Adele

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Adele
BornAdele Laurie Blue Adkins
5/5/1988
BirthplaceTottenham, London, England
NationalityBritish
OccupationSinger-songwriter
Spouse(s)Simon Konecki(m. 2018
 div. 2021)
Children1
Awards16 Grammy Awards, 12 Brit Awards, 1 Academy Award, 1 Golden Globe Award
Websiteadele.com

Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (born 5 May 1988), known professionally as Adele, is a British singer-songwriter whose voice and emotionally direct pop and soul records have made her one of the best-selling recording artists of her generation. Born in Tottenham, north London, she was raised largely by her mother and showed an early talent for singing. Her debut album, 19, was released in 2008 and introduced her as a striking new voice in British soul, drawing comparisons to Dusty Springfield and Etta James. Her subsequent career brought record-breaking sales, critical acclaim, and a series of deeply personal albums, each named after her age when she wrote it: 21, 25, and 30. Her records have sold tens of millions of copies worldwide,[1] and her tours have sold out arenas and venues across multiple continents. She has collected 16 Grammy Awards, an Academy Award for Best Original Song, and a Golden Globe Award, among many other honours, placing her among the most decorated musicians of the twenty-first century.

Early life

Adele Laurie Blue Adkins was born on 5 May 1988 in Tottenham, a district in the London Borough of Haringey in north London. Her mother, Penny Adkins, was eighteen when Adele was born and raised her largely as a single parent after Adele's father, Marc Evans, left the family when Adele was around two or three years old.[2] When Adele was nine, her mother moved the family to Brixton in south London, and later to West Norwood, both in the London Borough of Lambeth.

Music was everywhere in her childhood. Her mother's eclectic record collection shaped her tastes from the start. She grew up listening to Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald, Roberta Flack, and the Spice Girls, the last of whom she has credited with sparking her desire to perform.[3] Musical theatre captivated her as well. She has spoken about being drawn to the cast recordings of Grease and Chicago as a child.

Education

She attended Chestnut Grove Academy in Balham for secondary school. At fourteen, she was accepted into the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon, a state-funded arts school that has also produced Amy Winehouse, Leona Lewis, and Jessie J.[4] The school exposed her to genres and styles she had not previously encountered, including soul, jazz, and acoustic folk, and gave her the space to develop her songwriting alongside her vocal abilities. She graduated in 2006.

Career

Beginnings and 19 (2006–2009)

Shortly after leaving the BRIT School, Adele uploaded a three-track demo to Myspace at the encouragement of a friend. XL Recordings, a London-based independent label, noticed the demo and signed her in 2006.[5] Her debut single was "Hometown Glory", written when she was sixteen, inspired by her attachment to West Norwood. She recorded it in roughly ten minutes. It was released first in October 2007 on Jamie T's Pacemaker label before XL gave it a wider release.

19 came out in January 2008 in the United Kingdom and June 2008 in the United States. It reached number one on the UK Albums Chart and produced the singles "Chasing Pavements" and "Cold Shoulder".[6] "Chasing Pavements" received Grammy nominations for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best New Artist, and she won the latter at the 51st Grammy Awards in February 2009.[7] That was her international breakthrough.

21 and global recognition (2010–2012)

Her second album, 21, was released in January 2011 and became one of the best-selling albums of the twenty-first century. Written after a painful breakup, the record draws on American country, soul, and rhythm and blues. It produced several major singles: "Rolling in the Deep", "Someone Like You", and "Set Fire to the Rain", each reaching number one in multiple countries.[8]

The album spent twenty-four weeks at number one on the Billboard 200, a record at that time for a female artist.[9] That record attracted significant attention in the years that followed, with other artists employing multi-variant release strategies in an effort to accumulate the chart weeks needed to surpass it. Billboard has since revised its rules regarding the counting of digital album variants toward chart positions, changes widely discussed in music industry coverage as a direct response to such strategies.[10] At the 54th Grammy Awards in February 2012, she won six Grammys in a single night, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year.[11] The RIAA has certified 21 as Diamond in the United States, reflecting sales and streams equivalent to ten million units.

Skyfall, 25, and continued success (2012–2017)

Late 2012 brought "Skyfall", the theme song for the James Bond film of the same name, directed by Sam Mendes. The song debuted at number two on the UK Singles Chart and became a worldwide hit. At the 85th Academy Awards in February 2013, it won Best Original Song, making Adele only the second artist to win an Oscar for a Bond theme.[12] It also won Best Original Song at the 70th Golden Globe Awards.

A quieter period followed. She underwent throat surgery to repair a vocal cord haemorrhage and gave birth to her son. She returned in November 2015 with her third studio album, 25. The lead single, "Hello", became the first song to sell over one million downloads in the United Kingdom within a single week.[13] 25 sold 3.38 million copies in the United States in its first week, the largest sales week for an album in American history at that time. It won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album at the 59th Grammy Awards in 2017. The accompanying world tour sold out arenas across the United Kingdom and internationally, and a concert film, Adele Live in New York City, documented part of the run.

30 and Las Vegas residency (2021–present)

Her fourth studio album, 30, was released in November 2021. Written in the aftermath of her divorce from Simon Konecki, the record explores self-examination, regret, and personal growth. She has described it as her most personal work.[14] The lead single, "Easy On Me", broke the record for most-streamed song in a single day on Spotify at the time of its release in October 2021, accumulating over 24 million streams in its first twenty-four hours.[15] 30 debuted at number one in numerous countries and became the fastest-selling album of 2021 in both the United Kingdom and the United States.

