out of Mind'', released in September 1997. It was first released commercially in August 1997 by Billy Joel for his compilation ...
" re-entered the UK singles chart at number 4. During the 2010 ''Country Music Television, CMT Artists of the Year'' special, Adele performed a widely publicised duet of Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now (Lady Antebellum song), Need You Now" with Darius Rucker. This performance was later nominated for a CMT Music Awards, CMT Music Award.


2011–2014: ''21'', worldwide recognition and hiatus

Adele released her second studio album, '' 21'', on 24 January 2011 in the UK and 22 February in the US. She said the album was inspired by the breakup with her former partner. The album's sound is described as classic and contemporary country music, country and Roots revival, roots music. The change in sound from her debut album was the result of her bus driver playing contemporary music from Nashville when she was touring the American South, and the title reflected the growth she had experienced in the prior two years. Adele told ''Spin (magazine), Spin Magazine:'' "It was really exciting for me because I never grew up around [that music]." ''21'' topped the charts in 30 countries, including the UK and the US. In a 2011 ''Rolling Stone'' cover story, Adele said she dealt with onstage anxiety by creating the alter ego "Sasha Carter", derived from Beyoncé's "Sasha Fierce" and June Carter. During one episode after she met Beyoncé, Adele said, she asked "What would Sasha Fierce do?" and that helped. An emotional performance of "Someone Like You (Adele song), Someone Like You" at the 31st Brit Awards on 15 February propelled the song to number one in the UK. Her first album, ''19,'' re-entered the UK album chart alongside ''21,'' while first and second singles "
Rolling in the Deep "Rolling in the Deep" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele for her second studio album, '' 21'' (2011). It is the lead single and opening track on the album. The song was written by Adele and Paul Epworth. The singer herself de ...
" and "Someone Like You" were in the top 5 of the UK singles chart, making Adele the first living artist to achieve the feat of two top-five hits in both the Official Singles Chart and the Official Albums Chart simultaneously since the Beatles in 1964. Both songs topped the charts in multiple markets and broke numerous sales performance records. Following her performance of "Someone Like You" at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, it became Adele's second number-one single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. By December 2011, ''21'' sold over 3.4 million copies in the UK, and became the biggest-selling album of the 21st century, overtaking Amy Winehouse's ''Back to Black'', with Adele becoming the first artist ever to sell three million albums in the UK in one calendar year. "
Set Fire to the Rain "Set Fire to the Rain" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele for her second studio album, '' 21'' (2011). The song was written by Adele and Fraser T. Smith while the production was handled by the latter. It became Adele's third ...
" became Adele's third number-one single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, as Adele became the first artist ever to have an album, ''21,'' hold the number-one position on the ''Billboard'' 200 concurrently with three number-one singles. Moreover, ''21'' had the most weeks on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart of any album by a female artist. To promote the album, Adele embarked upon the "Adele Live" tour, which sold out its North American leg. In October 2011, Adele was forced to cancel two tours because of a vocal-cord haemorrhage. She released a statement saying she needed an extended period of rest to avoid permanent damage to her voice. In the first week of November 2011 Steven M. Zeitels, director of the Center for Laryngeal Surgery and Voice Rehabilitation at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, performed laser microsurgery on Adele's vocal cords to remove a benign polyp. A recording of her tour, ''Live at the Royal Albert Hall (Adele video), Live at the Royal Albert Hall,'' was released in November 2011, debuting at number one in the US with 96,000 copies sold, the highest one-week tally for a music DVD in four years, becoming the best-selling music DVD of 2011. Adele is the first artist in Nielsen SoundScan history to have the year's number-one album ('' 21''), number-one single ("
Rolling in the Deep "Rolling in the Deep" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele for her second studio album, '' 21'' (2011). It is the lead single and opening track on the album. The song was written by Adele and Paul Epworth. The singer herself de ...
"), and number-one music video (''Live at the Royal Albert Hall (Adele album), Live at the Royal Albert Hall''). At the American Music Awards of 2011, 2011 American Music Awards on 20 November, Adele won three awards; American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist, Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist, American Music Award for Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist, Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist, and American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Album, Favorite Pop/Rock Album for ''21.'' On 9 December, ''Billboard'' named Adele Artist of the Year, ''Billboard'' 200 Album of the Year (''21''), and the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 Song of the Year ("Rolling in the Deep"), becoming the first woman ever to top all three categories. Following the throat microsurgery, she made her live comeback at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, 2012 Grammy Awards in February. She won in all six categories for which she was nominated, including Album of the Year,
Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...
, and Grammy Award for Song of the Year, Song of the Year, making her the second female artist in Grammy history, after Beyoncé, to win that many awards in a single night. Following that success, ''21'' achieved the biggest weekly sales increase following a Grammy win since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking data in 1991. Adele received the 32nd Brit Awards, Brit Award for Brit Award for British Female Solo Artist, British Female Solo Artist, and Brit Award for British Album of the Year, British Album of the Year presented to her by George Michael. Following the Brit Awards, ''21'' reached number one for the 21st non-consecutive week in the UK. The album has sold over 4.5 million copies in the UK where it is the List of best-selling albums in the United Kingdom, fourth-best-selling album. In October, the album's sales surpassed 4.5 million in the UK, and in November it surpassed 10 million sales in the US.Keith Caulfield (27 November 2012)
"Adele's '21' Hits 10 Million in U.S. Sales"
. ''Billboard''. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
The List of best-selling albums#Best-selling album by year worldwide, best-selling album worldwide of 2011 and 2012, , the album has sold over 31 million copies.'Adele acknowledged that her future songs would likely never match those she wrote for her 2011 album "21," which has sold more than 31 million copies worldwide.' By the end of 2014, she had sold an estimated 40 million albums and 50 million singles worldwide. Adele is the only artist or band in the last decade in the US to earn an RIAA RIAA certification#RIAA Diamond certifications as of October 5, 2012, diamond certification for a one disc album in less than two years. In October 2012, Adele confirmed that she had been writing, composing and recording the theme song for ''Skyfall'', the twenty-third James Bond in film, ''James Bond'' film. The song "
Skyfall ''Skyfall'' is a 2012 spy film and the twenty-third in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. The film is the third to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond and features Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva, the vill ...
," written and composed in collaboration with producer Paul Epworth, was recorded at Abbey Road Studios, and features orchestrations by J. A. C. Redford. Adele stated recording "Skyfall" was "one of the proudest moments of my life." On 14 October, "Skyfall" rose to number 2 on the UK Singles Chart with sales of 92,000 copies bringing its overall sales to 176,000, and "Skyfall" entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 8, selling 261,000 copies in the US in its first three days. This tied "
Skyfall ''Skyfall'' is a 2012 spy film and the twenty-third in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. The film is the third to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond and features Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva, the vill ...
" with Duran Duran's "A View to a Kill (song), A View to a Kill" as the highest-charting James Bond music, James Bond theme song on the UK Singles Chart; a record surpassed in 2015 by Sam Smith (singer), Sam Smith's "Writing's on the Wall (Sam Smith song), Writing's on the Wall". "Skyfall" has sold more than five million copies worldwide and earned Adele the Golden Globe Award for Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, Best Original Song and the
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
for Academy Award for Best Original Song, Best Original Song. In December 2012, Adele was named ''Billboard'' Artist of the Year, and ''21'' was named Album of the Year, making her the first artist to receive both accolades two years in a row. Adele was also named top female artist. The Associated Press named Adele Entertainer of the Year for 2012. The 2013 Grammy Awards saw Adele's live version of "Set Fire to the Rain" win the Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance, bringing her total wins to nine. On 3 April 2012, Adele confirmed that her third album would likely be at least two years away, stating, "I have to take time and live a little bit. There were a good two years between my first and second albums, so it'll be the same this time." She stated that she would continue writing and composing her own material.Kaufman, Gil (3 April 2012
"Adele To Release New Single This Year"
. MTV. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
At the 2013 Grammy Awards, she confirmed that she was in the very early stages of her third album. She also stated that she will most likely work with Paul Epworth again. In September 2013, Wiz Khalifa confirmed that he and Adele had collaborated on a song for his fifth studio album, ''Blacc Hollywood,'' though the collaboration did not make the final track listing. In January 2014, Adele received her tenth
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
with "Skyfall" winning Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media, Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.


