21 (Adele album)

Last updated

21
Adele - 21.png
Studio album by
Released24 January 2011 (2011-01-24)
RecordedMay 2009 – October 2010
Studio
Genre
Length48:01
Label
Producer
Adele chronology
19
(2008)
21
(2011)
iTunes Festival: London 2011
(2011)
Singles from 21
  1. "Rolling in the Deep"
    Released: 29 November 2010
  2. "Someone like You"
    Released: 24 January 2011
  3. "Set Fire to the Rain"
    Released: 4 July 2011
  4. "Rumour Has It"
    Released: 5 November 2011
  5. "Turning Tables"
    Released: 5 November 2011

21 is the second studio album by the English singer-songwriter Adele. It was released on 24 January 2011 [4] in Europe by XL Recordings and on 22 February 2011 in North America by Columbia Records. The album was named after the age of the singer during its production. 21 shares the Motown and soul influences of her 2008 debut album 19 , but also draws influence from the American country and Southern blues music that Adele started listening to during the North American leg of her tour An Evening with Adele . Composed in the aftermath of the singer's separation from her then partner, the album explores themes of heartbreak, healing, introspection, and forgiveness.

Contents

Adele began writing 21 in April 2009, while still involved in the relationship that subsequently inspired the record. Looking to deviate from the brooding sound of her first album, she had intended to compose a more upbeat and contemporary follow-up. However, studio sessions ended prematurely due to a lack of inspiration. She resumed production immediately after the breakdown of her relationship, channelling her heartbreak and depression into her songs. Adele collaborated with various songwriters and producers, including Columbia Records co-president at the time Rick Rubin, Paul Epworth, Ryan Tedder, Jim Abbiss, and Dan Wilson.

21 was met with universal acclaim upon its release and catapulted Adele into global superstardom. It defied the modest commercial expectations of her independent record label, XL. A sleeper hit, it topped record charts in more than 30 countries and became the world's best-selling album of the year for both 2011 and 2012, helping to revitalise the lagging sales of the global music industry. In the United Kingdom, it is the best-selling album of the 21st century and the fourth best-selling album of all time, while its 23-week tenure atop the UK Albums Chart is the longest by a female solo artist. In the United States, it is the best-performing Billboard 200 album of all time, [5] holding the top position for 24 weeks, longer than any other album since 1985 and the longest by a female solo artist in Billboard 200 history. [6] It was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting sales of over 10 million copies in the US. In addition, three of the five singles released in its promotion – "Rolling in the Deep", "Someone like You", and "Set Fire to the Rain" – became international number-one songs, while "Rumour Has It" charted in the top 20 in countries across Europe and North America. With sales of over 31 million copies worldwide, 21 is the best-selling album of the 21st century, and the seventeenth best-selling album of all time. [7] [8]

Propelling Adele into international stardom, it was credited for reviving the music industry with a large number of physical and digital sales rather than downloading and streaming. Praised for its understated production, vintage aesthetic, and Adele's vocal performance, 21 was shortlisted for the 2011 Mercury Prize. Adele received a record-tying six Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year along with the Brit Award for British Album of the Year. Widely considered to be one of the greatest albums of the 21st Century, it has since been ranked amongst Rolling Stone 's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die .

Writing and production

Early writing sessions

In April 2009, 20-year-old Adele, who had recently embarked on her first serious relationship with a man 10 years her senior, [9] began composing the follow-up to her 2008 debut album 19. [10] In response to the media's typecasting her as an "old soul" due to the vintage production and sentimental nature of her songs, [11] Adele decided on a more upbeat and contemporary second album. [10] However, studio sessions were generally unproductive, and after two weeks, yielded only one song recorded to the singer's satisfaction—the Jim Abbiss-produced "Take It All," a lovelorn piano ballad not unlike the songs on 19. [10] [12] Disillusioned with lack of inspiration and the slow progress of the studio sessions, she cancelled the remaining recording session dates. [13]

Adele had written "Take It All" during a difficult moment in her 18-month relationship, which ended shortly after she first played this song for her boyfriend. [14] Heartbroken but musically stimulated, Adele channelled her rush of emotions into her music, crafting songs that examined her failed relationship from the perspectives of a vengeful ex-lover, a heartbroken victim, and a nostalgic old flame. [15] [16]

