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Adele Laurie Blue Adkins[2] (born 5 May 1988), better known as Adele (often stylized as ADELE), is an English recording artist and songwriter. Adele was offered a recording contract from XL Recordings after a friend posted her demo on MySpace in 2006. The next year she received the Brit Awards "Critics' Choice" and won the BBC Sound of 2008. Her debut album, 19, was released in 2008 to much commercial and critical success. The album is certified four times platinum in the UK, and double platinum in the US.[3][4] Her career in the US was boosted by a Saturday Night Live appearance in late 2008. At the 2009 Grammy Awards, Adele received the awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.[5][6]

Adele released her second album, 21, in early 2011.[7][8] The album was well received critically and surpassed the success of her debut.[9] 21 helped Adele earn six Grammy Awards in 2012 including Album of the Year, equalling the record for most Grammy Awards won by a female artist in one night.[10][11] The album has also helped her receive numerous other awards, including two Brit Awards and three American Music Awards. The album has been certified 15 times platinum in the UK;[3] in the US the album has held the top position longer than any other album since 1985.[12]

The success of 21 earned Adele numerous mentions in the Guinness Book Of World Records. She is the first artist to sell more than 3 million copies of an album in a year in the UK.[13] With her two albums and the first two singles from 21, "Rolling in the Deep" and "Someone Like You", Adele became the first living artist to achieve the feat of two top five hits in both the UK Official Singles Chart and the Official Albums Chart simultaneously since the Beatles in 1964.[14][15] With her third release from the album, "Set Fire to the Rain", becoming her third number one single in the US, Adele became the first artist in history to lead the Billboard 200 concurrently with three Billboard Hot 100 number ones.[16] Adele is also the first female artist to have three singles in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time, and the first female artist to have two albums in the top five of the Billboard 200 and two singles in the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously.[17] 21 is the longest running number one album by a female solo artist on the UK Albums Chart[18] and is the longest running number one album by a female in Billboard history.[19] In 2011, Billboard named Adele artist of the year.[20] In 2012, Adele was listed at number five on VH1′s 100 Greatest Women In Music,[21] and American magazine Time named Adele one of the most influential people in the world.[22]

Life and career

1988–2006: Early life

Adele Laurie Blue Adkins was born in Tottenham, north London, England, to a single teenage mother named Penny Adkins on 5 May 1988. Adkins's father Mark Evans[23] split from Adkins' mother when Adkins was 3 years old, for which Adkins had not forgiven him as of 2012.[24][25][26] She began singing at age four and asserts that she became obsessed with voices.[27][28] 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."[29] Adele impersonated the Spice Girls at dinner parties as a young girl.[30] To make her look like singer Gabrielle, her mother made an eye patch with sequins, which Adele said was embarrassing.[31] At the age of nine, Adkins and her mother, a furniture-maker and adult learning activities organiser,[32] relocated to Brighton.[33] At the age of 11, Adkins and her mother moved to Brixton,[33] and then to neighbouring district West Norwood, in South London.[34] West Norwood is the subject for Adele's first record, "Hometown Glory", written when she was 16.[35] After moving to South London, she became interested in R&B artists such as Aaliyah, Destiny's Child and Mary J. Blige.[36]

Adkins says that one of the most defining moments in her life was when she watched Pink perform at Brixton Academy. "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."[37][38] Adkins graduated from the BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology in Croydon in May 2006,[39][40] where she was a classmate of Leona Lewis and Jessie J.[2][41] Adkins credits the school with nurturing her talent.[42] In school, she was more interested in going into A&R and hoped to launch other people's careers.[2] Although she moved away from North London aged nine, Adkins remains an ardent fan of her hometown Premier League football club Tottenham Hotspur.[43]

2006–08: Career beginnings

Adele performing in Kilburn, London in 2007

Four months after graduation, Adkins published two songs on the fourth issue of the online arts publication PlatformsMagazine.com.[44] She had recorded a three-song demo for a class project and gave it to a friend[2] who posted it on Myspace where it became very successful and led to a phone call from music label XL Recordings.[41] She doubted if the offer was real because the only record company she knew was Virgin Records, and she took a friend with her to the meeting.[41][45]

