Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (born 5 May 1988 in Enfield, North London), known professionally as Adele (pronounced /ʌˈdɛl/), is an English indie singer-songwriter. Adele has described her musical style as "heartbroken soul." She is the first recipient of the BRIT Awards Critics' Choice, which was given to artists who, at the time, had yet to release an album.
Adele debuted at number one with her Mercury Prize-nominated debut album 19 on the UK album chart; the album has since been certified platinum with sales of more than 500,000 copies in the UK and over 1,200,000 worldwide. After the album peaked at #54 on the Billboard 200 chart on 8 July, 2008 (and #36 on the magazine's "Top Heatseekers" chart) Adele performed before more than 17 million television viewers on Saturday Night Live, leading to a very strong showing on a couple of notable download charts, and leading the album to leap from #46 to #11 on the official chart.
In 2009, Adele won two Grammy Awards, Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the single "Chasing Pavements". The week after the Grammy Awards aired, the album rose to a new peak of #10 on the Billboard 200 with sales of 61,000 copies while her single "Chasing Pavements" hit a new peak at #21 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Adele began singing at age 4, when she became obsessed with voices, an obsession that is ongoing. Adele impersonated the Spice Girls at dinner parties. As a preteen she sang Destiny's Child songs at her mostly black school. To make her look like the singer, her mother made an eye patch with sequins, which she said was embarrassing. Adele went through a phase where she wore Slipknot clothing and a studded dog collar. Adele then claimed she was influenced by the music of Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald in her teens by accident, as she stumbled on the artists' CDs on a local HMV store while looking for a new hairstyle. She only got to listen to those songs for the first time as she was clearing her room. She graduated from BRIT School in Croydon in May 2006, which was the same performing arts school attended by Amy Winehouse, Katie Melua, Leona Lewis, Imogen Heap and Kate Nash. Adele credits the school with nurturing her talent. A month later, she published two songs on the fourth issue of the online arts publication PlatformsMagazine.com. Since then Adele has played in small UK gigs, and has toured with best friend Jack Peñate, as well as Jamie T, Raul Midon, Devendra Banhart, Amos Lee, Keren Ann and the band Exist. Adele went on her first UK headlining tour in October 2007.
Adele wrote her first record Hometown Glory when she was 16 years old. In the song she sings the praises of Tottenham. The song was released on 22 October 2007 as a limited edition 7" vinyl on Jamie T's label Pacemaker Recordings, with "Best for Last" as its B-side. Since launching her MySpace page on Christmas Eve 2004, Adele became popular on the site which she used as a media focus and test point for songs. She then signed to independent music label XL Recordings, which in January 2008 released her second single Chasing Pavements.
During her teenage years she recorded a demo and gave it to her friend, Lyndon. He eventually put it on MySpace and it became very successful there. Adele got a record deal through MySpace. When she got a phone call, she could not believe it was real because the only record company she knew was Virgin Records. When a friend told her that it was a real record company, she signed.
She then signed to independent music label, XL Recordings. In January 2008, Adele released her second single, "Chasing Pavements", hitting #2 for four weeks in the UK Chart and remaining in the Top 40 14 weeks after release.
On 4 February, 2008 the album entered the British charts at number 1. Also by that week the single from the album Chasing Pavements had spent a third week at the number 2 position and another single from Hometown Glory had entered the charts at the number 32 position.
On 19 March Adele signed a United States deal which involved a joint venture between Columbia Records and XL Recordings.
On 20 June, the album was released in the United States.
As of 4 December, 2008 the video for "Chasing Pavements" was the most played video on the United States Basic Cable channel VH1 for that year. Adele made her United States television debut on The Today Show. In addition to the Saturday Night Live appearance discussed below in 2008 she appeared on American television programs The Late Show with David Letterman, The View, CBS Early Show, CBS News Sunday Morning, Late Night with Conan O'Brien,Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and The Ellen Degeneres Show.
Her song Hometown Glory has been widely featured on United Kingdom and United States television shows including Skins, Grey's Anatomy, So You Think You Can Dance and Secret Diary of a Call Girl
The album was certified as Gold for February 2009 by the Recording Industry Association of America
Adele started touring by playing in small UK gigs, opening for best friend Jack Peñate, as well as Jamie T, Raul Midón, Amos Lee and Devendra Banhart.
Adele went on her first UK headlining tour in October 2007.
In March 2008 Adele embarked on a short North American tour. The following month she played the Coachella Festival
On 16 June, 2008, Adele performed an exclusive set for Billboard Magazine. The set can be viewed here.
