Adele facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Adele MBE
Adele in 2021
Born	Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (1988-05-05) 5 May 1988 (age 37) London, England
Alma mater	BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology
Occupation	Singer-songwriter
Years active	2006–present
Works	Discography songs recorded
Spouse(s)	Simon Konecki ​ ​ (m. 2018; div. 2021)​
Partner(s)	Rich Paul (2021–present; engaged)
Children	1
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	Pop soul blues jazz
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Labels	XL Columbia Melted Stone
Signature

Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (born 5 May 1988), known simply as Adele, is a famous English singer and songwriter. She is known for her powerful voice and emotional songs. Adele is considered a British icon.

She has won many awards, including 16 Grammy Awards, 12 Brit Awards, an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award.

After finishing school at the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a music deal with XL Recordings. Her first album, 19, came out in 2008. It featured popular songs like "Chasing Pavements" and "Make You Feel My Love". 19 became one of the best-selling first albums ever in the UK. She also won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist.

Adele released her second album, 21, in 2011. It became the best-selling album of the 21st century worldwide. 21 set records in the US, staying at number one on the Billboard 200 chart for 24 weeks. Songs like "Rolling in the Deep", "Someone like You", and "Set Fire to the Rain" became huge hits. This album won a record-tying six Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. In 2012, Adele sang "Skyfall" for the James Bond film Skyfall, which won her an Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Adele's third album, 25, was released in 2015. It broke sales records in its first week in the UK and US. In the US, it was the only album to sell over three million copies in one week. 25 won five Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. The main song, "Hello", was a massive success globally. Her fourth album, 30, came out in 2021. It includes "Easy on Me", which won a Grammy Award in 2023. Both 25 and 30 were the best-selling albums worldwide in 2015 and 2021.

Adele is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with over 120 million records sold. She is the best-selling female artist of the 21st century in the UK. Her albums 21 and 25 were the top two best-selling albums of the 2010s in the UK. Both are also among the best-selling albums in UK chart history. In the US, both albums have been certified Diamond, meaning they sold over 10 million copies each.

Early life and education

Adele Laurie Blue Adkins was born on 5 May 1988 in Tottenham, London. Her mother, Penny Adkins, raised her after her father left when Adele was two. She started singing at age four and loved listening to different voices.

In 1997, when Adele was nine, she and her mother moved to Brighton. In 1999, they moved back to London, first to Brixton, then to West Norwood. This area inspired her first song, "Hometown Glory". She often played guitar and sang to friends in Brockwell Park, which she remembered in her 2015 song "Million Years Ago".

Adele graduated from the BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology in 2006. She was classmates with Leona Lewis and Jessie J. Adele says the school helped her develop her talent.

Career

2006–2010: How Adele Started and 19

Adele performing on an acoustic guitar in Kilburn, London, in 2007

After graduating, Adele shared two songs online. A friend posted a three-song demo she made for a class project on Myspace. It became very popular and led to a call from Richard Russell, head of XL Recordings. Adele wasn't sure if the offer was real, so she brought a friend to the meeting.

In June 2006, Jonathan Dickins became her manager. XL Recordings signed Adele in September 2006. She sang on Jack Peñate's song "My Yvonne". During this time, she met producer Jim Abbiss, who would work on her first two albums. In June 2007, Adele first appeared on TV, singing "Daydreamer" on Later... with Jools Holland. Her breakthrough song, "Hometown Glory", which she wrote at 16, came out in October 2007.

By 2008, Adele was a headliner. She won the Brit Awards Critics' Choice award. The BBC also named her the top new artist to watch in 2008. Her second single, "Chasing Pavements", was released in January 2008 and reached number two in the UK. Her debut album, 19, named after her age, went straight to number one in the UK.

In March 2008, Adele signed a deal for the US. She went on a short North American tour. Billboard magazine said she had the potential to become one of the most respected artists of her generation. Her world tour, An Evening with Adele, started in May 2008.

