Adele's Success and Achievements in Timeline
A success timeline featuring the most significant achievements of Adele.
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins is a highly acclaimed English singer-songwriter, widely regarded as a British icon. Known for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and emotionally resonant songwriting, she has achieved significant critical and commercial success. Her numerous awards include 16 Grammy Awards, 12 Brit Awards, an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award, solidifying her status as one of the most successful and influential artists of her generation.
1985: 21 Becomes Longest-Running Album Since 1985
In March 2012, Adele's album '21' surpassed all albums since 1985 by spending its 23rd week at number one.
1991: "21" achieved biggest weekly sales increase since Nielsen SoundScan tracking data began.
In 2012, following Adele's Grammy wins, her album "21" achieved the biggest weekly sales increase since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking data in 1991.
October 2008: Appearance on Saturday Night Live
On October 18, 2008, Adele appeared as the musical guest on NBC's Saturday Night Live, boosting her album sales significantly.
2008: Debut Album "19" Release
In 2008, Adele released her debut album, "19", which featured the hit singles "Chasing Pavements" and "Make You Feel My Love". The album became a best-selling debut in the UK.
2008: Recognition of Adele's Singing Voice
In 2008, Sylvia Patterson of The Guardian highlighted Adele's 'bewitching singing voice', noting its enigmatic quality and ability to evoke strong emotions, similar to Eva Cassidy's influence.
February 2009: Grammy Awards Win
In February 2009, Adele won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Chasing Pavements". She performed "Chasing Pavements" at the ceremony in a duet with Jennifer Nettles.
July 2009: Album Sales Milestone
By July 2009, Adele's album, "19" had sold 2.2 million copies worldwide.
2009: Adele wins Grammy Awards
At the 51st Annual Grammy Awards in 2009, 21-year-old Adele won awards in the categories of Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her debut album 19.
2010: Adele's Album Sales Surge
In 2010, a copy of Adele's '21' and '19' albums was sold every seven seconds in the UK, highlighting her immense popularity.
May 2011: "Team Adele" ranked number one on The Guardian's "Music Power 100" list
In May 2011, "Team Adele" was ranked number one on The Guardian's "Music Power 100" list, recognizing the most influential people in the music industry.
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. A recording of her tour, Live at the Royal Albert Hall, was released and debuted 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. Adele became the first artist ever to sell three million albums in the UK in one calendar year.
2011: "21" Album Release and Success
In 2011, Adele released her second studio album, "21", which became the best-selling album of the 21st century and topped the Billboard 200 for 24 weeks. It featured the hit singles "Rolling in the Deep", "Someone like You", and "Set Fire to the Rain".
2011: "21" was the best-selling album worldwide
In 2011, Adele's album "21" was the best-selling album worldwide. As of 2016, the album has sold over 31 million copies.
February 2012: Adele Listed Among VH1's Greatest Women in Music
In February 2012, Adele was listed at number five on VH1's 100 Greatest Women in Music, solidifying her status as a prominent female artist.
March 2012: 21 Becomes Longest-Running Album Since 1985
In March 2012, Adele's album '21' spent its 23rd week at number one, making it the longest-running album at number one since 1985, and became the fourth-best-selling album of the past 10 years in the US.
March 2012: Adele Achieves Billboard Chart Records
In the week ending 3 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. Adele also topped the 2012 Sunday Times Rich List of musicians in the UK under 30.
April 2012: Adele Named One of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People
In April 2012, Time magazine named Adele one of the 100 most influential people in the world, acknowledging her impact beyond the music industry. People named her one of 2012 Most Beautiful at Every Age.
July 2012: Adele listed as one of the world's highest-paid celebrities
In July 2012, Adele was listed at number six in Forbes list of the world's highest-paid celebrities under the age of 30, having earned £23 million between May 2011 and May 2012.
December 2012: Billboard Artist and Album of the Year
In December 2012, Adele was named Billboard Artist of the Year, and "21" was named Album of the Year, making her the first artist to receive both accolades two years in a row. Adele was also named top female artist, and the Associated Press named Adele Entertainer of the Year for 2012.