Adele canceled planned 2008 concerts in the United States, Japan, and Germany citing "problems at home". In September, she played New York's Webster Hall and made several television and radio appearances in that city.
On 6 December 2008, in continuing support of her album, Adele opened with a 40-minute performance for John Mayer at his 2nd Annual Holiday Charity Revue. The Revue was held at the Nokia Theatre, L.A. Live in Los Angeles, California.
Adele performed a Christmas show at The Roundhouse in London. She opened with Hometown Glory and then sang Cold Shoulder. She followed with acoustic versions of Daydreamer and Best for Last then proceeded with Etta James’s Fool That I Am before closing with Chasing Pavements. She performed for the 2009 edition of Jools Holland's New Years Eve Show.
Late in 2008 Adele embarked what according to her website was a 11 city United States tour. As of 17 December four of the shows had sold out. She received "gushing adulation" in Boston.
Adele was scheduled to perform at a Neil Diamond tribute concert to be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center on 6 February, 2009.
Adele launched a 15 city North American tour that started 9 March, 2009. Highlights include a 5 May birthday concert at New York's Roseland Ballroom and a 28 June Hollywood Bowl concert where she will co-headline with Etta James. The Hollywood Bowl gig will conclude the tour. All dates have sold out.
At the 51st Grammy Awards held on 8 February, 2009 Adele won awards in the categories of Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance Adele was also nominated for Grammy Awards in the categories of Record of the Year and Song of the Year. While winning a Grammy Award would be important to Adele she feels that Grammys should not be awarded to musicians that have released only one album. Adele said "I cannot see how this album life span could get any better and I do not feel like it needs to be. I'm already over the moon and blown away with people's response to it". Later in her blog clarifying what she claims is a misinterpretation by the BBC she wrote "of course I want to win one !!" and "to win a grammy you must give a performance of your life. And I find it hard to think of my album like that! I cannot be like 'yeah I so deserve it', that would make me sound like a p***k!". Adele has noticed that that British press have found the remarks ungrateful while Americans tend to think they were gracious. As of 11 March the Grammy's Awards had not been delivered to Adele. As per English tradition Adele plans to store the Awards on a cabinet or shelf in her bathroom.
On 10 December, 2007 Adele was awarded with the first Brit Awards Critics' Choice Award and was nominated for a 2008 Mercury Prize award for 19. She also won an Urban Music Award for "Best Jazz Act". Her video for "Chasing Pavements" received an MTV Video Awards nomination in the category of Best Choreography as well as a 2008 Q Awards nomination in the category of Breakthrough Act and Music of Black Origin nomination in the category of Best UK Female. In early 2008 Adele topped in a poll of music critics Adele topped BBC's new music talent list, which was compiled from the votes of 150 music critics.
Adele was nominated for three 2009 Brit Awards in the categories of Best British female,Best British single, and Best British breakthrough act.
She also received praises from Paul Rees, editor of Q magazine, who said it was "refreshing to hear something different" after a thousand years of "identikit bands who want to sound like The Libertines". Her music was described by the Richmond Times Dispatch music critic as "a perfect backdrop to a lazy afternoon in the coffee shop".
The Times Encyclopedia of Modern Music would name 19 an "essential" Blue Eyed Soul recording.
Adele cherishes the praise she has received from Kanye West and Beyoncé.
Adele agrees with critics that have suggested that her vocals are more developed and intriguing than her songwriting.
As of November 2008 Adele had just moved to Notting Hill after leaving her mother's house, a move that prompted her to give up drinking. According to the singer her heavy drinking “was clouding my judgment and making me make all the wrong decisions in my personal life. You want a beer to relax after a show then that turns into nine". Adele claims she has never used drugs and vows never to do so in the future.
Adele claims to be a UK dress size 14-16. She was quoted as saying "I'm really mouthy about not having the Hollywood look. Everyone asks me 'Why do you not feel pressured to get the Hollywood look?' and I'm like, "Because I do not." "I mean, I quite like my eyes and my lips. I do not like my double chin or my gut, but I do not not like them enough to do something about it".
Adele has said she is fearful that her personal life may hurt her future music plans.
In July 2008, Adele paid £8,000 in a charity auction in aid of Keep a Child Alive for a commissioned painting by Stella Vine. Adele said she planned to ask Vine to paint a portrait of "my mum and me". The money raised helps children and their families with HIV/AIDS in Africa.
Chasing Pavements
Make You Feel My Love
'Cold Shoulder'
Hometown Glory
Daydreamer
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