Adele performing live in January 2009

She later canceled some US tour dates to be with her boyfriend. She also doesn't like flying and gets homesick away from London. In October 2008, Adele's album wasn't doing well in America. But then she performed on Saturday Night Live. The show had many viewers, and the next day, 19 topped the iTunes charts. It jumped 35 places on the Billboard 200 chart to number 11.

In February 2009, Adele won Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Chasing Pavements" at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards. She performed "Chasing Pavements" with Jennifer Nettles. In 2010, her song "My Same" became popular in Germany. Her version of Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love" re-entered the UK charts after being featured on The X Factor.

2011–2014: Global Success with 21

Adele performing in Seattle, Washington, on 12 August 2011

Adele released her second album, 21, in January 2011 in the UK and February in the US. She said the album was inspired by a breakup. The album's sound was influenced by country and roots music she heard while touring the American South. 21 topped the charts in 30 countries.

Adele's emotional performance of "Someone like You" at the 31st Brit Awards in February made the song a number one hit in the UK. Her first album, 19, also re-entered the charts. This made Adele the first living artist since the Beatles in 1964 to have two top-five hits on both the singles and albums charts at the same time. Both "Rolling in the Deep" and "Someone Like You" became huge hits worldwide.

By December 2011, 21 had sold over 3.4 million copies in the UK. It became the best-selling album of the 21st century there. "Set Fire to the Rain" became Adele's third number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100. 21 also spent the most weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 chart for a female artist.

To promote the album, Adele went on the "Adele Live" tour. In October 2011, she had to cancel some tours due to vocal cord problems. She needed rest to avoid permanent damage to her voice. In November 2011, she had surgery on her vocal cords. A recording of her tour, Live at the Royal Albert Hall, was released in November 2011. It became the best-selling music DVD of 2011.

Adele at the 2013 Golden Globe Awards

After her surgery, Adele returned to perform at the 2012 Grammy Awards in February. She won all six awards she was nominated for, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year. She also won British Female Solo Artist and British Album of the Year at the 32nd Brit Awards.

By the end of 2014, she had sold an estimated 40 million albums and 50 million singles worldwide. 21 was the best-selling album worldwide in both 2011 and 2012.

In October 2012, Adele confirmed she had written the theme song for Skyfall, the twenty-third James Bond film. The song "Skyfall" was written with producer Paul Epworth. Adele said recording it was "one of the proudest moments of my life." "Skyfall" sold over five million copies worldwide. It won Adele the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

In December 2012, Billboard named Adele Artist of the Year for the second year in a row. At the 2013 Grammy Awards, her live version of "Set Fire to the Rain" won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance.

In April 2012, Adele said her third album would likely be at least two years away. She wanted to "take time and live a little bit." In January 2014, Adele won her tenth Grammy Award for "Skyfall" as Best Song Written for Visual Media.

2015–2017: 25

In May 2014, Adele hinted on Twitter that her next album would be called 25. On 27 August 2015, Billboard reported that her label planned to release her third album in November 2015.

Adele singing in St. Paul, Minnesota during her first North American tour in five years in July 2016.

On 18 October, a 30-second clip of new music from Adele was shown on UK television. Three days later, Adele confirmed the album's title was 25. She said it was a "make-up record" about "making up for lost time." On 22 October, Adele announced 25 would be released on 20 November, and the first single, "Hello", on 23 October.

The music video for "Hello" was viewed over 27.7 million times on YouTube in its first 24 hours, breaking a record. It became the fastest video to reach one billion views. "Hello" debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart with 330,000 copies sold in its first week. It also debuted at number one in many other countries, including the US, where it sold over one million downloads in a week.

On 27 November, 25 debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart. It became the fastest-selling album in UK chart history, selling over 800,000 copies in its first week. In the US, it sold a record-breaking 3.38 million copies in its first week. 25 was the best-selling album worldwide of 2015, with 17.4 million copies sold.

