Everything you need to know about Adele

One of British pop music’s greatest successes, Adele, has become a global superstar thanks to a combination of an incredible voice, self-penned sensitive material, and an identifiable common touch.

Where is Adele from?

Adele Laurie Blue Adkins was born on 5th May 1988 in Tottenham, north London. She was brought up by her mother, Penny Adkins, after her father, Marc Evans, left when she was two-years-old. They settled for while in Brighton before moving back to London. After living in Brixton, south London, they moved to neighbouring West Norwood.

Does Adele have siblings?

Adele has one half brother, Cameron.

How was Adele discovered?

A classmate of Leona Lewis and Jessie J, Adele graduated from the BRITs School for Performing Arts & Technology in 2006. A three-song demo of her songs was posted on MySpace, which soon came to the attention of XL Recordings boss, Richard Russell.

Signed to XL Recordings in 2006, Adele provided backing vocals on Jack Peñate's ‘My Yvonne’, which appeared on his debut, ‘Matinée’, as well as supporting him on tour. Her profile began to steadily rise, and an appearance on TV show ‘Later… With Jools Holland’ alongside Paul McCartney and Björk helped propel her to a wider audience.

Her breakthrough single, ‘Hometown Glory’, was released on October 2007. In early 2008, Adele became the first recipient of the BRIT Awards Critics’ Choice.

GALLERY: See who else has won the BRIT Awards Critics' Choice:

What was Adele's first success?

Adele’s debut album, ‘19’, named after the age she was when it was recorded, entered the UK album charts at Number 1 in 2008. Its lead single, ‘Chasing Pavements’, peaked at Number 2 in the UK singles charts. It also made a significant impact in the US when it stopped one place shy of the Top 20.

Adele was nominated for Best British Female, Best British Single and Best British Breakthrough Act at the 2009 BRIT Awards. Despite going home empty-handed, she fared better at the 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards where she scooped the gongs for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for ‘Chasing Rainbows’.

What was Adele’s second album called?

Adele’s second album, ‘21’, was released in 2011 and its lead single, ‘Rolling In The Deep’, a glorious and joyous fusion of gospel and pop music, went to Number 1 in the US. The follow-up single, the heartfelt ballad ‘Someone Like You’, became a worldwide sensation when it hit pole position in the UK and US, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland. Japan wasn’t too keen, though, and the single limped to 43.

WATCH: The music video for 'Someone Like You':

With global sales of over 31 million copies, ‘21’ is the biggest-selling album of the 21st century – no mean feat in an era of streaming and illegal downloading. It’s the fourth best-selling UK album of all time, resting behind Queen’s ‘Greatest Hits’, ABBA’s ‘Gold: Greatest Hits’ and ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ by The Beatles. And seeing as the first two albums in the list are compilations, that makes ‘21’ the second best-selling album of original material in the UK. Blimey!

Has Adele had health scares?

The success of ‘21’was brought down a notch when a haemorrhage to Adele’s vocal chords forced her to cancel her tour. Thankfully, the surgery was a success.

Did Adele perform the theme to Skyfall?

Yes, not only did Adele perform the theme to Skyfall – the 23rd James Bond movie – she also co-wrote it with producer Paul Epworth. Recorded at the iconic Abbey Road Studios in London, the standalone single stormed the charts the world over. It also became the first Bond theme to win at the Golden Globes, the BRIT Awards and the Academy Awards. Oh, and it also nabbed a GRAMMY Award.

WATCH: The lyric video for 'Skyfall':

Did Adele win an Oscar?

She did! Adele won an Oscar for 'Best Song' for 'Skyfall', alongside co-writer Paul Epworth. Adele won the Oscar in 2013 and looked incredible on the red carpet!

What was Adele’s third album?

Adele’s third album was ‘25’ - did you see what she did there? It was released in November 2015 and became the highest-selling album in UK history when 800,000 copies flew off the shelves during its first week of release. It has since gone on to sell over 20 million copies worldwide.

In 2016, her achievements were recognised when she picked up the BRIT Awards for British Female Solo Artist, British Album of the Year, British Single of the Year for ‘Hello’, and British Global Success.

Is Adele recording a new album?

Adele is set to released a new album in 2020, her manager has confirmed. While no exact date has been penned in, her manager did say "the sooner the better" and we couldn't agree more. If you're expecting the new album to follow the same pattern of her previous age titled albums then you're in for a surprise. Adele told James Cordon that she "believes in trilogies" and that '25' would be the last album named after her age at the time of writing. According to the star herself, she'll likely just name the new album 'Adele'.

Will Adele tour again?

The last Adele tour ran worldwide between 2016 and 2017 and fans lucky enough to see Adele in concert praised it as one of the best live shows in the world. However, if you're looking for an Adele tour in 2020 or 2021 then you might be out of luck. In February 2020, Adele liquidised the touring branch of her business which has previously made her millions of pounds. Only time will tell as to whether Adele will tour again.

Is Adele married?

Adele married her partner Simon Konecki in a private ceremony in 2017. They had been dating since 2011. The wedding was confirmed when Adele told an audience in Australia, “We’re married now”.

Adele and Simon announced their separation in April 2019 and later divorced in September 2019.

Who is Adele dating?

Adele is pretty private when it comes to her personal life so no-one knows who Adele is currently dating, although strong rumours circulated that Adele and Skepta were dating and that Skepta had officially become Adele's boyfriend. Seemingly, we'll have to see if she sings about him on her next album as to whether the rumours are true or not.

You can hear Adele's songs on Magic.

Does Adele have kids?

Adele gave birth to her son, Angelo, on 19th October 19 2012 with ex-husband Simon Konecki. Adele has never shared a photograph of her son online and appears to heavily protect her son from the press.

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