2015–2017: ''25'' and Adele Live 2016

On the eve of her 26th birthday in May 2014, Adele posted a cryptic message via her Twitter account which prompted media discussion about her next album. The message, "Bye bye 25... See you again later in the year," was interpreted by some in the media, including Capital (radio network), Capital FM, as meaning that her next album would be titled ''25'' and released later in the year. In 2014, Adele was nominated for nine World Music Awards. In early August, Paul Moss suggested that an album would be released in 2014 or 2015. However, in the October 2014 accounts filed with Companies House by XL Recordings, they ruled out a 2014 release. On 27 August 2015, '' Billboard'' reported that Adele's label, XL Recordings, had intentions of releasing her third studio album sometime in November 2015. Danger Mouse (musician), Danger Mouse was revealed to have contributed a song, while Tobias Jesso Jr. had written a track, and Ryan Tedder was "back in the mix after producing and co-writing 'Rumour Has It (Adele song), Rumour Has It' on ''21''." At the 72nd Venice International Film Festival in early September 2015, Sia announced that her new single "Alive (Sia song), Alive" was co-written by Adele, and had originally been intended for Adele's third album. On 18 October, a 30-second clip of new material from Adele was shown on UK television during a commercial break on ''The X Factor (UK TV series), The X Factor''. The commercial teases a snippet from a new song from her third album, with viewers hearing a voice singing accompanied by lyrics on a black screen. In a statement released three days later, Adele confirmed the album's title to be '' 25'', with her stating, "My last record was a break-up record, and if I had to label this one, I would call it a make-up record. Making up for lost time. Making up for everything I ever did and never did. ''25'' is about getting to know who I've become without realising. And I'm sorry it took so long but, you know, life happened." At the time, Adele said ''25'' would be her last album titled after her age, believing it would be the end to a trilogy. On 22 October, Adele confirmed that ''25'' would be released on 20 November, while the lead single from the album, "
Hello ''Hello'' is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826. Early uses ''Hello'', with that spelling, was used in publications in the U.S. as early as the 18 October 1826 edition of the '' Norwich ...
" would be released on 23 October. The song was first played on Nick Grimshaw's ''The Radio 1 Breakfast Show, Radio 1 Breakfast Show'' on the BBC on the morning of 23 October with Adele interviewed live. The video of "Hello", released on 22 October, was viewed over 27.7 million times on YouTube in its first 24 hours, breaking the Vevo#Record holders, Vevo record for the most views in a day, surpassing the 20.1 million views for "Bad Blood (Taylor Swift song), Bad Blood" by Taylor Swift. On 28 October, BBC News reported that "Hello" was being viewed on YouTube an average one million times an hour. "Hello" went on to become the fastest video to hit List of most-viewed YouTube videos, one billion views on YouTube, which it achieved after 88 days. The video for "Hello" captured iconic British elements such as a red telephone box and a cup of tea. The song debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart on 30 October, with first week sales of 330,000 copies, making it the biggest-selling number one single in three years. "Hello" also debuted at number one in many countries around the world, including Australia, France, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland and Germany, and on 2 November, the song debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming the first song in the US to sell at least one million downloads in a week, setting the record at 1.11 million. By the end of 2015, it had sold 12.3 million units globally and was the year's 7th-best-selling single despite being released in late October. On 27 October, BBC One announced plans for ''Adele at the BBC'', a one-hour special presented by Graham Norton, in which Adele talks about her new album and performs new songs. This was her first television appearance since performing at the 2013 Academy Awards ceremony, and the show was recorded before a live audience on 2 November for broadcast on 20 November, coinciding with the release of ''25''. On 27 October it was also announced that Adele would appear on the US entertainment series ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
'' on 21 November. On 30 October, Adele confirmed that she would be performing a one-night-only concert titled ''Adele Live in New York City'' at the Radio City Music Hall on 17 November. Subsequently,
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
aired the concert special on 14 December. On 27 November, ''25'' debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and became the List of fastest-selling albums, fastest selling album in UK chart history with over 800,000 copies sold in its first week. The album debuted at number one in the US where it sold a record-breaking 3.38 million copies in its first week, the largest single sales week for an album since Nielsen began monitoring sales in 1991. ''25'' also broke first week sales records in Canada and New Zealand. ''25'' became the best-selling album of 2015 in a number of countries, including Australia, the UK and the US, spending seven consecutive weeks at number one in each country, before being displaced by David Bowie's ''Blackstar (album), Blackstar''. It was the List of best-selling albums#Best-selling album by year worldwide, best-selling album worldwide of 2015 with 17.4 million copies sold. ''25'' has since sold 20 million copies globally. Adele's seven weeks at the top of the UK Albums Chart took her total to 31 weeks at number one in the UK with her three albums, surpassing Madonna's previous record of most weeks at number one for a female act."Adele overtakes Madonna for the most weeks at Number 1 on the Official Album Chart"