In November 2015, Adele announced her 2016 tour, her first since 2011. It included dates in Europe and North America. She broke Taylor Swift's record for most sold-out shows at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Adele on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury in 2016.

At the 36th Brit Awards in February, Adele won British Female Solo Artist, British Album of the Year for 25, British Single of the Year for "Hello", and British Global Success. She performed "When We Were Young". In 2016, "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" and "Water Under the Bridge" were also released as singles from 25.

Adele headlined the Pyramid Stage at the 2016 Glastonbury Festival in June. She performed a 90-minute set for 150,000 people. She said it was "by far, the best moment of my life so far."

Adele performing at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide, Australia, March 2017

In February and March 2017, Adele performed in Australia for the first time. Her shows in New Zealand sold out very quickly. She sold over 600,000 tickets for her Australian tour, setting stadium records. Her Sydney show on 10 March had 95,000 people, the biggest single concert in Australian history.

Adele finished her world tour with two concerts at Wembley Stadium, London, on 28 and 29 June. She had to cancel the last two dates of the tour due to vocal cord damage. Fans gathered outside Wembley Stadium to sing her songs in support.

At the end of 2016, Billboard named Adele Artist of the Year for the third time. Her Carpool Karaoke video with James Corden was the biggest YouTube viral video of 2016. At the 59th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2017, Adele won all five of her nominations, bringing her total to fifteen. She won Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for 25, and Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for "Hello".

2018–present: 30 and Las Vegas shows

Adele began working on her fourth album around 2018. On her 31st birthday in May 2019, she hinted on Instagram that a new album was coming. In February 2020, she said her fourth album would be out by September 2020, but it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Adele hosted Saturday Night Live in October 2020, her first TV appearance in almost four years.

On 1 October 2021, billboards with the number "30" appeared worldwide, suggesting Adele was releasing a new album called 30. This was soon confirmed. On 5 October 2021, Adele announced her single "Easy on Me" would be released on 15 October. The album was set for 19 November 2021. "Easy on Me" broke streaming records and debuted at number one in the UK and US.

30 was released on 19 November 2021 and became a global success, reaching number one in 24 countries. In the UK, it was the best-selling album of 2021. In the US, it was Adele's third number-one album in a row and the year's best-seller. 30 was the best-selling album worldwide of 2021.

Adele performing during her Weekends with Adele, February 2023

On 30 November 2021, Adele announced a Las Vegas residency called Weekends with Adele. It was set to run from January to April 2022. However, it was postponed due to "delivery delays" and the COVID-19 pandemic. In February 2022, 30 won British Album of the Year at the 42nd Brit Awards.

The Las Vegas residency was rescheduled to run from November 2022 to March 2023. It received great reviews. In September, Adele won a Primetime Emmy Award for her TV special Adele One Night Only. She extended her Las Vegas shows multiple times, with the final shows wrapping up in June 2024.

In August 2024, Adele announced a series of "one-off" shows in Munich, Germany, due to high demand. On 16 July 2024, Adele said she would be taking a break from music after her residency, with no plans for a new album yet.

Artistry

Influences and favourite musicians

Adele credits the Spice Girls as a major influence on her love of music.

Adele says the Spice Girls were a big reason she loved music, stating "they made me what I am today." As a child, she would pretend to be them. She was sad when Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice) left the group. Lauryn Hill is also a major influence. Adele called Hill's album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill her favorite.

Growing up, she also listened to Sinéad O'Connor, the Cranberries, Bob Marley, the Cure, Dusty Springfield, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion, Jeff Buckley, and Annie Lennox. Gabrielle was an early influence.

After moving to south London, she became interested in R&B artists like Aaliyah, Destiny's Child, Mary J. Blige, and Alicia Keys. Adele says a key moment was seeing Pink perform live. She felt Pink's voice was incredible.

In her teens, Adele would listen to Etta James while developing and practicing her singing abilities.

