Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (born May 5, 1988, in Tottenham, London), known professionally as Adele, is a British singer and songwriter. She was the first recipient of the “Critics’ Choice” award at the BRIT Awards and was named “Sound of 2008” by the BBC poll Sound of 2008. At the 2009 Grammy Awards, Adele won the awards for “Best New Artist” and “Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.”
Adele signed with XL Recordings after attracting the label’s attention with three demo songs she had posted on MySpace. Since the release of her debut album, 19, Adele has achieved both commercial success and critical acclaim. The album was a major hit, debuting at number one and earning four-times platinum certification in the United Kingdom. Her career in the United States took off after she appeared on an episode of Saturday Night Live in late 2008, which drew record-breaking viewership.
Adele released her second album, 21, on January 24, 2011, in the UK and February 22, 2011, in the US. The album was an all-around success, selling 208,000 copies in its first week in the UK and debuting at number one on the UK Albums Chart, where it stayed for 16 consecutive weeks. In the UK, 21 was certified eight-times platinum after selling over 2.4 million copies. The album also debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 in the US, with around 352,000 copies sold in its first week. 21 topped the charts in 17 European countries as well as in the United States.
After performing at the 2011 BRIT Awards, the song “Someone Like You” reached number one in the UK, where it remained for four consecutive weeks. According to the Official Charts Company, Adele became the first living artist since The Beatles in 1964 to simultaneously hold the number one spot on both the UK Singles Chart and the UK Albums Chart. 21 spent 11 weeks at number one in the UK, the longest run by a female solo artist in British chart history, surpassing Madonna’s nine-week record in 1990 with The Immaculate Collection. In the United States, the album remained at number one on the Billboard 200 for nine weeks. It also broke records as the most downloaded digital album in history at the time.
As of May 2011, Adele’s estimated fortune was £6 million, placing her in ninth position—alongside Lily Allen and Duffy—on the list of the richest British female singers under the age of 30.