. Official Charts. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
As the best-selling artist worldwide for 2015 the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, IFPI named Adele the Global Recording Artist of the Year. In November 2015, Adele's 2016 tour was announced, her first tour since 2011. Beginning in Europe, Adele Live 2016 included four dates at the Manchester Arena in March 2016, six dates at the The O2 Arena, O2 Arena, London, with further dates in Ireland, Spain, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands among others. Her North American Tour began on 5 July in St. Paul, Minnesota. The leg included six nights at Madison Square Garden in New York City, eight nights at Staples Center in Los Angeles, and four nights at Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Adele broke Taylor Swift's five-show record for most consecutive sold-out shows at the Staples Center. At the 36th Brit Awards in London on 24 February, Adele received the awards for Brit Award for British Female Solo Artist, British Female Solo Artist, Brit Award for British Album of the Year, British Album of the Year for ''25'', Brit Award for British Single of the Year, British Single of the Year for "Hello", and British Global Success, bringing her Brit Award wins to eight. She closed the ceremony by performing "When We Were Young (Adele song), When We Were Young", the second single from ''25''. Two more singles from ''25'' were released in 2016: "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" and "Water Under the Bridge (song), Water Under the Bridge". While on stage at London's The O2 Arena, O2 Arena on 17 March, Adele announced that she would be headlining on the Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Festival 2016, 2016 Glastonbury Festival, which was later confirmed by the festival's organisers. She appeared for a 90-minute fifteen song set at the festival on 25 June in front of 150,000 people, and described the experience as "by far, the best moment of my life so far". In an interview with Jo Whiley on BBC Radio 2 around 30-minutes before going on stage, Adele had said she had been going to Glastonbury Festival, Glastonbury since she was a child and that the festival had meant a lot to her, before she broke down. Whiley recalls, "She was really scared, really, really scared. We were doing the interview and at one point she had to stop as she was in tears. It was amazing to see somebody like that, then to witness her walking out on stage and doing the most incredible set. To know that half an hour before she'd been in tears at the thought of walking out there." In 2016, Vanity Fair (magazine), Vanity Fair magazine published a cover story which referred to Adele as the "Queen of Hearts". As part of her world tour, in February and March 2017, Adele performed in Australia for the first time, playing outdoor stadiums around the country. Her first two shows in New Zealand sold out in a record-breaking 23 minutes, and a third show was announced, with all tickets sold in under 30 minutes. Adele sold over 600,000 tickets for her record-breaking eight date Australian tour, setting stadium records throughout the country; her Sydney show at ANZ Stadium on 10 March was seen by 95,000 people, the biggest single concert in Australian history, a record she broke the following night with more than 100,000 fans. Adele completed her world tour with two concerts, dubbed "The Finale", at Wembley Stadium, London on 28 and 29 June. She announced the shows at "the home of football" by singing the England football team's "Three Lions" anthem and also the theme song to the BBC's weekly Premier League football show ''Match of the Day''. Adele had added another two concerts at Wembley after the first two dates sold out, however she cancelled the last two dates of the tour after damaging her vocal cords."Adele cancels final two Wembley shows"
. BBC. Retrieved 1 July 2017
As a show of support, fans instead gathered outside Wembley Stadium to perform renditions of her songs, in an event titled "Sing for Adele". At the end of 2016, ''Billboard'' named Adele Artist of the Year for the third time, and also received the Top ''Billboard'' 200 album. ''25'' was the best-selling album for a second consecutive year in the US. With 235 million views, Adele's Carpool Karaoke through the streets of London with James Corden, a sketch which featured on Corden's talk show ''The Late Late Show with James Corden'' in January 2016, was the biggest YouTube viral video of 2016. At the 59th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2017, Adele won all five of her nominations, bringing her number of awards to fifteen. She won Album of the Year and Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Pop Vocal Album for ''25'', and
Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...
, Grammy Award for Song of the Year, Song of the Year and Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance, Best Pop Solo Performance for "Hello". She also performed a tribute to the late George Michael singing the rendition of his song "Fastlove"; due to technical difficulties which occurred during the performance, Adele decided to stop and restart, explaining "I can't mess this up for him". As announced on 31 July 2017, Adele switched performance rights management in the US from Broadcast Music, Inc., BMI to SESAC.