In 2002, 14-year-old Adele discovered Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald in a music store. She started listening to Etta James every night, which helped her find her own voice. She credits Amy Winehouse and her 2003 album Frank with inspiring her to play guitar.

She also admires Lana Del Rey, Grimes, Chvrches, FKA Twigs, Alabama Shakes, Kanye West, Rihanna, Britney Spears, Frank Ocean, Queen, and Stevie Nicks. In 2017, she called Beyoncé "[the] artist of my life." Adele said Madonna's 1998 album Ray of Light was a "chief inspiration" for her album 25. She was also inspired by Kate Bush's return to the stage in 2014.

Musical style

Adele's first album, 19, is a soul album with songs about heartbreak. Her success came at the same time as other British female soul singers. However, Adele said comparing them was "lazy," noting "we're a gender, not a genre."

Her second album, 21, has folk and soul influences. It was also inspired by American country and Southern blues music. The album explores heartbreak and forgiveness. Adele called 21 a "break-up record" and 25 a "make-up record." 25 is about looking back at lost time and feeling nostalgic.

Voice

Adele is a mezzo-soprano singer. Her voice can reach very high and low notes. Classic FM says her voice becomes clearest on higher notes. Rolling Stone reported that after her throat surgery, her voice became "palpably bigger and purer-toned."

Adele's singing has received much praise. Critics have called her voice "stunning" and "bewitching." The New York Times praised her emotional voice, comparing her to Dusty Springfield and Annie Lennox. Paste magazine called her voice "a raspy, aged-beyond-its-years thing of full-blooded beauty." She has been called "the finest singer of [her] generation" and a "vocal goddess."

Personal life

In 2011, Adele started a relationship with Simon Konecki. Their son was born in 2012. Adele said becoming a parent made her feel "truly living" and gave her "a purpose." Adele and Konecki took legal action against a photo agency that published private pictures of their son.

Adele has spoken about facing some personal challenges like anxiety. In 2018, she married Simon Konecki, but they separated the same year. Their divorce was finalized in March 2021. In 2021, Adele began a relationship with American sports agent Rich Paul. She announced their engagement in August 2024.

Adele supports the LGBT community. In June 2016, she dedicated a show to the victims of a mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. She said the LGBTQ community are "like my soul mates."

In April 2018, it was reported that Adele became an ordained minister to officiate her friend Alan Carr's wedding. She later confirmed this, saying the wedding took place in her Los Angeles home.

Politics

Adele supports the Labour Party in the UK. In 2011, she said she was a "Labour girl through and through."

Wealth

Adele has been listed among the richest young musicians in the UK. In 2015, she said she turned down many endorsement offers because she preferred not to do them. She has earned a lot from her music sales.

Adele owns several properties. In 2012, she bought a villa in Portslade, which she later sold. She also bought two houses in Kensington with the idea of combining them. She bought a home for her mother in West London. She has also purchased several mansions in Beverly Hills, California.

Philanthropy

Adele has performed in many charity concerts. In 2007 and 2008, she performed at the Little Noise Sessions to raise money for Mencap, a charity for people with learning disabilities. In 2008, she performed at the Keep a Child Alive Black Ball. In 2009, she performed for the Save The Music Foundation charity. In 2011, Adele gave a free concert for Pride London. She also took part in the UK charity telethon Comic Relief for Red Nose Day 2011.

Adele has given a lot to MusiCares, a charity for musicians in need. She has donated signed items for auctions to support MusiCares. For her Adele Live tour, she asked all backstage visitors to donate to SANDS, a UK charity that supports families affected by baby loss.

On 15 June 2017, Adele visited the site of the Grenfell Tower fire in London to show support for the victims. She later brought cakes to firefighters. At her Wembley show, she encouraged fans to donate to help the fire victims.

Legacy

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer called Adele the "Queen of Soul" for her early success. Vogue and Vanity Fair called her the "Queen of Hearts." In 2014, Adele was seen as a British cultural icon, alongside figures like William Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth II.

