Adele Unmasked: 15 Surprising Facts About the Soulful Songstress

Adele Unmasked: 15 Surprising Facts About the Soulful Songstress

One of the most well-known singers of our time is likely Adele. Thanks to a song demo she gave to a friend, she went from relative obscurity to becoming one of the best-selling singers of all time in a short of years. But how much do you actually know about this well-known musician? Most likely less than you might imagine.
Adele, an English singer-songwriter who was born in London, has established herself as one of the greatest in the world. She is renowned for both her lyrics and her strong mezzo-soprano voice. She has distinguished herself in her songs, earning her multiple times the title of singer of the year and having the best-selling album with an outstanding track record.  In this context, we’re presenting you with some surprising information about this singer that you probably didn’t know. Let’s get going;

1. Adele was honored with the Grammy Award for Best New Artist

Kristopher Harris from Charlotte, NC, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

When she indulged herself in the music industry, she was able to obtain exactly what she desired. Her debut album, released after inking a record deal with XL Recording, was successful enough to top the charts.

Adele acquired a record deal with XL Recordings in 2006, the year she received her art degree from the BRIT School. The UK top-five songs “Chasing Pavements” and “Make You Feel My Love” came from her debut album, 19, which was released in 2008.

19 is among the top 20 best-selling debut albums of all time in the UK and has sold over 2.5 million copies there. The Grammy Award for Best New Artist went to Adele.

2. Her second album became the world’s best-selling album of the 21st century

She continued to work her magic by releasing her hot second album after winning the award for Best New Artist. Unexpectedly, neither she nor XL Recordings expected her second album to go as far as it did. In 2011, Adele issued her second studio album, 21.

With over 31 million sales, it became the best-selling album of the twenty-first century worldwide. The singles “Rolling in the Deep,” “Someone Like You,” and “Set Fire to the Rain” topped charts throughout the world and became her signature songs.

21 retains the record for the best-performing album in US chart history, spending 24 weeks at the top of the Billboard 200. Six Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, were given to the album, tying the previous high.

3. Adele’s third studio album remains the only album to sell over three million copies in a week

marcen27 from Glasgow, UK, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

2015 saw the release of Adele’s third studio album, 25, which set new first-week sales records in both the UK and the US. It continues to be the only album in the US to sell more than three million copies in a single week.

She won five Grammys for 25, including the Album of the Year award. “Hello,” the first track, was a tremendous international hit. The Grammy-winning and number-one single “Easy on Me” is featured on her fourth studio album, 30, which will be published in 2021.

In 2015 and 2021, respectively, 25 and 30 became the best-selling albums globally, including in the US and the UK. All except one of her studio albums—album 19—had reached the top of the list of the year’s best-selling albums globally by the year 2023.

Read 30 Most Famous and Talented Soul Singers of All Time

4. Adele is one of the world’s best-selling music artists

Kristopher Harris from Charlotte, NC, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Adele is one of the best-selling musicians in the world, with over 120 million records sold globally. She was crowned the best-selling female artist of the twenty-first century in the UK as well as the best-selling artist of the 2010s globally and in the US.

Her accomplishments include sixteen Grammy Awards—two of which she won for Album of the Year—twelve Brit Awards—three of which she won for British Album of the Year—an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a Primetime Emmy.

The most artists that made their debut in the 21st century have Diamond certification in the US are 21 and 25.

5. She penned her debut Hit in 10 minutes only

On her album “19,” the singer’s debut hit, “Hometown Glory,” was written in just 10 minutes. She composed it when she was 18 years old.

According to reports, Adele’s mother attempted to convince the young singer to move out of the city to attend college, prompting the writing of the song, “London Life,” which is about life in the capital.

6. Amy Winehouse and Adele attended the same school

Rama, CC BY-SA 2.0 FR, via Wikimedia Commons

According to the BBC, Adele attended the same performing arts college that the late singer Amy Winehouse briefly attended, the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology.

Other well-known alumni from the school include singers Leona Lewis and Kate Nash.

