Source: Jay L. Clendenin / Getty
When you think about the list of the most angelic voices we’ve ever heard in our generation, Adele’s name has to be on it. The English singer-songwriter turned 36 this week (May 5). To celebrate her special day, we put together a gallery of our favorite photos of her. Click inside to check it out!
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins was born in the Tottenham district of London. She started singing at the age of four and claims this is when she became obsessed with voices. Her and her mother relocated to Brighton on the south coast of England at nine then back to London (first to Brixton, then to the neighbouring district of West Norwood in south London) at eleven. Ironically enough, the first song she ever wrote was entitled “Hometown Glory” and came following her mother trying to persuade her to leave West Norwood for a university. Adele spent most of her youth in Brockwell Park, where she played the guitar and sang for friends. She graduated from the BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology in 2006. Although she originally wanted to go into artists and repertoire (A&R), she credits the school for nurturing her talent.
Four months after graduating, Adele signed to XL Recordings. In the seventeen years since, she has released four highly successful albums (
19 (2008),
21 (2011) ,
25 (2015),
30 (2021)). With over 31 million copies sold, her second album,
21, become one of the best-selling album of the 21st century.
21 was certified 18x platinum in the UK and Diamond in the US. Having topped the
Billboard 200 for 24 weeks (the longest for a female artist ever),
21 is the top-performing album in the US chart history. Adele was the first female artist in the history of the
Billboard Hot 100 to have three simultaneous top-ten singles as a lead artist, with “Rolling in the Deep”, “Someone Like You”, and “Set Fire to the Rain”, all of which also topped the chart. When
25 released four years later, it became the year’s best-selling album (only album to sell over three million copies in a week). It was her second album to be certified Diamond in the US.
30 followed in the footsteps of the previous two albums and became the year’s best-selling album worldwide. Over the course of her illustrious career, Adele has sold over 100 million records worldwide. She was named as the best-selling artist of the 2010s decade in the US and worldwide as well as best-selling female artist of the 21st century in the UK. She has amassed sixteen Grammy Awards, twelve Brit Awards, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award.
Billboard has named her Artist of the Year three times (2011, 2012 and 2016). She was also named one of
Time magazine’s most influential people the same amount of times (2012, 2016 and 2022). To simply put it, Adele is one of the greatest artists of our generation. To celebrate her legacy, check out a gallery of her most beautiful photos below. HAPPY 36TH BIRTHDAY TO ADELE!