Adele was frequently credited in the 2010s for reviving the lagging sales of the music industry in the streaming era.

The New Yorker called her "the most popular living soul singer in the world." Jillian Mapes of Vulture noted Adele's success as a plus-size female icon. Time journalist Sam Lansky described her as "a voice for every generation."

Billboard said Adele helped revive the music industry in 2011 with 21. They described her as a talented singer and songwriter with a down-to-earth personality. Junkee and Consequence of Sound credited her with bringing back "relatable pop" music. Rolling Stone writers said she has written more modern pop hits than anyone else in her generation.

Rolling Stone ranked Adele 22nd on their 2023 list of 200 Greatest Singers of All Time. The Times named her the 2nd best singer of the 21st century. Consequence ranked her 34th, calling her voice "athletic and authentic." In 2019, Insider Inc. said her unique style helped change pop music. Adele has influenced many artists, including Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Sam Smith, and Lizzo.

Accolades and achievements

Adele at Wembley Stadium in June 2017. Adele's concert on 28 June had 98,000 attendees, a stadium record for a UK music event.

Adele has sold over 170 million records worldwide as of 2022, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists.

At the 51st Annual Grammy Awards in 2009, Adele won Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Her debut album 19 earned her three Brit Awards nominations. Then British Prime Minister Gordon Brown sent Adele a thank-you letter, calling her "a light at the end of the tunnel" during financial troubles.

Adele's second album, 21, won her a record-tying six Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. It also won two Brit Awards, including British Album of the Year. Adele is the second artist and first female to win all four of the main Grammy Awards categories. 21 holds many Guinness World Records. It spent 21 non-consecutive weeks at number one in the US, breaking the record for the longest number-one album by a female artist. It is the second-best-selling album in the UK of all time.

In May 2011, "Team Adele" was ranked number one on The Guardian's "Music Power 100" list. In February 2012, Adele was listed among VH1's 100 Greatest Women in Music. In April 2012, Time magazine named Adele one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

In 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. She was also 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.

At the 2012 Ivor Novello Awards, Adele was named Songwriter of the Year. In 2013, Adele won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Skyfall". This was the first James Bond song to win an Oscar.

In June 2013, Adele was appointed a MBE by the Queen for her services to music. She received the award from Prince Charles in December 2013.

Released in 2015, Adele's third album, 25, became the year's best-selling album and broke first-week sales records. 25 was her second album to be certified diamond in the US. It won her five Grammy Awards, including her second Album of the Year award, and four Brit Awards. Adele became the only artist to win the three main Grammy categories in the same ceremony twice. Her seven weeks at number one on the UK Albums Chart meant she had spent a total of 31 weeks at number one with her three albums, beating Madonna's record for a female artist. The lead single, "Hello", was the first song in the US to sell over one million digital copies in a week.

In April 2016, she appeared for the second time on the Time 100 list of the world's most influential people. Adele was inducted into the Royal Albert Hall's Walk of Fame in 2018. Her albums 21 and 25 were the top two best-selling albums of the 2010s in the UK.

In 2021, Adele was named the UK's best-selling female album artist of the 21st century. In May 2022, Time magazine named her among the 100 most influential people in the world for the third time. As Adele has won Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar Awards, she is only a Tony Award away from achieving EGOT status.

Discography

• 19 (2008)
• 21 (2011)
• 25 (2015)
• 30 (2021)

Filmography

Concert tours and residencies

Headlining concerts

• An Evening with Adele (2008–2009)
• Adele Live (2011)
• Adele Live 2016 (2016–2017)

Residencies

• Weekends with Adele (2022–2024)
• Adele in Munich (2024)

See Also

In Spanish: Adele para niños

• List of best-selling music artists – Artists with sales of over 120 million records worldwide
• List of British Grammy winners and nominees
• List of Billboard Social 50 number-one artists
• List of artists who reached number one in the United States
• List of most-streamed artists on Spotify