There can be no doubt that over the last 15 years, few singers have made the impact that Adele has made. She has now established herself as one of the most popular and commercially successful singers of the 21st Century. And that after just four albums. But who is Adele? Also, how did she achieve this level of success so quickly?
One reason is she serves up her own unique brand of emotional ballads but also some good commercial Pop songs. So, let’s take a closer look at Adele Facts: Singer’s age, boyfriend, parents, children, and net worth revealed.
Her Early Life
She was born in Tottenham, North London, in 1988. Not the most attractive of areas, if I am honest, with more than its fair share of poverty and hardship. Adele’s given name is Adele Laurie Blue Adkins.
Her early life wasn’t as settled as it might have been. Adele’s mother, Penny, was English, and her father, Mark Evans, was Welsh. She was raised by her mother since Adele’s father left the family home when she was two years old.
Singing entered life at a very young age…
At the age of four, she was very interested in what sounds she could make with her voice. Her mother worked as a furniture maker and part-time as an activity organizer at an adult-learning center. When Adele was nine, they moved to the south coast, to Brighton. An upmarket town by the sea.
They didn’t stay long, and in 1999, they moved back to London. At first, they lived in Brixton, South London, and then moved down the road to West Norwood. Just south of Brixton is a well-known green space known as Brockwell Park in Herne Hill. It was here that Adele played the guitar and sang songs for her friends.
She mentions it in one of her later songs from the album 25, released in 2015, “Million Years Ago.” It is a touching song that demonstrates Adele’s lyrical skills as a songwriter. She talks about going back to the area where she grew up and how people can’t look her in the eye anymore. And she can find nothing to say to them. Very sad but quite understandable.
Unlikely Beginnings
Adele eventually earned a place at the BRIT school of Performing Arts and Technology. The college is based not too far away from Adele’s home in Croydon. She had singers Jessie J and Leona Lewis as classmates.
Adele went to college in the hope that she could get qualified and work in A&R, or Artists and Repertoire, as it was known. Maybe she thought her abilities were not up to a high enough standard and that she could help others to achieve their musical goals.
The school recognized the latent talent and nurtured it as a singer and potential songwriter. So, when Adele graduated in 2006, she had to start considering the future.
Sometimes You Just Get Lucky
There was an online art magazine called PlatformsMagazine.com, and she put a couple of her songs on the site. She had also recorded a demo while at college as a project, and her friend put that on MySpace. Purely by chance, Adele’s first demo was heard by the head of XL Recordings, Richard Russell. She met up with them and signed a recording deal. The result of that was the album 19.
It was released in 2008 and made her an overnight sensation. 19 charted at #1 on the UK and Dutch album charts, #3 in Australia and New Zealand, and #4 in America. As well as making the Top 20 in Germany and France.
It also produced two big singles…
Of the four released, the second single was “Chasing Pavements.” That reached #2 in the UK and was a Top 10 song in 10 countries. It had an interesting inspiration.
Adele had found out about her boyfriend’s infidelity. She found him at a bar and punched him in the face, and was thrown out. The moral of that story is don’t mess with a South London girl. It was while she was walking home that the song started to materialize.
“Make You Feel My Love” was also a single released from that album. It reached #1 in Holland and #4 in the UK. The album sold more than 2.5 million copies in the UK, and it was nominated for a variety of awards.
It was a long way from Brockwell Park and singing for her friends…
But, you could say she had arrived. In recognizing that journey, she had written and included in that first album a song called “Hometown Glory.”
Another song with an interesting creation. Her mother was trying to persuade her to go to University in Liverpool, but she didn’t want to. They had an argument, and she went out for a walk and wrote the song.
It is a love song. But, this time, a love song dedicated to West Norwood in South London, where she lived in her formative years. It was the first release from the album in 2017 and reached #19 on the UK chart.
The Second Album – Coming of Age
We had to wait three years before the much anticipated second album materialized. That album was called 21. It didn’t quite coincide with her 21st year but never mind. In many ways, 21 was a mixed success. The album broke records all over the place. But, for the singles, it wasn’t all plain sailing. That said, let’s concentrate on the album to start.
[bl]- Sales of over 31 million made it the 21st Century’s best-selling album.
- The sales made it the most successful by a British artist since records began.
- Certified 18x Platinum in the UK.
- According to Billboard, it was the best-performing album in American chart history.
- Stayed at the top of the American Album chart for 24 weeks.
- It topped the album charts in 30 countries.
It’s safe to say…
The songs from 21 had a slight change of style. Possibly aimed at attracting the American market, which she did. She released five singles from the album, including “Someone Like You.”
That song was #1 in seven countries and in the Top 10 almost everywhere. “Someone Like You” is one of the most well-known Adele songs. It was helped by Adele’s performance at the BRIT awards in London in 2011. By then, everyone knew it was about a relationship breakdown.
But there were also other good songs from that album that were successful…
“Rolling in the Deep” reached #1 in Canada, Germany, Holland, America, and Switzerland and was #2 in the UK. “Set Fire To The Rain” was only a moderate hit by her standards, even though it is a very good song. And then, some songs really didn’t cut it at all, such as “Rumour Has It.”
However, it was those huge selling numbers of the album and some of the singles that were turning her into a phenomenon. And that can have its own set of problems. You’ll see what I mean as we explore Adele facts: singer’s age, boyfriend, parents, children, and net worth revealed.
Sympathetic Or Not?
Problems began to emerge that were taken out of all proportion. You know how certain media outlets like to sell papers and gather audience ratings, right? Well, they made the most of a developing situation and contributed to it.