2018–present: ''30'' and Weekends with Adele

Adele was reportedly working on her fourth studio album by 2018. On 5 May 2019, her 31st birthday, Adele posted several black-and-white pictures of herself on her Instagram account celebrating the occasion along with a message reflecting on the preceding year. The message ended with, "30 will be a Drum and bass, drum n bass record to spite you". Media outlets took the post as an indication that a new album was on the way. On 15 February 2020, Adele announced at a friend's wedding that her fourth studio album would be out by September 2020. However, she later confirmed that the album's production and release had been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Adele made her first television appearance in almost four years by hosting the 24 October 2020 episode of ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
'', with musical guest H.E.R. On 1 October 2021, projections and billboards of the number "30" appeared on significant landmarks and buildings in different cities around the world, fuelling speculation that Adele was responsible, and that ''30'' would be the title of her fourth album. Soon after, Adele's website and social media accounts matched the aesthetic of the projections and billboards, hinting that her new album would be titled '' 30'', which was subsequently confirmed. On 5 October 2021, Adele announced her single "
Easy on Me "Easy on Me" is a song by English singer Adele from her fourth studio album '' 30'' (2021). Adele wrote the song with its producer, Greg Kurstin. Columbia Records released it as the album's lead single on 15 October 2021. It is a minimally pr ...
" for release on 15 October. A release date of 19 November 2021 was announced for the album shortly thereafter. On 7 October, Adele was announced to be the November cover star on both ''Vogue (magazine), Vogue'' and ''British Vogue'', the first person to simultaneously cover both publications at the same time. On 15 October, Adele released "Easy on Me" to a positive reception, breaking Spotify and Amazon Music records for most streams for a song in a day. The song debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, Adele's third UK number one, and had the highest first-week sales for a single since January 2017. Reaching the top of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, it is her fifth US number-one single. On 28 October 2021, pre-sale tickets for her two concerts in Hyde Park, London, scheduled for 1 and 2 July 2022, sold out in less than an hour. The total number of tickets sold were 130,000, without prior promotion. More than 1,3 million people attempted to buy tickets for these two concerts. Jim King, CEO of the European Festivals division at Anschutz Entertainment Group, AEG stated that Adele "could have sold several million tickets to the shows, such is the demand for her". '' 30'' was released on 19 November 2021 and became a global success, reaching number one in 24 territories. In the UK, the album debuted at number one on the Official Albums Chart with 261,000 copies sold, garnering the largest opening week for an album since Ed Sheeran's ÷ (album), ''Divide'' in 2017, and also has the highest first-week sales for an album by a female artist since Adele's own ''25'', becoming the best-selling album of 2021 in the country. In the US, it was Adele's third consecutive ''Billboard'' 200 number-one album and List of best-selling albums by year in the United States#2020s, the year's best-seller as well. ''30'' was the List of best-selling albums#Best-selling album by year worldwide, best-selling album of 2021 worldwide, topping the Global Album All-Format Chart, Global Album Sales Chart, and the newly created Global Vinyl Album Chart. The album shifted a total of 5 million pure copies within the year. It was her first album to be marketed globally by Columbia Records instead of being split between
XL Recordings XL Recordings is a British independent record label founded in 1989 by Tim Palmer and Nick Halkes. It has been ran and co-owned by Richard Russell since 1996. It forms part of the Beggars Group. Although only releasing an average of six albu ...
and Beggars Group's regional distribution partners in most of the world and Columbia in North America. On 30 November 2021, Adele announced a Las Vegas residency titled Weekends with Adele at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace that would have run from 21 January 2022 until 16 April 2022. On 20 January 2022, she announced the Las Vegas residency was postponed due to "delivery delays and Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the music industry, COVID". On 8 February 2022, ''30'' won Brit Award for British Album of the Year, British Album of the Year at the 42nd Brit Awards, making Adele the first solo artist in history to win the honour three times. On 25 July, it was announced the Las Vegas residency will run from 18 November 2022 to 25 March 2023, with eight more dates than initially planned, for a total of 32 concerts. On 3 September, Adele received a Primetime Emmy Award for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded), Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) for her television special ''Adele One Night Only''.


Artistry


Influences and favourite musicians

Adele has cited the Spice Girls as a major influence in regard to her love and passion for music, stating that "they made me what I am today". During childhood, she impersonated the Spice Girls at dinner parties. She says she was "heartbroken" when her favourite Spice Girls member, Geri Halliwell aka "Ginger Spice", departed from the group. Lauryn Hill is also one of her major influences. In a 2011 interview, Adele deemed Hill's record ''The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'' as her favourite album, while also stating "I was analyzing the record for about a month at the age of 8, I was constantly wondering when I would be that passionate about something, to write a record about it, even though I didn't know I was going to make a record when I was older"; while also thanking Hill "for existing" in a penned letter, that she dedicated in honour of the 20th anniversary of Hill's album. Growing up she also listened to Sinéad O'Connor, the Cranberries, Bob Marley, the Cure, Dusty Springfield, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion, Jeff Buckley, and Annie Lennox. Gabrielle (singer), Gabrielle was an early influence, whom Adele has admired since age five. During Adele's school years, her mother made her an eye patch with sequins which she used to perform as the Hackney-born star in a school talent contest. After moving to south London, she became interested in Contemporary R&B, R&B acts such as Aaliyah, Destiny's Child, Mary J. Blige, and Alicia Keys. Adele has stated that one of the most defining moments in her life was when she saw Pink (singer), Pink perform at Brixton Academy in London. She says: "It was the ''Missundaztood'' record, so I was about 13 or 14. I had never heard, being in the room, someone sing like that live [...] I remember sort of feeling like I was in a wind tunnel, her voice just hitting me. It was incredible." In 2002, 14-year-old Adele discovered Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald as she stumbled on the artists' CDs in the jazz section of her local music store. She was struck by their appearance on the album covers. Adele states she then "started listening to Etta James every night for an hour," and in the process was getting "to know my own voice." She has credited Amy Winehouse and her 2003 album ''Frank (Amy Winehouse album), Frank'' with inspiring her to take up the guitar, saying: "If it wasn't for Amy and ''Frank'', one hundred per cent I wouldn't have picked up a guitar, I wouldn't have written 'Daydreamer' or 'Hometown [Glory]' and I wrote 'Someone Like You' on the guitar too." She has also expressed admiration for Lana Del Rey, Grimes (musician), Grimes, Chvrches, FKA Twigs, Alabama Shakes, Kanye West, Rihanna, Britney Spears, Frank Ocean, Queen (band), Queen, and Stevie Nicks. In 2017, she described Beyoncé as a particular inspiration, calling her "[the] artist of my life" and added "the other artists who mean that much to me are all dead." Adele cited Madonna's 1998 album ''Ray of Light'' as a "List of artists influenced by Madonna, chief inspiration" for her album ''25''. She stated that the release of ''25'' and her own comeback was inspired by the enigmatic Kate Bush who in 2014 made a Before the Dawn (Kate Bush concert residency), comeback to the stage 35 years after her last live shows from her only tour in 1979. Adele mentioned that Max Martin's work on Taylor Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble" was the inspiration behind her song "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)", saying: "I was like, 'Who did this?' I knew it was Taylor, and I've always loved her, but this is a totally other side – like, 'I want to know who brought that out in her.' I was unaware that I knew who Max Martin was. I Googled him, and I was like, 'He's literally written every massive soundtrack of my life.' So I got my management to reach out. They came to London, and I took my guitar along and was like, 'I've got this riff,' and then 'Send My Love' happened really quickly."


