Adele Laurie Blue Adkins 

Adele was born in North London, England, on May 5, 1988, eventually attending the performing arts BRIT School. Her first two albums, 19 and 21, earned her critical praise and a level of commercial success unsurpassed among her peers, with the artist selling millions of albums worldwide and winning multiple Grammys. She also received a songwriting Oscar for the James Bond track "Skyfall." After becoming a mom, Adele returned to the charts in autumn 2015 with the ballad "Hello," the lead single for her forthcoming album 25.

Adele Laurie Blue Adkins was born on May 5, 1988, in North London, England. She was the only child of Penny Adkins, an "arty mom" who was just 18 at the time of her birth, and a Welsh father, Mark Evans, who left the family when Adele was only 4 years old.

Evans remained in contact with his daughter up until her teen years, when his problems with alcohol and increasing estrangement from his daughter caused their relationship to deteriorate. By contrast, Adele grew close to her mom, who encouraged her young daughter "to explore, and not to stick with one thing."

Early on, Adele developed a passion for music. She gravitated toward the songs of Lauryn Hill , and Destiny's Child. But her true, eye-opening moment came when she was 15 and she happened upon a collection of Etta James and EllaFitzgerald  records at a local shop. "There was no musical heritage in our family," Adele told The Telegraph in a 2008 interview. "Chart music was all I ever knew. So when I listened to the Ettas and the Ellas, it sounds so cheesy, but it was like an awakening. I was like, oh, right, some people have proper longevity and are legends. I was so inspired that as a 15-year-old I was listening to music that had been made in the '40s."

While clearly bright, Adele wasn't oriented towards traditional classroom settings. Instead, her mother enrolled her in the BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology, which counts Amy Winehouse as an alum.

While at school, Adele cut a three-track demo for a class project that was eventually posted on her MySpace page. When executives at XL Recordings heard the tracks, they contacted the singer and, in November 2006, just four months after Adele had graduated school, signed her to a record deal.

Commercial Success

Adele's debut album, 19, which is named for the singer's age when she began recording the project, went on sale in early 2008. Led by two popular lead singles, "Hometown Glory" and "Chasing Pavements," the record rocketed Adele to fame.

Released in the United States through Columbia Records, 19 resonated with American audiences, much as it had with British music listeners. Adele cemented her commercial success with an appearance in October 2008 onSaturday Night Live. At the taping of the show, the album was ranked No. 40 on iTunes. Less than 24 hours later, it was No. 1.

At the 2009 Grammy awards, Adele took home Best New Artist. In addition, the album earned the singer the distinction of being named the "Sound of 2008" by the BBC. That same year, she earned the Critics' Choice prize at the BRIT Awards.