Adele Laurie Blue Adkins MBE (born 5 May 1988) is an English singer and songwriter. After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a record deal with XL Recordings. Her debut album, 19, was released in 2008 to commercial and critical success; it was certified seven times platinum in the UK, and became the best-selling album of the decade. An appearance she made on Saturday Night Live in late 2008—when she performed her single Chasing Pavements—boosted her exposure in the United States.
Table of Contents
Early life
The youngest of four children, she was born in Tottenham, London, to an English mother, Penny Adkins, and a Welsh father, Mark Evans. Her mother is a former French teacher who moved to England to study after meeting Evans in Paris. She began singing at age four and asserts that she became obsessed with voices.
Personal life
At 15, she was diagnosed with a then-undiagnosed hearing condition that led to her being profoundly deaf for almost two years. She attended The BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology in Croydon, South London, for a year before leaving to focus on singing full-time.
Critical reception
After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a record deal with XL Recordings. Her debut album, 19, was released in 2008 to commercial and critical success; it sold over 4 million copies worldwide and is one of the best-selling albums in UK Chart history.[6] The album was certified several times platinum both by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and by Music Canada. She released her second studio album, 21, in 2011.
Other media
She has won many awards, including seven Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards, four American Music Awards, 11 Billboard Music Awards and, in 2011 and 2012, was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world. Her third studio album, 21, sold over 30 million copies worldwide.
Musical style and themes
Adele’s music incorporates a wide variety of musical genres, including soul, blue-eyed soul, soft rock, jazz standards and classical. Her most popular songs include Rolling in the Deep, Someone like You, Set Fire to The Rain and Hello. Her voice has been described as a soprano with a range of three octaves by music critics.
Voice and musical style
Critics have praised her voice for its soulful delivery. Her debut album, 19, has sold over 20 million copies worldwide—making it one of the best-selling albums of all time—and her most recent release, 21, has sold over 12 million copies worldwide and topped multiple charts.
- Born: 5 May 1988 (age 33 years), Tottenham, London, United Kingdom
- Spouse: Simon Konecki (m. 2018–2021)
- Children: Angelo Adkins
- Parents: Penny Adkins, Mark Evans
How did Adele get big?
After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a record deal with XL Recordings. The next year, she released her debut album, 19, which won multiple awards including Best Pop Vocal Album at Grammy Awards 2011 and secured her position as one of today’s top recording artists. In 2012, 20 was released with similar success—the album garnered a total of nine Grammy Awards out of fourteen nominations for both it and its singles.
What was Adele’s biggest hit?
Her debut album, 19, was released in 2008 to commercial and critical success. It has sold over 20 million copies worldwide, garnered seven Grammy Awards nominations (winning two), four Brit Awards nominations (winning Best British Album) and was named Billboard’s Top Album of 2009.
Is Adele the most successful singer?
In January 2013, Billboard named her as one of their 100 most influential music artists of all time, while VH1 listed her fifth on their list of 100 Greatest Women in Music. Time magazine named her one of their 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2012, while Time’s Elle magazine honored her with its 2014 Woman of the Year award. She was also made a Chevalier (knight) of Légion d’honneur by French President François Hollande in 2015.
How much is Adele worth in US dollars?
On February 10, 2015, The Sun reported that Adele has amassed a $60million fortune in just two years – putting her ahead of Beyonce, who has amassed $50million over a similar period. According to Forbes magazine, Adele made around $20million from album sales and around $11million from tour dates between June 2012 and June 2013, before she took a break to start work on her third album ’25’, released in November 2015.