As soon as Londoner Adele Laurie Blue Adkins gets a microphone in her hands at the age of 14, she realises that singing is her great passion. The first songs she makes, she posts on PlatformsMagazine.com, which already earn her glowing reviews. The singer/songwriter draws inspiration from greats such as Jill Scott, Etta James, Billy Bragg, Peggy Lee, Jeff Buckley and The Cure. She mainly writes about lost loves and old memories.
Touring
The young Adele is taken under the wing of the band Exist, her best friend and fellow musician Jack Peñate, Jamie T, Raul Midon, Devendra Banhart, Amos Lee and Keren Ann. A year later, in October 2007, she has her first own tour in Great Britain.
'Hometown Glory'
The first song Adele releases is 'Hometown Glory' (October 2007), followed by the second single 'Chasing Pavements' in January. She makes good use of her online following and drops her new music there first. This earns her, among other things, a Critics' Choice award. In 2008, her debut album 19 is released, named after her age.
21
Two years later, 21 is released, Adele's second album and again a reference to her age. The first single 'Rolling In The Deep' rockets up the charts. Even before the success of that song has faded, her second single ‘Set Fire On The Rain’ appears. In 2011, this song was the most played on Dutch radio.
Trophy cabinet
From that moment on, Adele dominates the charts. The first two singles and the album 21 hold the number 1 spot in the Netherlands for a record number of weeks. With such success, it is no surprise that she scoops no fewer than six Grammys in 2012. In autumn 2012, Adele scores a huge number 1 hit with the soundtrack of the James Bond film Skyfall. This even earns her an Oscar.
Hello Adele!
After a long silence, Adele releases the song 'Hello' in October 2015. This is the first single from her new album 25, which will be released later that year. In a very short time, the video clip is viewed more than 100 million times on YouTube. She breaks many records with this. At the end of October, 'Hello' is declared the most successful song of the year. 25 becomes the best-selling album worldwide in 2015 and even one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century. At the 2017 Grammys, Adele earns five awards for her work.
Top 2000
In the 2020 Top 2000, Adele has 11 songs. "Someone Like You" ranks highest at number 147.
Sunday Morning Classic
Her debut album "19" was on the turntable at De Platenbar on 22 August 2021 as Sunday Morning Classic.
Worldwide, more than seven million copies have been sold. In the Netherlands, the CD was the best-selling album of 2009. 19 also earned Adele four Grammy nominations for best new artist and best album of the year. Prior to the album, the single Chasing Pavements was released. On 23 February 2008, this single entered the Dutch Top 40 while the album 19 entered the Dutch Album Top 100. In its second week, the album reached its highest position to date at number 4. On 13 November 2008, a special "Expanded Edition" of the album was released. In addition to the regular album, a second disc was added with acoustic live recordings made at The Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles. This caused the album to rise again and reach number one in the Dutch Album Top 100 in its 47th week. In total, 19 spent eight weeks at number 1 and remained listed in the top regions of the album chart for months. After two years, the record was moved to the Backcatalogue Top 50, where it then held the number one spot for a record 67 weeks. In total, the album sold more than 250,000 copies in the Netherlands, good for five times platinum.
source: NPO and Wikipedia photo: Voque Japan