Musical style

Adele's debut album, ''19'', is of the Soul music, soul genre, with lyrics addressing heartbreak and relationship. Her success occurred simultaneously with several other British female soul singers, with the British press dubbing her a new Amy Winehouse. This was described as a third British Invasion, British Musical Invasion of the US. However, Adele called the comparisons between her and other female soul singers lazy, noting "we're a gender, not a genre". AllMusic wrote that "Adele is simply too magical to compare her to anyone." Her second album, ''21'', shares the folk and soul influences of her debut album, but was further inspired by American country music, country and Southern blues music to which she had been exposed during her 2008–09 tour An Evening with Adele in North America. Conceived in the aftermath of Adele's breakup with a partner, the album typifies the near dormant tradition of the confessional singer-songwriter in its exploration of heartbreak, self-examination, and forgiveness. Having referred to ''21'' as a "break-up record", Adele labelled her third studio album, ''25'', a "make-up record", adding it is about "Making up for lost time. Making up for everything I ever did and never did." Her yearning for her old self, her nostalgia, and melancholy about the passage of time, is a feature of ''25'', with Adele stating, "I've had a lot of regrets since I turned 25. And sadness hits me in different ways than it used to. There's a lot of things I don't think I'll ever get 'round to doing."


Voice

Adele is a mezzo-soprano, with a Vocal range, range spanning from B (musical note), B2 to C (musical note), C6. However Classic FM (UK), Classic FM states she is often mistaken for a contralto due to the application of a tense chest mix to reach the lower notes, while also noting that her voice becomes its clearest as she ascends the register, particularly from C (musical note), C4 to C (musical note), C5. ''Rolling Stone'' reported that following throat surgery her voice had become "palpably bigger and purer-toned", and that she had added a further four notes to the top of her range. Initially, critics suggested that her vocals were more developed and intriguing than her songwriting, a sentiment with which Adele agreed. She has stated: "I taught myself how to sing by listening to Ella Fitzgerald for acrobatics and scales, Etta James for passion and Roberta Flack for control." Adele's singing has received acclaim from music critics. In a review of ''19'', ''The Observer'' stated, "The way she stretched the vowels, her wonderful soulful phrasing, the sheer unadulterated pleasure of her voice, stood out all the more; little doubt that she's a rare singer". BBC Music wrote, "Her melodies exude warmth, her singing is occasionally stunning and, ...she has tracks that make Lily Allen and Kate Nash sound every bit as ordinary as they are." Also in 2008, Sylvia Patterson of ''The Guardian'' wrote, "Of all the gobby new girls, only Adele's bewitching singing voice has the enigmatic quality which causes tears of involuntary emotion to splash down your face in the way Eva Cassidy's did before her." For their reviews of ''21'', ''The New York Times'' chief music critic Jon Pareles commended Adele's emotive timbre, likening her to Dusty Springfield, Petula Clark, and Annie Lennox: "[Adele] can seethe, sob, rasp, swoop, lilt and belt, in ways that draw more attention to the song than to the singer". Ryan Reed of ''Paste (magazine), Paste'' magazine regarded her voice as "a raspy, aged-beyond-its-years thing of full-blooded beauty", while MSN Music's Tom Townshend called her "the finest singer of [our] generation". Adele has also been dubbed a "vocal goddess".


Personal life

In 2011, Adele began a relationship with charity entrepreneur Simon Konecki. Their son was born on 19 October 2012. On the topic of becoming a parent, Adele said she "felt like I was truly living. I had a purpose, where before I didn't". Adele and Konecki brought a privacy case against a UK-based photo agency that published intrusive paparazzi images of their son taken during family outings in 2013. Lawyers working on their behalf accepted damages from the company in July 2014. Adele has also opened up about suffering from postnatal depression, Generalized anxiety disorder, anxiety, and panic attacks. In early 2017, tabloids started speculating that Adele and Konecki had secretly married when they were spotted wearing matching rings on their ring fingers. During her acceptance speech at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards for Album of the Year, Adele seemed to have confirmed these reports by referring to Konecki as "my husband" when thanking him. She repeated this in March 2017, telling the audience at a concert in Brisbane, Australia, "I'm married now". However, in a 2021 interview with ''British Vogue'', she revealed that they actually married in 2018, and separated the same year. During this time, Adele became a stay-at-home mother. In April 2019, Adele's representatives confirmed the separation via Associated Press, and affirmed that she and Konecki would continue to raise their son together. On 13 September 2019, it was reported that Adele had filed for divorce from Konecki in the US. Their divorce was finalised on 4 March 2021. In 2021, Adele entered a relationship with American sports agent Rich Paul. Politically, she is a supporter of the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, saying in 2011 that she was a "Labour girl through and through", and in the same interview was critical of the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party. Despite this declared political alignment, Adele received backlash for her comments on paying taxes during a 2011 interview with ''Q (magazine), Q'' magazine. She said, "I use the National Health Service, NHS, I can't use public transport any more, doing what I do, I went to state school, I'm mortified to have to pay 50 percent! Trains are always late, most state schools are shit and I've gotta give you like four million quid, are you having a laugh? When I got my tax bill in from ''19'' I was ready to go and buy a gun and randomly open fire." Born in the North London district of Tottenham, Adele supports local football club Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur. In 2015, Adele said, "I'm a Feminism, feminist, I believe that everyone should be treated the same, including race and sexuality". Supportive of the LGBT community, on 12 June 2016, an emotional Adele dedicated her show in Antwerp, Belgium, to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting, mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, United States, earlier that day, adding, "The LGBTQ community, they're like my soul mates since I was really young, so I'm very moved by it." In April 2018, it was widely reported that Adele had become an ordained minister in order to officiate at close friend comedian Alan Carr's wedding to Paul Drayton, something which Adele herself subsequently confirmed. The wedding, held in January 2018, took place in the garden of her house in Los Angeles, California. Adele's close friends include Nicole Richie, Jennifer Lawrence, Cameron Diaz, Emma Stone, Laura Dockrill, Lauren Parsekian, Lauren and Aaron Paul, James Corden, and Elton John, among others. Drake (musician), Drake called Adele "One of [his] best friends in the world".