Anxiety
She began suffering from anxiety, especially on stage, and tried everything to overcome it. Including creating an Adele alter ego. But the reality is that her massive success had come on quite quickly, and she wasn’t ready to deal with it.
Not everyone can cope with being known and recognized. Some just prefer to stay in the background, out of the way. It was now a long way from the comfort of West Norwood, and she probably knew she could never go back.
Flying
Another anxiety. Adele did not like flying around, even within countries, let alone a long haul. But concert tours in America and some other countries demand it. Some people would rather not bother and not go. You can hardly blame them. But Adele didn’t have much of a choice.
Being Away From Home
She didn’t like that either, but she had helped to create what was becoming to her a ‘monkey on the back.’ She would spend less and less time with the people who really cared. Not the ones that pretended to care all the way to the bank.
Boyfriend Troubles
For some readers, this will be the highlight of Adele Facts: Singer’s age, boyfriend, parents, children, and net worth revealed. Indeed, there were endless troubles for Adele and her boyfriends. However, some of these broken relationships produced the songs that made her the biggest artist on the planet for a while.
Alcohol
Thankfully, that never took hold of Adele as it has with so many others. But, it was there for a time as an escape. Fortunately, she was able to regulate it.
Her Voice
She had to have surgery on her throat, which meant canceling some concerts. And, if the voice went, it was all over.
New Ventures
Despite her troubles, she found the will to carry on. Probably because she just wanted to write her songs and sing them. She claimed that writing and recording the theme for the James Bond film Skyfall was one of her proudest moments.
It took a year to complete and was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London. It went to #1 in five countries, #2 in the UK, and #8 in America. “Skyfall” has sold over five million copies and won both Academy and Golden Globe awards.
Time To Wait Again
Adele stated in 2012 that her next album would be a couple of years away. She wanted to take her time writing and recording and to have some time away from the limelight. In other words, she wanted to live a bit. When it finally came, we were presented with another record breaking Adele album.
Hello, Again
Adele confirmed that the album, named 25, would be released in November 2015. The first single would come out on the 23rd. That first single was “Hello” and had its worldwide airing on the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show on release day. Adele was there and interviewed live on the radio. The album went straight to #1 in just about every country in the world. Once again, it achieved record sales figures.
The single, “Hello,” though, became the big record breaker. The video was viewed on YouTube nearly 28 million times in the first 24 hours, beating Taylor Swift’s previous record by over 7 million. At one stage, it was being viewed over 1 million times an hour. It also became the fastest video to make 1 billion views. Just 88 days, to be precise.
“Hello” became the first song to achieve one million downloads in a week in America. 25 was also the first album in the UK and America to sell over three million in a single week. She wanted to make a statement in the video. So, she included plenty of very British visuals, such as a cup of tea and a red telephone box. The legend was continuing.
Time For Another Break
The success of 25 rolled on for a long time. There were still the seemingly never-ending Awards shows, concerts, and the rest. But she was going to take her time over the next album, and we had to wait six years.
Onward And Still Going Upwards
Once again, Adele produced an album that was highly regarded. Released in 2021, it was entitled 30. And, once again, no one else stood a chance as the album smashed its way to the top of just about every chart in the world.
As of now, the album has given us three singles. One of those was “Easy On Me.” It peaked at #2 in France but hit the top spot everywhere else. 30 became the album with the most sales ever in its first week in the UK.
Her most recent triumph has been in Las Vegas, where she undertook 32 concerts. The American press called her performance “full of drama and passion and utterly breathtaking.”
Was Adele Taught How To Sing?
No, she had no formal training outside of the college she attended in Croydon. She says that she learned ‘scales and vocal acrobatics’ from listening to Ella Fitzgerald. Her vocal control she got from Roberta Flack, and how to sing with passion from Etta James.
Adele also names Amy Winehouse as having a big effect musically on her. She has said there are some songs she could not have written without Amy’s influence.
Technically, Adele is what is known as a mezzo-soprano. Although, she can be mistaken for a contralto as she can hit some low notes.
Boyfriend
As of 2024, Adele is currently in a relationship with the sports agent Rich Paul.
Children
She has one child, a son with her previous husband, Simon Konecki, named Angelo Adkins. He was born in October 2012.
Net Worth
What is Adele’s net worth these days? You can’t get an actual figure. That’s because with royalties and the rest, what Adele is worth is going up daily. But, the most realistic figure is that she is worth just over 180 million UK pounds or $220 million.
Looking to Learn About More Famous Female Vocalists?
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Adele Facts: Singer’s age, boyfriend, parents, children, and net worth revealed – Final Thoughts
Rags to riches? Well, not quite. I don’t think we could call her early life one of abject poverty. However, being in a one-parent family is never easy, and I don’t suppose there might have been too much money around.
Not the case now, though…
She is a global superstar whether you like her music or not. And, it can’t be argued that she hasn’t left her mark on music and the record books in half a dozen countries, including her homeland and America.
Adele might only have made four albums, but each one was special. For those who think the only way to judge an artist or musician is by their live performance, then take a look at Live At The Royal Albert Hall. I doubt you’ll be disappointed. If you want a collection of the songs on Adele’s studio albums, the place to go is Adele: Complete Studio Album CD Collection.
She has sold more than 170 million records. 100 million singles and 70 million albums. That makes her one of the biggest-selling artists of all time. Not bad for a girl born in North London and brought up in South London.
Until next time, happy listening.
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