Singer Adele, the famous Grammy-Award-winning artist has blessed the world of music with her soulful voice and some magnetic soundscapes like ‘Someone Like You’, ‘Rolling in the Deep’, and ‘Hello’. Undoubtedly she is one of the most popular singers of her generation.
But not many are aware of who she is and her other life details. Let’s start from the beginning.
Who is Adele?
Adele is a famous English singer and songwriter who claimed the attention of the world and achieved fame for her most distinctive voice presented her the tag of being the best-selling artist of her time. She has won a total of 15 Grammys and also an Oscar. Her first two albums named 19 and 21 had earned her critical acclamation to a level that she quickly achieved commercial success amongst her musical peers. Adele became a mother in 2012 and hit back to the charts in 2015 with her song ‘Hello’, the single that came from her comeback album titled 25. In 2017, she bagged awards for the record and the song of the year, including 5 Grammys.
Early Life
Born on May 5, 1988, in England, Adele Laurie Blue Adkins aka Adele is the only child of Penny Adkins who gave birth to her at the age of 18, and a Welsh father named Mark Evans, who had left the family when Adele Laurie Blue Adkins was just four years old. Over the years Adele grew closer to her mother who encouraged her to explore the world and pursue her passion, and not to stick with just one thing. It was only until her teen years, that Evans, her father was in touch with her.
Early on in life, she had developed a strong passion for music and enjoyed singing contemporary pop music. She drew a lot of influence and inspiration from the songs of Lauryn Hill, Destiny’s Child, and Mary. J. Blige. But Adele’s true life-turning moment came when she turned 15 and stumbled upon a collection of Ella Fitzgerald and Etta James records. During her early teenage, she had considered her career in music and her string flair of music-making soon captivated the attention of the record labels after finishing her graduation, she signed a deal with XL Recordings. She quickly built anticipation in Britain with her live performances and dropped her first album titled 19 in the year 2008 which debuted at the Number 1 spot on the British Album Chart.
Adele received much praise and appreciation for her soulful and unique vocal style. Her second album 21 comprised of two powerful hit singles named ‘Someone Like You’ and ‘Rolling in the Deep’, both of which topped the charts across multiple markets and broke several sales records. Adele also received the Academy Awards for her track ‘Skyfall’ which she had written and composed for a James Bond movie. She had an incredible and outspoken personality that made her even more popular amongst the fans.
Back in an interview in 2008, Adele stated in an interview with The Telegraph that there was no musical heritage in her family, and chart music was all she had ever known. So, when she listened to them, to the Ellas and the Ettas, it sounded cheesy but was sort of an awakening. And, she was like oh, right, some people have the proper longevity and are legends. Adele was highly inspired as a 15-year-old while listening to their music that had been crafted during the 40s.
Music Career
Adele’s debut albums 19 and 21 had already rocketed her name to fame. The record was released in the United States through Columbia Records which helped her reach out to British music fans. In 2008 she made an appearance on Saturday Night Live and after the show’s wrap-up, the album secured its rank at Number 40 on iTunes and in less than 24 hours, it achieved the Number 1 spot. The album 21 which was released in 2011 was another major hit that tapped into Adele’s jazz and R&B influence and quickly became an incredible hit with the selling of 352000 copies within the first week itself.
In February 2011, Adele found herself with two Top 5 singles and also a pair of Top 5 albums that made her the only artist besides 50 Cent and the Beatles to achieve that position. The album 21 stayed for 11 weeks with which Adele broke the record for being the only solo female artist to have achieved that, which was previously held by Madonna’s Immaculate Collection.
In 2015, she announced the launch of her third album 25, and termed it the Make-up record, as she wanted to make up for all the time that she had lost in between. The album is a collection of many emotional and sensitive songs that speak about falling in and out of relationships and just like the rest, the record son became an international hit reaching the No. 1 spot on iTunes across 110 countries.
Adele’s Top Compositions
While there are a lot of soundtracks that have hit the Billboard Hot 100, a few of her absolute best include:
- Chasing Pavements (2009)
- Someone Like You (2011)
- Rolling in the Deep (2011)
- Set Fire to the Rain (2012)
- Skyfall (2012)
- Rumors Has It (2012)
- Hello (2015)
- When We Were Young (2016)
- Send My Love (To Your New Lover) (2016)
Adele’s Awards & Grammy’s
Adele had been nominated for a total of 18 Grammys and has achieved a total of 5 Grammys in 2009, 2012, and 2017. She has also bagged a songwriting Oscar for the track ‘Skyfall’.
Moreover, at the 2009 Grammys Awards, Adele had taken home the award for Best New Artist, and in addition to that, the iconic singer achieved the title for being the Sound of 2008 by the BBC. In that very same year, Adele earned the Critics’ Choice Prize at the BRIT Awards.
In 2012, she bagged the Grammys and took home 6 wins including the Album of the Year. In 2013, Adele won her 7th Grammy for the best pop solo performance and in that same year, she won the Golden Globe and also the Academy Award for ‘Skyfall’.
In 2017, she swept the award shows with 5 wins for her incredible work in the album 25 and was also presented with the song and the record of the year, the Best Pop Vocal Album, and the Best Pop Solo Performance.