Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Adele
Discover the career path of Adele, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins is a highly acclaimed English singer-songwriter, considered a British icon. She's renowned for her powerful mezzo-soprano voice and emotionally resonant songwriting. Throughout her career, Adele has received numerous prestigious awards, including multiple Grammy Awards, Brit Awards, an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award, solidifying her status as one of the most successful and celebrated artists of her generation.
1964: Achievement Since The Beatles
In February 2011, Adele became the first living artist since The Beatles in 1964 to simultaneously have two top-five hits in both the Official Singles Chart and the Official Albums Chart.
June 2006: Management by Jonathan Dickins
In June 2006, Adele was recommended to manager Jonathan Dickins at September Management, becoming her official representative. This proved significant as September was managing Jamie T, a favorite of Adele's.
September 2006: Signing with XL Recordings
In September 2006, Adele signed a record deal with XL Recordings after being recommended by Nick Huggett.
2006: Signing with XL Recordings
In 2006, after graduating from the BRIT School, Adele signed a record deal with XL Recordings, marking the beginning of her professional music career.
2006: Featured Vocalist on 'Be Divine'
In 2006, at age 17, Adele was featured as a vocalist on the single "Be Divine" by Ricsta, released under Stirfried Trax label. It marked Adele's first release under her name.
June 2007: Television Debut on Later... with Jools Holland
In June 2007, Adele made her television debut, performing "Daydreamer" on BBC's Later... with Jools Holland.
October 2007: Release of "Hometown Glory"
In October 2007, Adele's solo debut, "Hometown Glory", written when she was 16, was released on Jamie T's label Pacemaker Recordings with only 500 records pressed.
January 2008: Critics' Choice Award and Sound of 2008
In January 2008, Adele became the first recipient of the Brit Awards Critics' Choice and was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2008 in the BBC's Sound of 2008 poll. She also released her second single, "Chasing Pavements", which reached number two on the UK Chart.
March 2008: US Deal and North American Tour
In March 2008, Adele signed a deal with Columbia Records and XL Recordings for her foray into the United States and embarked on a short North American tour.
May 2008: An Evening with Adele World Tour Begins
In May 2008, Adele's 'An Evening with Adele' world tour began, marking a significant step in her international career.
October 2008: Saturday Night Live Appearance
In October 2008, Adele appeared as the musical guest on NBC's Saturday Night Live, which featured an appearance by Sarah Palin and earned the program its best ratings in 14 years. Adele performed "Chasing Pavements" and "Cold Shoulder".
2008: Release of Debut Album '19'
In 2008, Adele released her debut album, 19, which featured hit singles like "Chasing Pavements" and "Make You Feel My Love". The album became one of the best-selling debut albums ever in the UK.
February 2009: Grammy Awards Wins
In February 2009, Adele won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Chasing Pavements" at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards.
June 2009: End of An Evening with Adele World Tour
In June 2009, Adele's 'An Evening with Adele' world tour came to an end, marking the culmination of her international performances.
July 2009: Album Sales Reach 2.2 Million
By July 2009, Adele's album 19 had sold 2.2 million copies worldwide, marking a significant milestone in her career.
2010: Continued Recognition and Performances
In 2010, Adele received a Grammy nomination for "Hometown Glory", and her song "My Same" entered the German Singles Chart. She also performed a duet of Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now" with Darius Rucker at the CMT Artists of the Year special.
January 2011: Release of Album '21' in the UK
On January 24, 2011, Adele released her second studio album, 21, in the UK, inspired by a breakup and featuring a sound influenced by classic and contemporary country and roots music.
October 2011: Vocal Cord Hemorrhage and Tour Cancellations
In October 2011, Adele was forced to cancel two tours due to a vocal-cord hemorrhage, requiring her to take an extended period of rest.
November 2011: Vocal Cord Surgery and Release of Live at the Royal Albert Hall
In November 2011, Adele underwent laser microsurgery on her vocal cords. Also in November 2011, the recording of her tour, Live at the Royal Albert Hall, was released, debuting at number one in the US.
December 2011: Record-Breaking Album Sales
By December 2011, Adele's album 21 had sold over 3.4 million copies in the UK, becoming the biggest-selling album of the 21st century and making Adele the first artist to sell three million albums in the UK in one calendar year. "Set Fire to the Rain" became her third number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100.
2011: Release of Album '21'
In 2011, Adele released her second studio album, 21, which became the best-selling album of the 21st century. It topped the Billboard 200 for 24 weeks and featured hit singles like "Rolling in the Deep", "Someone like You", and "Set Fire to the Rain".
2011: Best-selling album of the year
In 2011, Adele's album 21 was the best-selling album worldwide. The album sold over 4.5 million copies in the UK.
2011: Last Tour Before 2016
In November 2015, Adele's 2016 tour was announced, marking her first tour since 2011.
April 2012: Third Album Announcement
On 3 April 2012, Adele confirmed that her third album would likely be at least two years away, as she wanted to take time to live and gather experiences for her music.
October 2012: Release and Chart Performance of "Skyfall"
In October 2012, Adele confirmed writing and recording "Skyfall" for the James Bond film. The song quickly rose to number 2 on the UK Singles Chart and entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 8.