2012: Live Comeback at the Grammy Awards and Album Success
In 2012, Adele made her live comeback at the Grammy Awards in February after throat microsurgery. She won in all six categories for which she was nominated, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year. "21" achieved the biggest weekly sales increase following a Grammy win since 1991. She received the Brit Award for British Female Solo Artist, and British Album of the Year. The album sold over 4.5 million copies in the UK and surpassed 10 million sales in the US. "21" was the best-selling album worldwide of 2011 and 2012, selling over 31 million copies as of 2016.
2012: "Skyfall" Release and Academy Award Win
In 2012, Adele released "Skyfall", the soundtrack single for the James Bond film Skyfall, which later won her the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
2012: Adele Wins Songwriter of the Year and BMI Song of the Year
In May 2012, Adele was named Songwriter of the Year at the Ivor Novello Awards, and in October 2012, "Rolling in the Deep" won Song of the Year at the BMI Awards.
February 2013: Adele Named One of the UK's Most Powerful Women
In February 2013, Adele was named one of the 100 most powerful women in the UK by Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4.
June 2013: Adele Appointed MBE in Queen's Birthday Honours
In June 2013, Adele was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the Queen's Birthday Honours list for services to music.
December 2013: Adele Receives MBE from Prince Charles
On 19 December 2013, Adele received her MBE award from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace.
2013: Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance
At the 2013 Grammy Awards, Adele's live version of "Set Fire to the Rain" won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance, bringing her total wins to nine.
2013: Adele tops the list of Richest Young Musicians
From 2013, Adele topped the List of Richest Young Musicians under 30 in the UK and Ireland as part of the Sunday Times' annual Rich List.
2013: Adele Wins Academy Award and Brit Award for "Skyfall"
In 2013, Adele won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for the James Bond theme "Skyfall", as well as the Brit Award for Best British Single.
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.
2014: Album and Single Sales
By the end of 2014, Adele had sold an estimated 40 million albums and 50 million singles worldwide. Adele is the only artist or band in the last decade in the US to earn an RIAA diamond certification for a one disc album in less than two years.
2015: Release and Success of "Hello"
In 2015, Adele released "Hello" on 22 October, and it broke the Vevo record for the most views in a day on YouTube. The song went on to become the fastest video to hit one billion views on YouTube. The song debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart on 30 October, with first week sales of 330,000 copies. "Hello" also debuted at number one in many countries and on 2 November, the song debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the first song in the US to sell at least one million downloads in a week. By the end of 2015, it had sold 12.3 million units globally.
2015: Release and Success of Adele's Album "25"
In 2015, Adele released her third album, "25", which became the year's best-selling album and broke first-week sales records in multiple markets. "Hello" became the first song to sell over one million digital copies within a week of release in the US.
2015: "25" Album Release and Record-Breaking Sales
In 2015, Adele's third studio album, "25", broke first-week sales records in both the UK and US and earned her five Grammy Awards. The lead single was "Hello".
April 2016: Adele Appears on Time 100 List for Second Time
In April 2016, Adele appeared for the second time on the Time 100 list of the world's most influential people, reaffirming her global impact.
July 2016: Adele ranked among the highest-paid celebrities
In July 2016, Adele was ranked number nine on the Forbes list of the 100 highest-paid celebrities in the world.
November 2016: Adele ranked among the world's highest-paid women in music
In November 2016, Adele was in second place on the Forbes list of the world's highest-paid women in music, earning US$80.5 million.
2016: Brit Awards, New Singles, and Glastonbury Performance
In 2016, Adele received four Brit Awards, including British Album of the Year for "25" and British Single of the Year for "Hello". She released two more singles from "25": "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" and "Water Under the Bridge". She headlined the Pyramid Stage at the 2016 Glastonbury Festival on 25 June.
January 2017: Highest First-Week Sales Since January 2017
In October 2021, Adele's single "Easy on Me" achieved the highest first-week sales for a single since January 2017, marking a significant achievement in her career.
February 2017: Grammy Awards and George Michael Tribute
At the 59th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2017, Adele won all five of her nominations. 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". She also performed a tribute to George Michael.