Nick Huggett at XL recommended Adkins to manager Jonathan Dickins at September Management and in June 2006 Dickins became her official representative and she was billed with the name 'Adele'.[46] September was managing Jamie T at the time and this proved a major attraction for Adele who was a big fan of the British singer-songwriter. Huggett then signed Adele to XL in September 2006.[46] Adele provided vocals for Jack Peñate's song, "My Yvonne", from his debut album.[47] Adele's breakthrough song, "Hometown Glory", was released in October 2007.[46] Adele supported Will Young at the 2007 MENCAP Little Noise Sessions, a charity concert at London's Union Chapel and during this session she first met producer Jim Abbiss, who would go on to produce the majority of her debut album "19", and tracks on follow-up "21". In 2008 she was the headliner and performed a stripped down acoustic set and was supported by Damien Rice.[48][49] She became the first recipient of the BRIT Awards Critics' Choice and was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2008 in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2008.[50][51]

2008–10: 19 and commercial success

Adele performing at Paradiso in 2008.

19, named for her age at the time she started recording it, entered the British charts at number one. The Times Encyclopedia of Modern Music named 19 an "essential" blue-eyed soul recording.[52] She released her second single "Chasing Pavements" on 14 January 2008, two weeks ahead of her debut album, 19. The song reached number two on the UK Chart, and stayed there for four weeks.[53] Adele was nominated for a 2008 Mercury Prize award for 19.[54] She also won an Urban Music Award for "Best Jazz Act".[55] She also received a Q Awards nomination in the category of Breakthrough Act[56] and a Music of Black Origin nomination in the category of Best UK Female.[57] In March 2008, Adele signed a deal with Columbia Records and XL Recordings for her foray into the US.[58] She embarked on a short North American tour in the same month.[58] In June 2008, Billboard magazine stated; "Adele truly has potential to become among the most respected and inspiring international artists of her generation."[59] 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 magazine in June 2009, "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, OK, I'll just cancel my stuff then... I can't believe I did that... It seems so ungrateful". In November 2008 Adele moved to Notting Hill after leaving her mother's house, a move that prompted her to give up drinking.[60] 19 was released in the US in June,[42][61] but by the middle of October 2008, it appeared that Adele's attempt to break into America had failed.[62][63] Then, she was the musical guest on the 18 October 2008 episode of Saturday Night Live. The episode included an expected appearance by then US vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. The program earned its best ratings in 14 years with 17 million viewers. Adele performed "Chasing Pavements" and "Cold Shoulder",[64] 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.[65] The album reached number 11 on the Billboard 200 as a result, a jump of 35 places over the previous week.[66] The album was certified as gold in February 2009 by the Recording Industry Association of America.[67] By July 2009, the album had sold 2.2 million copies worldwide.[68]

Adele performing live in 2009.

In July 2008, Adele paid £8,000 for a commissioned painting by Stella Vine in a charity auction in aid of Keep a Child Alive, a charity which helps African children and their families living with HIV/AIDS. Adele said she planned to ask Vine to paint a portrait of "my mum and me".[69] At the 51st Grammy Awards in 2009, Adele won awards in the categories of Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.[5][70] She was also nominated in the categories of Record of the Year and Song of the Year.[71] In 2009, Adele was also nominated for three Brit Awards in the categories of Best British Female, Best British Single and Best British Breakthrough Act.[72] 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."[73] On 17 September 2009, Adele performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, for the VH1 "Divas" event, a concert to raise money for the Save The Music Foundation charity.[74][75] On 6 December, Adele opened with a 40-minute set at John Mayer's 2nd Annual Holiday Charity Revue held at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California.[76]

In 2010, Adele received a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Hometown Glory".[77] 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 (Our Star for Oslo), in which the German entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 was determined.[78][79] In late September, after being featured on The X Factor, Adele's version of Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love" re-entered the UK singles chart at number 4.[80] During the 2010 CMT Artists of the Year special, Adele performed a widely publicised duet of Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now" with Darius Rucker.[81] This performance was later nominated for a CMT Music Award.[82]