In 2022, she announced a Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace called Weekends with Adele. A much-publicised postponement preceded the launch, which finally took place in November 2022. The residency ran into 2024, sold out completely, and received strong critical notices.[16] As of 2025, she has indicated plans to record new music, with reports noting she intends to return to the studio following the conclusion of her residency commitments.[17]

Personal life

In October 2012, Adele gave birth to her son, Angelo James Konecki. His father is Simon Konecki, a charity entrepreneur and co-founder of Life Water. She and Konecki married in a private ceremony in 2018, though this was not publicly confirmed until 2021. They announced their separation in April 2019. The divorce became final in March 2021.[18]

She has been candid about her experience with anxiety, particularly around live performance. Stage fright and panic attacks before shows have affected her career at various points, and she has spoken openly about seeking therapy to address these challenges. She has also discussed changes to her health and lifestyle in the years leading up to the release of 30.

Around 2021, she began a relationship with Rich Paul, a prominent American sports agent and founder of Klutch Sports Group, who represents several high-profile NBA athletes. The relationship has been widely reported as ongoing.[19]

She is fiercely proud of her British identity and splits her time between the United Kingdom and Los Angeles, California. Audiences know her for her wit and directness in interviews and on stage, qualities that have contributed to her broad popular appeal.

Recognition

Adele has won numerous major awards across her career. Her 16 Grammy Awards place her among the most recognised artists in Recording Academy history. She has won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year three times, for 21, 25, and 30, a record she shares with Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, and Paul Simon.[20] Her 12 Brit Awards include multiple wins for British Album of the Year and British Female Solo Artist. She won the Academy Award for

  1. ↑ PetridisAlexisAlexis"How Adele changed pop music".The Guardian.2021-10-28.https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/oct/28/how-adele-changed-pop-music.Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  2. ↑ VenaJocelynJocelyn"Adele Opens Up About Her Absent Father".MTV News.2012-02-13.https://www.mtv.com/news/adele-opens-up-about-her-absent-father/.Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  3. ↑ JuzwiakRichRich"Adele: The Rolling Stone Interview".Rolling Stone.2011-11-04.https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/adele-rolling-stone-interview/.Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  4. ↑ LynskeyDorianDorian"Adele: the BRIT School's greatest success story".The Guardian.2011-10-22.https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/oct/22/adele-brit-school-success.Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  5. ↑ YoungsIanIan"Adele: The Next Big Thing?".BBC Music.2008-01-18.https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/articles/adele-the-next-big-thing.Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  6. ↑ PetridisAlexisAlexis"Adele: 19 review".The Guardian.2008-01-18.https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/jan/18/popandrock.shopping3.Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  7. ↑ Associated Press,"Grammy Awards 2009: Complete list of winners".Associated Press.2009-02-08.https://apnews.com/article/grammy-awards-2009.Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  8. ↑ CaramanicaJonJon"Her Voice Aches With What She Has Lost".The New York Times.2011-01-19.https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/20/arts/music/20adele.html.Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  9. ↑ GreinPaulPaul"Adele's '21' sets record on Billboard 200".Billboard.2012-01-05.https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/adeles-21-sets-record-on-billboard-200/.Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  10. ↑ LegaspiAltheaAlthea"Billboard Changes Album Chart Rules Amid Variant Controversy".Rolling Stone.2023-05-17.https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/billboard-album-chart-rules-changes-variants-1234728444/.Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  11. ↑ MartensToddTodd"Grammy Awards 2012: Adele wins six Grammys".Los Angeles Times.2012-02-12.https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2012-feb-12-la-et-grammy-awards-20120213-story.html.Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  12. ↑ Reuters,"Adele wins Oscar for Skyfall".Reuters.2013-02-24.https://www.reuters.com/article/us-oscars-adele.Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  13. ↑ SherwinAdamAdam"Adele's 'Hello' breaks streaming records in UK".The Independent.2015-10-26.https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/adele-hello-streaming-record-uk-a6709791.html.Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  14. ↑ PowersAnnAnn"Review: Adele's '30' is the sound of an artist reckoning with herself".NPR.2021-11-19.https://www.npr.org/2021/11/19/1057053647/adele-30-album-review.Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  15. ↑ WangAmy X.Amy X."Adele's 'Easy On Me' breaks Spotify single-day streaming record".Rolling Stone.2021-10-15.https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/adele-easy-on-me-spotify-streaming-record/.Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  16. ↑ LewisRandyRandy"Review: Adele's Vegas residency is exactly what it needed to be".Los Angeles Times.2022-11-19.https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2022-11-19/adele-weekends-with-adele-las-vegas-review.Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  17. ↑ "Adele to record new music".Music-News.com.2025-01-15.https://www.music-news.com/news/UK/188362/Adele-to-record-new-music.Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  18. ↑ "Adele and Simon Konecki's divorce finalised".BBC News.2021-03-19.https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-56461028.Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  19. ↑ "Adele and Rich Paul: Everything we know".Hello! Magazine.2021-07-01.https://www.hellomagazine.com/tags/adele/.Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  20. ↑ WillmanChrisChris"Adele wins third Album of the Year Grammy, tying all-time record".Variety.2023-02-05.https://variety.com/2023/music/news/adele-grammy-album-of-the-year-record/.Retrieved 2024-06-01.
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