7. Adele took home six Grammy Awards  in just one night

Adele has received many Grammy honors over the years, but during the 2012 ceremony, she won six of them in a single evening, including album and song of the year.

She and Beyoncé, who set the record for the most wins by a female artist in a single night during the 2010 Awards Show, share the distinction.

Read 25 Most Famous Pop Singers Of All Time 

8. Drake and Adele are fans of each other

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Everything started in 2018 when Drake posted on his Instagram about how Adele’s statement describing his concert as one of his “favorite shows of all time” made him happy.

Later, in February 2019, the two solidified their connection by renting out an entire bowling alley to hang out with their buddies.

Read Top 10 Astonishing Facts about Drake

9. She became the first recipient of the Brit Awards Critics’ Choice

Kristopher Harris from Charlotte, NC, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

By 2008, Adele was the main attraction and Damien Rice provided backup for her acoustic show. She was the first recipient of the Brit Awards Reviewers’ Choice and ranked as the top-predicted breakthrough act of 2008 in the annual Sound of 2008 poll conducted by the BBC of music reviewers.

On January 14, 2008, two weeks before the release of her debut album, she dropped her second single, “Chasing Pavements”. On the UK Chart, the song peaked at number two and remained there for four weeks.

10. Adele once threw a “Titanic” themed birthday party

Adele celebrated her 30th birthday in 2018 by dressing as Rose and throwing a party with a “Titanic” theme. A replica of the ship’s famous staircase was present during the party along with period-appropriate attire.

Despite being a fan of the movie, the singer faced backlash for effectively staging a celebration in the wake of the Titanic ship disaster in 1912, which claimed the lives of over 1,500 people.

11. Adele underwent microsurgery on her vocal cords to remove a benign polyp

The “Adele Live” tour, which Adele launched to support the album, completely sold out its North American leg. Due to a vocal chord hemorrhage in October 2011, Adele was forced to cancel two tours.

In a statement, she claimed that in order to prevent long-term harm to her voice, she needed a prolonged period of relaxation.

Steven M. Zeitels, director of the Center for Laryngeal Surgery and Voice Rehabilitation at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, removed a benign polyp from Adele’s vocal cords using laser microsurgery during the first week of November 2011.

12. Adele is the only artist  in the US to earn an RIAA diamond certification for a one-disc album  

Kristopher Harris from Charlotte, NC, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Her album was the best-selling one in the world in 2011 and 2012 as of 2016. It has sold over 31 million copies.

She reportedly sold 40 million albums and 50 million singles worldwide by the end of 2014. Adele is the only musician or band to receive an RIAA diamond certification for a one-disc album in less than two years in the US over the past ten years.

13. She has written songs for many famous movies

When asked to work on the project, Adele initially expressed skepticism. The song “Skyfall” was originally created for the 2012 James Bond film.

She shouldn’t be concerned, though, as “Skyfall” swiftly gained popularity and earned the musician a Grammy Award and an Academy Award for Best Song.

Not to add that the song later went on to win the Best Original Song Oscar and the Best Song Golden Globe awards in 2013.

14. Adele being scouted by XL Records, she Thought it Was a Scam

Adele recorded four songs after graduating from the Brit School and delivered them to a friend who uploaded them to Myspace.

The person who introduced him to Adele was approached by an XL Recordings talent scout. Adele requested a friend to go with her to the interview since, at the time, the only recording studio she was aware of was Virgin Records, and she assumed the interview was a ruse.

Later, she would work with the studio to create her debut song, Daydreamer, which she would later sing on BBC.

15. Adele has performed in numerous charity concerts throughout her career

Kristopher Harris from Charlotte, NC, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Adele has made significant donations to MusiCares, a nonprofit organization established by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to help struggling musicians.

She had a performance at the Los Angeles MusiCares benefit concert in February 2009. Adele provided autographed items for auction in 2011 and 2012 to benefit MusiCares.

The UK charity SANDS, which supports “anyone affected by the death of a baby and promotes research to reduce the loss of babies’ lives,” required all backstage guests to the North American leg of Adele’s Adele Live tour to donate at least US$20 to the cause.