Wealth

In 2012, Adele topped the List of Richest Young Musicians under 30 in the UK, included on the ''Sunday Times Rich List''. In July 2012, she was listed at number six in ''Forbes'' list of the world's highest-paid celebrities under the age of 30, having earned  million between May 2011 and May 2012. For six consecutive years, from 2013 to 2018, Adele topped the List of Richest Young Musicians under 30 in the UK and Ireland as part of the ''Sunday Times'' annual ''Rich List''. In 2015, Adele said she declined all sorts of lucrative endorsement offers out of personal choice. In 2015, she reported paying £4 million tax in the UK. In July 2016, Adele was ranked number nine on the ''Forbes'' list of the Forbes Celebrity 100#2010s, 100 highest-paid celebrities in the world. In November 2016 and November 2017, she was in second place on the ''Forbes'' list of the world's highest-paid women in music, earning  million and $69 million, respectively. The ''Sunday Times Rich List'' valued her wealth at £125 million in 2017, and she was ranked the 19th UK's richest musician overall whilst being the only woman in the top 20. Adele owns and operates two companies, Melted Stone Ltd and Melted Stone Publishing. In 2017, she earned $11.2 million in Royalties#Music, royalties from record sales, after taxes, according to official documents from her companies, without any new album release at the time, and whilst spending her time off. On the 2019 ''Sunday Times Rich List'', Adele was valued at £150 million (US$180.5 million) as the 22nd richest musician in the UK, despite not having toured since 2017. In 2012, Adele and then-partner Konecki purchased a $3.4 million Art Deco#Architecture, Art Deco villa in Portslade, on the outskirts of Brighton and Hove, which she sold for $3.7 million in 2016. That same year, she bought two houses built side-by-side in Kensington for $7.7 million and $7.3 million, respectively, with the intention of combining them. Adele also bought a home for her mother in West End of London, West London for around $817,000. In 2013, she temporarily rented Paul McCartney's former mansion for an undisclosed price. In 2015, Adele purchased a $5.2 million Mediterranean Revival architecture, Mediterranean-style vacation mansion in Malibu, California, and sold it in 2017 for less than its original purchase price, $4.8 million. She envisioned buying several properties on the same street in a Beverly Hills gated community, beginning with the first home purchased for $9.5 million from Don Mischer in 2016. During her Madison Square Garden tour in September 2016, Adele rented NBA player Deron Williams' Tribeca apartment for three weeks at a monthly rent of $60,000. In 2017, she and Konecki purchased a $5.3 million Tudor Revival architecture, Tudor mansion called Ridge Hill Manor, located in the English countryside on the outskirts of East Grinstead. In 2019 and 2021, Adele bought two more Beverly Hills mansions for $10.65 million and $10 million, respectively; the latter was purchased from Richie and her husband, Joel Madden. In February 2022, it was reported she bought Sylvester Stallone's former mansion in Beverly Park, Los Angeles, for $58 million.


Philanthropy

Adele has performed in numerous charity concerts throughout her career. In 2007 and 2008, she performed at the Little Noise Sessions held at London's Union Chapel, Islington, Union Chapel, with proceeds from the concerts donated to Mencap which works with people with learning disabilities.Caroline Sanderson (2013). Someone Like Adele". Chapter 4. p. 1. Music Sales Group. In July and November 2008, Adele performed at the Keep a Child Alive Black Ball in London and New York City respectively. On 17 September 2009, she performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, for the VH1 ''Divas'' event, a concert to raise money for the Save The Music Foundation charity. On 6 December, Adele opened with a 40-minute set at John Mayer's 2nd Annual Holiday Charity Revue held at the L.A. Live#Nokia Theatre, Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. In 2011, Adele gave a free concert for Pride London, a registered charity which arranges LGBT events in London. The same year, Adele took part in the UK charity telethon Comic Relief for Red Nose Day 2011, performing "Someone like You". Adele has been a major contributor to MusiCares, a charity organisation founded by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for musicians in need. In February 2009, Adele performed at the 2009 MusiCares charity concert in Los Angeles. In 2011 and 2012, Adele donated autographed items for auctions to support MusiCares. Adele required all backstage visitors to the North American leg of her Adele Live tour to donate a minimum charitable contribution of US$20 for the UK charity Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society, SANDS, an organisation dedicated to "supporting anyone affected by the death of a baby and promoting research to reduce the loss of babies' lives". On 15 June 2017, Adele attended a vigil in west London for the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire where, keeping a low profile, she was only spotted by a handful of fans. Four days later she appeared at Chelsea, London, Chelsea fire station and brought cakes for the firefighters. Station manager Ben King stated "She came in, came up to the mess and had a cup of tea with the watch and then she joined us for the minute's silence." Paying tribute to the victims at her first Wembley show on 28 June, Adele encouraged fans to donate money to help the victims of the blaze rather than waste the money on "overpriced wine".