December 2012: Billboard Accolades
In December 2012, Adele was named Billboard Artist of the Year, and her album '21' was named Album of the Year, making her the first artist to receive both accolades two years in a row. She was also named top female artist by Billboard.
2012: Grammy Awards and Album Success
In 2012, Adele made her live comeback at the Grammy Awards and won in all six categories she was nominated for, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year. Following her Grammy success, her album '21' experienced a significant increase in sales. The album was also the best-selling album worldwide for both 2011 and 2012.
2012: Release of "Skyfall" and Academy Award Win
In 2012, Adele released "Skyfall", the soundtrack single for the James Bond film Skyfall. The song won her the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
September 2013: Collaboration with Wiz Khalifa
In September 2013, Wiz Khalifa confirmed that he and Adele had collaborated on a song for his album Blacc Hollywood, although the collaboration did not make the final track listing.
2013: Third Album in Early Stages
At the 2013 Grammy Awards, Adele confirmed that she was in the early stages of working on her third album and would likely collaborate with Paul Epworth again.
2013: Grammy Award for "Set Fire to the Rain"
At the 2013 Grammy Awards, Adele won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance for her live version of "Set Fire to the Rain", bringing her total Grammy wins to nine.
January 2014: Grammy Award for "Skyfall"
In January 2014, Adele received her tenth Grammy Award with "Skyfall" winning Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.
May 2014: Cryptic Message About New Album
In May 2014, on the eve of her 26th birthday, Adele posted a cryptic message on Twitter, "Bye bye 25... See you again later in the year," leading to speculation about her next album being titled "25" and released later that year.
October 2014: Album Release Ruled Out for 2014
In October 2014, XL Recordings ruled out a 2014 release for Adele's upcoming album in accounts filed with Companies House, dispelling earlier rumors.
2014: Album and Single Sales
By the end of 2014, Adele had sold an estimated 40 million albums and 50 million singles worldwide, marking a significant milestone in her career.
August 2015: Rumors of Third Album Release in November
In August 2015, Billboard reported that Adele's label, XL Recordings, planned to release her third studio album in November 2015, with contributions from Danger Mouse, Tobias Jesso Jr., and Ryan Tedder.
September 2015: Sia Announces Co-written Song
In early September 2015, at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival, Sia announced that her new single "Alive" was co-written by Adele and originally intended for Adele's third album.
November 2015: Planned Release of Third Album
In August 2015, Billboard reported that Adele's label, XL Recordings, planned to release her third studio album in November 2015.
November 2015: Announcement of 2016 Tour
In November 2015, Adele's 2016 tour, her first since 2011, was announced, including dates in Europe and North America.
2015: Reflection on Brockwell Park
In 2015, Adele recalled spending much of her youth in Brockwell Park, playing guitar and singing to friends, inspiring her song "Million Years Ago".
2015: Release of "Hello" and Record-Breaking Success
In 2015, Adele released "Hello" on 22 October, which broke YouTube records with over 27.7 million views in its first 24 hours. It became the fastest video to reach one billion views and debuted at number one in multiple countries, including the UK and the US.
2015: Release and Success of "25"
In 2015, Adele released her album "25", which debuted at number one in the UK and US, breaking sales records in both countries. It became the best-selling album of the year worldwide.
2015: Release of album '25'
In 2015, Adele's third studio album, 25, broke first-week sales records in both the UK and US, becoming the first album to sell over three million copies in a week in the US. It earned her five Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year.
2015: Possible Album Release
In early August 2014, Paul Moss suggested that Adele's new album would be released in 2014 or 2015.
January 2016: Carpool Karaoke with James Corden
In January 2016, Adele's Carpool Karaoke segment on The Late Late Show with James Corden became the biggest YouTube viral video of the year with 235 million views.
March 2016: Adele Live 2016: Manchester Arena Dates
In March 2016, Adele Live 2016 included four dates at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, UK.
2016: Album Sales Milestone
As of 2016, Adele's album "21" had sold over 31 million copies worldwide, solidifying its status as one of the best-selling albums of all time.
2016: Brit Awards, Single Releases, and Glastonbury Performance
In 2016, Adele received four Brit Awards and performed "When We Were Young" at the ceremony. She also released two more singles from her album '25' and headlined the Glastonbury Festival, describing it as the best moment of her life.
February 2017: Grammy Wins and George Michael Tribute
In February 2017, at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, Adele won all five of her nominations, bringing her total to fifteen. She also performed a tribute to George Michael.
March 2017: Australian Tour and Stadium Records
In March 2017, Adele performed in Australia for the first time as part of her world tour. She set stadium records throughout the country, with her Sydney show on 10 March drawing 95,000 people, becoming the biggest single concert in Australian history.
July 2017: Switched performance rights management
On 31 July 2017, Adele switched performance rights management in the US from BMI to SESAC.
2021: Release of album '30'
In 2021, Adele released her fourth studio album, 30, which became a best-selling album worldwide. The album contains the song "Easy on Me".
2023: Grammy Award for "Easy on Me"
In 2023, Adele won a Grammy Award for the song "Easy on Me", which is part of her album 30.
2024: Continued success of Adele's albums
As of 2024, all of Adele's studio albums, with the exception of 19, have topped the yearly best-selling albums chart worldwide in the 21st century, showcasing her enduring popularity and impact.
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