Adele

Adele (born Adele Laurie Blue Adkins), 5.5.1988)

Adele is a British singer-songwriter who rose to fame after being selected in the BBC's annual end of year 'Sound Of' poll in 2008.

Adele: Childhood & Early Career

Adele was born in Enfield, North London and started singing at the age of four, impersonating the Spice Girls at dinner parties. Her mother even made her a sequin eye patch because she wanted to look more like Gabrielle.

As she was growing up, Adele became interested in a wide variety of music, singing Destiny's Child songs at her school, then going through a heavy metal phase, wearing Slipknot t-shirts and studded dog collars. She later became interested in the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Etta James.

Adele attended the highly publicised BRIT School in Croydon, which was also attended by Amy Winehouse, Leona Lewis, and Kate Nash. Adele graduated from the school in 2006 and soon published a couple of her songs on the online publication PlatformsMagazine.com.

Adele went on to tour with a number of people, including her friend Jack Penate, Jamie T and Devendra Banhart. Her first headline tour came in 2007.

Adele: Debut Album Onwards

Adele's first track, 'Hometown Glory' was written when she was just 16 years old. She later signed to XL Recordings, home to The Prodigy, MIA and Radiohead. Adele came to the attention of XL Recordings after posting a track on a MySpace page. When she received her first call from a record company, she assumed that it was a hoax.

'Hometown Glory' was released as Adele's debut single and in December 2007, Adele won the Critics' Choice Award at the Brit Awards. In January 2008, it was followed by 'Chasing Pavements'. 'Chasing Pavements' was co-written by Ivor Novello-winning Eg White, who orchestrated the piece.

Adele's debut album was named 19. In February 2008, the album entered the UK album chart at the top spot. Later that year, Adele's record deal was expanded into a joint contract with Columbia Records and XL Recordings. In February 2009, the album was certified Gold in the USA, as well as being nominated for the 2008 Mercury Music Prize Award. Paul Rees, the editor of Q magazine, also heaped praise on Adele, noting that after a slew of male bands like The Libertines, Adele's music was a welcome change. On top of this, Beyonce Knowles and Kanye West have also been vocal in their praise of her talents.

Adele's US TV debut came when she appeared on The Today Show. She also made a number of other notable appearances, including the Late Show With David Letterman The Ellen Degeneres Show and Late Night With Conan O'Brien.

Adele also made a TV appearance on the hugely popular US show Ugly Betty, appearing as herself, playing at a wedding. The song 'Hometown Glory' has been widely used in a number of television shows, such as So You Think You Can Dance, Skins and Grey's Anatomy.

Early in 2009, a number of live dates were posted on Adele's website, including a June date at the Hollywood Bowl with Etta James, one of her idols.

In April 2009, appeared in Vogue Magazine, in a photo shoot by Annie Liebovitz.

A deluxe edition of 19 was released which featured a collaboration with Jack White on a cover of The Raconteurs' 'Many Shades Of Black'. At the BBC Electric Proms in 2008, Adele performed with Burt Bacharach, singing 'Baby It's You'. She also sings on Daniel Merriweather's debut album, on a track entitled 'Water and a Flame'.