Impact

Adele has been referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Hearts" by publications such as ''Vogue (magazine), Vogue'' and ''Vanity Fair (magazine), Vanity Fair'', while the ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' has called her "Queen of Soul" for her early success as a Soul music, soul singer-songwriter. In 2014, Adele was already being regarded as a List of cultural icons of England, British cultural icon, with young adults from abroad naming her among a group of people whom they most associated with UK culture, which included William Shakespeare, Queen Elizabeth II, David Beckham, J. K. Rowling, The Beatles, Charlie Chaplin and Elton John. Richard Russell, the founder of record label
XL Recordings XL Recordings is a British independent record label founded in 1989 by Tim Palmer and Nick Halkes. It has been ran and co-owned by Richard Russell since 1996. It forms part of the Beggars Group. Although only releasing an average of six albu ...
, complimented Adele that she had the potential to change the way women were seen in the music industry by focusing on music rather than sexuality. ''The New Yorker'' called her "the most popular living soul singer in the world" at 27-years-old. Writing for Vulture (magazine), ''Vulture'', Jillian Mapes opined that Adele is "among the first plus-size female cultural icons to reach the highest echelons of commercial success without having to make herself the butt of fat jokes along the way". ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' journalist Sam Lansky described her as "a voice for every generation" and further stated that "Adele bridges pop music's past and its future". Lansky wrote that Adele, by choosing to sound like the past, goes in an opposite direction in mainstream music when her contemporaries "try to sound simultaneously like each other" and follow trends. Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' credited Adele for reviving the music industry in 2011, the year of '' 21''s release, and wrote: "She was a unique presence not only in 2011, but in all of 21st century pop: a preternaturally gifted singer and songwriter with a leave-it-all-on-the-floor approach to recording and performing — and also an earthy, relatable, and strangely unassuming personality both on and off the stage". ''Junkee'' and ''Consequence of Sound'' credited her for revitalizing pop music and heralding "a new era of relatable pop" due to the critical and commercial success of ''21''. In an article about how music from 2011 defined pop music, ''Junkee'' also credited Adele for reviving the breakup ballad music, paving the way for young artists like Olivia Rodrigo to utilize some elements of pop ballads that she did into their own music. In a 2021 article from ''The Daily Telegraph'', James Hall wrote that "a new Adele album isn't just a release − it's a global cultural event". ''Rolling Stone'' writers observed that "She has written more modern pop standards than anyone else in her generation, each single becoming an instant classic." ''Consequence of Sound'' ranked Adele at number 34 on its list of The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time, describing her voice as "athletic and authentic" and "an unapologetic powerhouse with a knack for tone and an ability to imbue her performances with genuine emotion". In 2019,
Insider ''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German publ ...
listed her among the top artists of the decade, and wrote: "Her artistry and style broke through in a time of ultra club-happy pop music, and paved the way for other artists to break the mold". In 2022, she has been ranked number 8 on Yardbarker's The Greatest Singing Voices of All Time list. Adele and her work have influenced numerous recording artists, including Beyoncé, Lauren Daigle, Billie Eilish, Rebecca Ferguson (singer), Rebecca Ferguson, Jess Glynne, Conan Gray, Freya Ridings, Sigrid (singer), Sigrid, Sam Smith, and Tom Walker (singer), Tom Walker.


