Adele

Adele

Adele performing in Glasgow in 2016
Born
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins[1]

(1988-05-05) 5 May 1988 (age 35)
Alma materBRIT School
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Years active2006–present
Spouse(s)
Simon Konecki
(m. 2016; separated 2019)
Children1
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • drums
  • bass
  • piano
Labels
Websiteadele.com

Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (born 5 May 1988) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and multi-instrumentalist. In 2023, she appeared at number 22 on the Rolling Stone magazine's "200 best singers of all time" list.[3]

Early life

Adele Laurie Blue Adkins was born on 5 May 1988, at North Middlesex University Hospital in Edmonton, London. She is the daughter of a Welshman named Mark Evans and Penny Adkins. She has a half-brother called Cameron. She lived with her father and she started singing from the age of four,[4] She graduated from The BRIT School in Croydon in May 2006.

In July 2006, Adele published two songs in the fourth issue of online arts magazine PlatformsMagazine.com.[5] After graduation, Adele began to play small shows at venues all over Britain. She has also toured with best friend Jack Peñate, as well as Jamie T, Raul Midon, Devendra Banhart, Amos Lee and Keren Ann since summer 2006. Adele went on her first UK headlining tour in October 2007.

Singing career

Adele's first single released was "Hometown Glory". On it, she sings about Tottenham. The single was released on 22 October 2007 on Jamie T's label Pacemaker Recordings. It is a limited edition 7" vinyl with B-side "Best for Last". She has since signed to independent music label XL Recordings. In January 2008, she released her second single "Chasing Pavements".

Adele has become quite popular on MySpace. She is following the example of fellow Londoner Lily Allen by using the web as a mediafocus and a place to see what people think of her songs. Adele performed Daydreamer on BBC2's Later With Jools Holland, alongside Paul McCartney and Björk. She was next on BBC1's Friday Night with Jonathan Ross on 7 December 2007, singing Chasing Pavements.

On 10 December 2007, Adele was awarded with the first BRIT Awards Critics’ Choice prize.[6][7] She has been called the "new Amy Winehouse." In January 2008, she was voted winner in the annual BBC 6 Music poll of industry experts Sound of 2008, for acts to emerge in the coming year.[8]

In 2011 Adele released her second album, 21, named after her age at the time it was made. It was number one in more than 26 countries. It became the biggest selling album of the 21st century.

Her third studio album, 25, was released on 20 November 2015 and debuted at number one all around the world. The music video for the lead single "Hello", which also debuted at number one in many countries, broke the record for the shortest amount of time for a YouTube video to reach one billion views. The song was also certified 4× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America faster than any other song in history. To date, it has been certified 7× Platinum by the RIAA.

Adele returned to music in October 2021 and announced her fourth album, 30 and the single "Easy on Me", which was released on 15 October 2021, and was her first single after five years. The album was released on 19 November 2021.

In 2022, she announced that she will sing the theme song for the upcoming Nick Jr. series Destiny's Side which premiered on December 1, 2022.

Personal life

She has a son, Angelo, with her then-boyfriend, Simon Konecki, born in October 19, 2012.[9] In 2013 she won an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and the Brit Award for Best British Single for the title track for the James Bond movie Skyfall. The song also won the award for Best Song for Visual Media at the Grammy Awards.[10]

On December 19, 2013, Adele was given an MBE by the Prince of Wales.[11]

In 2017, Adele confirmed that she is married to Konecki. In April 2019, it was reported that the two ended their marriage.[12]

Discography

Albums

Singles

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are awarded each year by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry. Some think they are the highest music honor.[13]

As of February 13, 2017, Adele has received 15 Grammy Awards from 18 nominations. In 2012, Adele became the second female artist to win six awards in one night, after Beyoncé did in 2010. Adele is only the second artist (following Christopher Cross) to have won all four of the General Field ("Big Four") awards at the Grammys.

Year Nominated work Award Result Ref.
2009 Adele Best New Artist Won [14]
"Chasing Pavements" Record of the Year Nominated
Song of the Year Nominated
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance Won [14]
2010 "Hometown Glory" Nominated
2012 21 Album of the Year Won [15]
Best Pop Vocal Album Won
"Rolling in the Deep" Record of the Year Won
Song of the Year Won
Best Short Form Music Video Won
"Someone Like You" Best Pop Solo Performance Won
2013 "Set Fire to the Rain" (Live) Won [16]
2014 "Skyfall" Best Song Written for Visual Media Won
2017 25 Album of the Year Won [17]
Best Pop Vocal Album Won
"Hello" Record of the Year Won
Song of the Year Won
Best Pop Solo Performance Won
2023 30 Album of the Year Nominated
Best Pop Vocal Album Nominated
"Easy on Me" Record of the Year Nominated
Song of the Year Nominated
Best Pop Solo Performance Won
Best Music Video Nominated
Adele One Night Only Best Music Film Nominated

References

  1. Frehsée, Nicole (22 January 2009). "Meet Adele, the U.K.'s Newest Soul Star" (PDF). Rolling Stone. No. 1070. p. 26. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  2. Cairns, Dan (1 February 2009). "Blue-eyed soul: Encyclopedia of Modern Music". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 16 June 2011.
  3. "The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2023-01-01. Retrieved 2023-01-12.
  4. Sanderson, Caroline (2012-03-13). Someone Like Adele. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-992-5.
  5. "Platforms Magazine – Issue 4".
  6. "Brits.co.uk".[permanent dead link]
  7. "Home Page – The TLS". TheTLS.
  8. "Soul singers top new talent list". BBC 6 Music. 4 January 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
  9. "Adele's Baby Boy: Singer Welcomes Son With Simon Konecki". 21 October 2012 – via Huff Post.
  10. Agencies (7 December 2013). "Grammy nominations 2014: David Bowie among Robin Thicke and Jay-Z" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  11. "Singer Adele awarded MBE at Palace". BBC News. 19 December 2013.
  12. Bailey, Alyssa (2019-04-23). "Why Adele and Simon Konecki Ended Their Seven-Year Relationship". ELLE. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
  13. O'Neill, Thomas (1999). The Grammys: The Ultimate Unofficial Guide to Music's Highest Honor. Perigee Trade.
  14. 14.0 14.1 "Adele nominated for six Grammys". BBC News. BBC. 1 December 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  15. "Grammy glory for returning Adele". BBC News. BBC. 13 February 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  16. "List of winners at the 55th annual Grammy Awards". USA Today. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  17. "Past Winners Search | GRAMMY.com". GRAMMY.com. The Recording Academy. Retrieved 13 February 2017.

Other websites