March 2017: Australian Tour and Stadium Records
In February and March 2017, Adele performed in Australia for the first time as part of her world tour. Her Sydney show at ANZ Stadium on 10 March was seen by 95,000 people, the biggest single concert in Australian history, a record she broke the following night with more than 100,000 fans.
November 2017: Adele ranked among the world's highest-paid women in music
In November 2017, Adele was in second place on the Forbes list of the world's highest-paid women in music, earning US$69 million.
2017: Ed Sheeran's Divide Album Sales
In November 2021, Adele's album '30' had the largest opening week in the UK since Ed Sheeran's 'Divide' in 2017.
2018: Adele Inducted into Royal Albert Hall's Walk of Fame
In 2018, Adele was inducted into the Royal Albert Hall's Walk of Fame, becoming one of the first eleven recipients of a star on the walk.
2018: Adele tops the list of Richest Young Musicians
Until 2018, Adele topped the List of Richest Young Musicians under 30 in the UK and Ireland as part of the Sunday Times' annual Rich List.
December 2019: Adele Named Singer of the 2010s by Israeli Media
In December 2019, Israel's largest TV and radio stations named Adele singer of the 2010s, recognizing her significant contributions to music during the decade.
2019: Adele listed among the top artists of the decade
In 2019, Insider Inc. listed Adele among the top artists of the decade, noting her impact on pop music.
2019: Adele's wealth valued on the Sunday Times Rich List
On the 2019 Sunday Times Rich List, Adele was valued at £150 million (US$180.5 million) as the 22nd-richest musician in the UK despite not having toured since 2017.
November 2021: Release and Global Success of Album "30"
On November 19, 2021, Adele's album "30" was released and achieved global success, reaching number one in 24 territories. It also achieved significant sales and chart positions in the UK and the US.
2021: "30" Album Release and Success
In 2021, Adele released her fourth studio album, "30", which included the hit song "Easy on Me".
2021: Adele Named UK's Best-Selling Female Album Artist of the 21st Century
In 2021, Adele was officially named the UK's best-selling female album artist of the 21st century, based on data from the Official Charts Company.
May 2022: Adele Named Among Time's 100 Most Influential People for the Third Time
In May 2022, Time magazine recognized Adele for the third time as one of the 100 most influential people in the world, placing her in the "icons" category.
July 2022: Hyde Park Concerts Sell Out
In October 2021, pre-sale tickets for Adele's two concerts in Hyde Park, London, scheduled for July 1 and 2, 2022, sold out in less than an hour. 130,000 tickets were sold without prior promotion, and over 1.3 million people attempted to buy tickets.
November 2022: Rescheduled Las Vegas Residency Begins
On July 25, it was announced that Adele's Las Vegas residency would run from November 18, 2022, to March 25, 2023, with eight more dates than initially planned, for a total of 32 concerts. In November, during the residency's second weekend, Adele announced two additional dates on New Year's Eve weekend bringing the total amount of shows to 34.
2022: Adele's record sales as of 2022
As of 2022, Adele has sold more than 120 million records worldwide with 70 million in album sales and over 50 million in single sales, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists.
February 2023: Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance
In February 2023, Adele attended the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, where she won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance for "Easy on Me."
December 2023: Adele Receives Sherry Lansing Leadership Award
In December 2023, Adele was listed in The Hollywood Reporter's 2023 Women in Entertainment Power 100 and received the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award, recognizing her influence and leadership.
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".
2023: Adele Ranked Among Rolling Stone's Best Singers of All Time
In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Adele no. 22 on their list of 200 Best Singers of All Time, further cementing her legacy as one of the greatest vocalists.
2023: Adele listed among the greatest singers of all time
Rolling Stone listed Adele at 22nd in their 2023 list of 200 Greatest Singers of All Time while The Times named her as 2nd best singer of the 21st century in their list of 20 best solo singers.
2024: Chart-topping Albums
As of 2024, all of Adele's studio albums except "19" have topped the yearly best-selling albums chart worldwide in the 21st century.
2025: Adele Listed Among Billboard's Top Women Artists of the 21st Century
Billboard listed Adele at number 4 on its 2025 "Top 100 Women Artists of the 21st Century" list, cementing her position as a leading figure in music.
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