Accolades and achievements

Adele has sold more than 170 million records worldwide with 70 million in album sales and over 100 million in single sales as of 2022, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. She is one of the artists who bring the most revenue to the music industry per day. At the
51st Annual Grammy Awards The 51st Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, on February 8, 2009, honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2007, through September 30, 2008. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the b ...
in 2009, 21-year-old Adele won awards in the categories of
Best New Artist The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967. The official guidelines are as ...
and
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The awar ...
. She was also nominated in the categories of
Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...
and Grammy Award for Song of the Year, Song of the Year. The success of her debut album ''19'' saw Adele nominated for three
Brit Awards The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...
in the categories of Brit Award for British Female Solo Artist, British Female Solo Artist, Brit Award for British Single of the Year, British Single of the Year and Brit Award for British Breakthrough Act, British Breakthrough Act. Then British Prime Minister Gordon Brown sent a thank-you letter to Adele that stated "with the troubles that the country's in financially, you're a light at the end of the tunnel". Adele's second album, ''21'', earned her a Grammy Award records#Most Grammys won by a female artist in one night, record-tying six 54th Annual Grammy Awards, Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year; two 32nd Brit Awards, Brit Awards, including Brit Award for British Album of the Year, British Album of the Year. Adele was the second artist and first female, preceded by Christopher Cross, to have won all four of the Big Four (Grammy Awards), general field awards throughout her career. The success of the album saw her receive numerous mentions in the ''Guinness World Records, Guinness Book of World Records.'' With 21 non-consecutive weeks at number 1 in the US, Adele broke the record for the longest number-1 album by a woman in ''Billboard'' history, beating the record formerly held by Whitney Houston's soundtrack ''The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album, The Bodyguard''. ''21'' spent its 23rd week at number one in March 2012, making it the longest-running album at number one since 1985, and it became the fourth-best-selling album of the past 10 years in the US. The best selling album in the UK of the 21st century, and the best selling album by a female in UK chart history, ''21'' is also the List of best-selling albums in the United Kingdom, second-best-selling album in the UK of all time. ''21'' was her first album certified RIAA certification, diamond in the US. On 6 March, ''21'' reached 30 non-consecutive weeks at number one on the Australian ARIA Chart, making it the longest-running number one album in Australia in the 21st century, and the second longest-running number one ever. In May 2011, "Team Adele" was ranked number one on ''The Guardian''s "Music Power 100" list: "the 100 most influential people in the music industry". In February 2012, Adele was listed at number five on VH1's 100 Greatest Women in Music. In April 2012, ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' magazine named Adele one of the Time 100#Multiple appearances, 100 most influential people in the world. ''People (magazine), People'' named her one of 2012 Most Beautiful at Every Age. On 30 April 2012, a tribute to Adele was held at New York City's (Le) Poisson Rouge called ''Broadway Sings Adele'', starring various Broadway actors such as Matt Doyle (actor), Matt Doyle. In the week ending 3 March 2012, Adele became the first solo female artist to have three singles in the top 10 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at the same time with "Rolling in the Deep", "Someone Like You", and "Set Fire to the Rain" as well as the first female artist to have two albums in the top 5 of the ''Billboard'' 200 and two singles in the top 5 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 simultaneously. Adele topped the 2012 ''Sunday Times Rich List'' of musicians in the UK under 30, and made the Top 10 of ''Billboard'' magazine's "Top 40 Money Makers". ''Billboard'' also announced the same day that Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" is the biggest crossover (music), crossover hit of the past 25 years, topping pop, adult pop and adult contemporary charts and that Adele is one of four female artists to have an album chart at number one for more than 13 weeks (the other three artists being Judy Garland, Carole King, and Whitney Houston). At the 2012
Ivor Novello Awards The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They have been presented annually in London by the Ivors Academy (formerly the BASCA) since 1956, and over 1,000 statuettes have been a ...
in May, Adele was named Songwriter of the Year, and "
Rolling in the Deep "Rolling in the Deep" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele for her second studio album, '' 21'' (2011). It is the lead single and opening track on the album. The song was written by Adele and Paul Epworth. The singer herself de ...
" won the award for Most Performed Work of 2011. At the 2012 Broadcast Music, Inc., BMI Awards held in London in October, Adele won Song of the Year (for "Rolling in the Deep") in recognition of the song being the most played on US television and radio in 2011. In 2013, Adele won the
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
for Academy Award for Best Original Song, Best Original Song for the James Bond theme "
Skyfall ''Skyfall'' is a 2012 spy film and the twenty-third in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. The film is the third to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond and features Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva, the vill ...
". This is the first James Bond music, James Bond song to win and the fifth to be nominated—after "For Your Eyes Only (song), For Your Eyes Only" (1981), "Nobody Does It Better" (1977), "Live and Let Die (song), Live and Let Die" (1973), and "The Look of Love (1967 song), The Look of Love" (1967). "Skyfall" won the Brit Award for Best British Single at the 33rd Brit Awards. In June 2013, Adele was appointed a
MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...
in the 2013 Birthday Honours, Queen's Birthday Honours list for services to music, and she received the award from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace on 19 December 2013. In February 2013 she was named one of the 100 most powerful women in the UK by ''Woman's Hour'' on BBC Radio 4. Released in 2015, Adele's third album, ''25'', became the year's best-selling album and List of fastest-selling albums, broke first week sales records in a number of markets, including the UK and the US. ''25'' was her second album to be certified diamond in the US and earned her five Grammy Awards, including her second Grammy Award for Album of the Year, and four Brit Awards, including her second Brit Award for British Album. Adele became the only artist in history to, on two separate occasions, win the three general categories Grammys in the same ceremony. With 15 awards from 18 nominations, Adele won more Grammys than any other female who was born outside the US. Adele's seven weeks at the top of the UK Albums Chart took her total to 31 weeks at number one in the UK with her three albums, surpassing Madonna's previous record of most weeks at number one for a female act in the UK. The lead single, "Hello", became the first song in the US to sell over one million digital copies within a week of its release. At the 2016
Ivor Novello Awards The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They have been presented annually in London by the Ivors Academy (formerly the BASCA) since 1956, and over 1,000 statuettes have been a ...
Adele was named Songwriter of the Year for the second time by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors. In April 2016 she appeared for the second time on the ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' 100 list of the world's most influential people. Adele was inducted into the Royal Albert Hall's Walk of Fame in 2018, making her one of the first eleven recipients of a star on the walk. Despite releasing just two albums in the decade (''21'' and ''25''), at 36 weeks she had the second List of UK Albums Chart number ones of the 2010s#Artists with the most weeks at number one, most weeks at number one in the UK Album Charts in the 2010s, five weeks behind Ed Sheeran (who released four albums). In December 2019, Israel's largest TV and radio stations named her singer of the 2010s. In 2021, Adele was named the UK's best-selling female album artist of the 21st century, based on Official Charts Company data. In May 2022, ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' magazine named her for the third time among the 100 most influential people in the world in the "icons" category. As Adele has won Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar Awards, it makes her a Tony Award away from achieving List of EGOT winners, EGOT status as of 2022.


Discography

* '' 19'' (2008) * '' 21'' (2011) * '' 25'' (2015) * '' 30'' (2021)


Filmography


Concert tours and residencies


Headlining concerts

* An Evening with Adele (2008–2009) * Adele Live (2011) * Adele Live 2016 (2016–2017)


Residency

* Weekends with Adele (2022–2023)


See also

* List of best-selling music artists#120 million to 199 million records, List of best-selling music artists – Artists with sales of over 120 million records worldwide * List of British Grammy winners and nominees * List of one-word stage names * Honorific nicknames in popular music * List of Billboard Social 50 number-one artists, List of ''Billboard'' Social 50 number-one artists * List of artists who reached number one in the United States * Best-selling female artists of all time * List of most-streamed artists on Spotify


References


Sources and bibliography

* * * *


External links

* – official site * * *
Adele
at Grammys * {{Authority control Adele, 1988 births 21st-century English singers 21st-century English women singers APRA Award winners Ballad musicians Best Original Song Academy Award-winning songwriters Brit Award winners British contemporary R&B singers BT Digital Music Awards winners Columbia Records artists Echo (music award) winners English activists English feminists English guitarists English mezzo-sopranos English people of Welsh descent English pop singers English soul singers English women activists English women guitarists English women pop singers English women singer-songwriters Feminist musicians Golden Globe Award-winning musicians Grammy Award winners HIV/AIDS activists Ivor Novello Award winners Juno Award for International Album of the Year winners Labour Party (UK) people LGBT rights activists from England Living people Members of the Order of the British Empire MTV Europe Music Award winners Neo soul singers NME Awards winners People educated at the BRIT School People from Tottenham Primetime Emmy Award winners Shorty Award winners Singers from London Third British Invasion artists Torch singers XL Recordings artists