The incredibly successful life of 10-time Grammy winner Adele, and how the world's best singer was discovered
Oct. 24, 2015, 9:30 AM
Jason Merritt / Getty Images
Ten-time Grammy winner Adele released her first single in over three years on Friday, titled "Hello."
The British singer, best known for smash hits like "Rolling in The Deep" and "Set Fire to The Rain," had previously been out of the music scene because, as she detailed on Twitter, " life happened."
Her short professional career, which started in 2008, has earned her 86 awards, including 10 Grammys and one Oscar. Still, she's considered by many to be one of the best singers in the world.
Now she wants to get back on track and make up for lost time. Adele will release her next album, titled "25," on November 20.
Keep scrolling to see how a girl from Tottenham, England, with a powerful voice has been able to have such a massive presence on the world stage.
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins was born May 5, 1988. She was originally raised by her Welsh father and English mother, but when she was young her father left.
Adele has always loved music. Growing up, she had a knack for listening to key artists in pop culture, such as Destiny's Child and Mary J. Blige, but naturally gravitated to jazzy music like that of Ella Fitzgerald.
Instead of public schooling, when she was old enough, her mother enrolled her in the BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology — a key building block that helped shape her career. Amy Winehouse also attended the school for a period of time.
While she was at the school, Adele created three original songs for a class project. She later posted the tracks along with numerous others on her MySpace profile. The tracks went viral and eventually got to executives from XL recordings — they were impressed.
Just after she graduated, XL signed her to a record deal.
Once she was a professional recording artist, Adele hit the ground running. She released her first album, titled "19," in 2008.
The album got an incredible public reception. People were taken aback by Adele's powerful voice and powerful mantra. The album went on to go double platinum in the US and triple platinum in Europe.
After the release of "19," Adele appeared on Saturday Night Live and performed one of her very first singles, "Chasing Pavements." The album was reportedly No. 40 on iTunes before the show, then skyrocketed to No. 1 when the world saw her unreal performance.
The 2009 Grammy Awards were big for Adele. She cemented her relevancy for good by winning the award for best new artist and best pop vocal album.
After massive success for her first album, Adele knew she had to follow it up and didn't disappoint. She released "21" in 2011, which featured many of the hits she's now known for — it sold over 300,000 copies in the first week.
Both "Rolling in The Deep" and "Someone Like You" charted in the top five on the Billboard Hot 100.
Jason Merritt/Getty Images
Adele again went on to dominate the 2012 Grammy Awards. She won a total of six awards — every single one she was nominated for.
Mark J. Terrill / AP
Following her Grammy domination, Adele released a song titled "Skyfall" in 2012 for the newest James Bond movie of the same name.
One of the biggest moments of her career came when she won an Academy Award for "Skyfall." She had now completed the second leg of the EGOT.
In late 2012, Adele did something only elite artists are able to do — she went diamond! This means she sold 10 million copies of a single album: "21."
After "Skyfall" and her Oscar, the world was wondering what Adele would take on next, but the singer shied away from music for a while.
Adele later had vocal-cord surgery, which made many believe her return following the procedure would be a slow one.
In June 2012, Adele announced the she and her then boyfriend were pregnant.
Yahoo estimated her net worth at $55 million in 2013, so it's not like a leave of absence would significantly hurt her pockets.
Getty Iimages
Over four years since "21" and over three years since "Skyfall," Adele finally confirmed on Thursday what many people thought was coming: a new album titled "25." The album is scheduled for release on November 20, 2015.
In a note on Twitter announcing the album, Adele said she wanted to get her career back on track and that she's "making up for lost time." She said her last album was a "break up record, and if I had to label this once, i'd call it a make up record."
If "25" is anything like her last two albums, Adele fans are in for a treat. Going off the already great reception of "Hello," it's going to be a good one. Adele is back, and back for good.
You can listen to Adele's new single, "Hello," off her 2015 album, below.
More: Features Adele