2010–present: 21, touring, and vocal haemorrhage

Adele released her second studio album, 21, on 24 January 2011 in the UK and 22 February in the US.[8][83] She said that the album was inspired by the breakup with her former partner.[24] The album's sound is described as classic and contemporary roots and country music. The change in sound from her first album was the result of her bus driver playing contemporary Nashville music when she was touring the American South. Adele told Spin Magazine "It was really exciting for me because I never grew up around [that music]."[7] The title choice reflects the growth she has experienced in the last two years.[83] 21 hit number 1 in more than 26 countries, including the UK and the US.[84][85][86] An emotional performance of "Someone Like You" at the 2011 BRIT Awards on 15 February propelled the song to number one in the UK.[87][88] Her first album, 19, re-entered the UK album chart alongside 21, while first and second singles "Rolling in the Deep" 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.[89][90] Both songs topped the charts in multiple markets and broke numerous sales performances records. In May 2011, Adele caused some minor controversy with critical statements about high taxes.[91] 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.[92] 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,[93][94] with Adele becoming the first artist ever to sell three million albums in the UK in one calendar year.[95][96] "Set Fire to the Rain" 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.[16]

Adele performing in Seattle, Washington, on 12 August 2011

To promote the album, Adele embarked upon Adele Live tour, which sold out its North American leg.[97] 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 in order to avoid permanent damage to her voice.[98] The singer underwent laser microsurgery at Massachusetts General Hospital during the first week of November.[99][100] A recording of her tour, 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.[101] 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"), and number one music video.[102] At the 2011 American Music Awards on 20 November, Adele won three awards; Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist, Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist, and Favorite Pop/Rock Album for 21.[103] 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 female ever to top all three categories.[20][104]

Following throat microsurgery in November, Adele made her live comeback at the 2012 Grammy Awards in February.[105] She won in all six categories in which it was shown, making her the second female artist after Beyoncé Knowles in Grammy Awards history to win six categories in a single night.[106] Following her Grammy success, 21 achieved the biggest weekly sales increase following a Grammy win since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking data in 1991.[107][108] 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.[108] The album spent its 23rd week at number one in March 2012, making it the longest-running album at number one since 1985[12] and 21 became the fourth best-selling album of the past 10 years in the United States.[109]

In December 2011, Adele announced that she will be taking a break before beginning work on her third album.[110] Early in 2012, rumours circulated that she would take an extended leave of absence from music. These were rooted in an interview she did with Vogue magazine where she described being tired of personal issues and considering "taking four or five years" to produce her next record.[111] Responding to these rumours, Adele reported on her website on 14 February that she would return to the studio within a week of performing at the 2012 Brit Awards.[112] She received the Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist, and British Album of the Year.[113][114] Following the Brit Awards, 21 reached number 1 for the 21st non-consecutive week on the UK Album Chart.[115] The album has sold over 4 million copies in the UK where it is the sixth best-selling album of all time.[116]

On 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, and 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.[17] Adele topped the 2012 Sunday Times Rich List of musicians in the UK under 30[117] and made the Top 10 of Billboard magazine's "Top 40 Money Makers".[118] Billboard also announced the same day that Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" is the biggest crossover hit of the past 25 years, topping rock, pop, AC, R&B/hip-hop, dance and Latin 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).[119] 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.[120] On 3 April, Adele confirmed that she would release a new single in 2012, possibly included on the soundtrack for the upcoming James Bond film Skyfall.[121] She added that her third album would likely be at least 2 years away, saying, "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 her own material.[121]

Artistry and impact

Adele's voice is categorised as contralto.[122] Initially, critics suggested that her vocals were more developed and intriguing than her songwriting, a sentiment with which Adele agreed.[123] Adele's first album is of the soul genre, with lyrics describing heartbreak and relationship.[42] Her success occurred simultaneously with several other British female soul singers, with the British press dubbing her a new Amy Winehouse.[2] This was described as a third British Musical Invasion of the US.[41] However, Adele called the comparisons between her and other female soul singers lazy, noting "we're a gender, not a genre".[42][62][124] By the beginning of 2009, listeners and critics started to describe Adele as unique. AllMusic wrote that "Adele is simply too magical to compare her to anyone."[35] American singer Beyoncé Knowles cited Adele as one of the influences for her fourth album, 4.[125] Madonna expressed a desire to collaborate with Adele, commenting; "I think she’s brilliant, I love her".[126] J. J. Burnel of The Stranglers is also a fan, stating; "She had me riveted... Of course she's huge and normally that would turn me off because it's too commercial. But I was seriously impressed".[127] Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters and Nirvana has repeatedly praised Adele in interviews.[128][129] 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.[130] In February 2012, Adele was listed at number five on VH1′s 100 Greatest Women In Music.[21] In April 2012, American magazine Time named Adele one of the 100 most influential people in the world.[22][131] People named her one of 2012 Most Beautiful at Every Age.