Sessions with Epworth, Smith, and Tedder

Writing for the album began shortly after Adele separated from her lover. Within a day of her break-up, she contacted producer Paul Epworth, intent on capturing her emotion in a song: "We'd had a fuming argument the night before, I'd been bubbling. Then I went into the studio and screamed." [10] Although she had initially planned on completing a ballad that she had begun writing with Epworth more than a year ago, the producer suggested that she aim for a more aggressive sound. [17] [18] Together, they restructured the song and rewrote lyrics to reflect Adele's recent experience, deciding on the title "Rolling in the Deep." [17] The instrumentation evolved organically—after trying out various jazz riffs, Adele attempted the first verse a cappella, inspiring Epworth to improvise a melody on his acoustic guitar. A thumping drum beat was set to mimic her racing heartbeat. [17] In two days, a demo was recorded to be produced by Columbia Records co-president Rick Rubin later that year. However, Adele re-approached Epworth months later to complete production of the song. [19]

British producer Fraser T Smith recalled following a similar trajectory when he teamed up with Adele to compose the subsequent third single "Set Fire to the Rain" at his MyAudiotonic Studios in London. [19] After the two had created the demo, Adele revisited her co-writer to record the song with him, instead of the intended producer Rick Rubin. Smith thought Adele's first attempt superior to subsequent takes and used the demo as the final production of the song, complete with live drum sounds and an elaborate strings section (arranged by British musician Rosie Danvers). [19] [20]

With the demos of two songs recorded, Adele approached American musician and OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder, who was in London at the time for a radio show. Tedder had expressed interest in collaborating with the singer after they met at the 2009 Grammy Awards ceremony in February. [21] He arrived four hours early to their first studio session, buying time to better familiarise himself with some of her previous work. [19] Although unaware of Adele's personal predicament, he composed the opening piano sequence and the first few lines of what became the lovelorn ballad "Turning Tables": "Close enough to start a war/All that I have is on the floor." [19] Coincidentally, it perfectly captured the experience of the singer, who arrived at the studio moments after another altercation with her former lover. Angry and unfocused, she denounced her ex-lover's tendency to "turn the tables" on her during their arguments, an expression that Tedder decided to reference in the song's lyrics. [21] Adele recorded the demo with Jim Abbiss the following day.

Adele and Tedder arranged a second meeting and reconvened at Serenity West Studios in Los Angeles weeks later to write and record "Rumour Has It". In an interview, Tedder recalled his astonishment at the singer's musicality and vocal prowess after she completed the main vocals to the song in 10 minutes: "She sang it once top to bottom, pitch perfect, she didn't miss a note. I looked at the engineer then at her and said, 'Adele, I don't know what to tell you but I have never had anyone do that in ten years'." [19]

Sessions with Rubin, Wells, and Wilson

Columbia Records co-president Rick Rubin, known for his "stripped-down" sound and unorthodox approach in the studio, was one of the major producers for the album. RickRubinSept09.jpg
Columbia Records co-president Rick Rubin, known for his "stripped-down" sound and unorthodox approach in the studio, was one of the major producers for the album.

After working with Smith, Tedder, and Epworth, Adele travelled to the United States for the remainder of the album's production. At the suggestion of Columbia Records group president Ashley Newton, she met with songwriter Greg Wells at his studio in Culver City, Los Angeles, where they co-wrote the gospel-tinged ballad "One and Only". [22] The song evolved from a four-chord piano progression in a 6/8-metre, which Wells had conceived before meeting with the singer. [19] The lyrics, aimed at the singer's new love interest, came together quickly and were later completed with Dan Wilson, with whom she also composed "Someone like You". [22] In 2008, Adele's appearance on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live caught the attention of producer Rick Rubin. In the initial stage of the album's production, Rubin had signed on as its sole producer and was scheduled to produce all of its songs. [23] The demos she had recorded with Epworth, Smith, and Tedder (including "Rolling in the Deep" and "Set Fire to the Rain") were subsequently rerecorded by Rubin when she met with him in his Shangri-La Studio in Malibu, California, in April 2010. [12] [17] [24]

Rubin, notorious for his unorthodox production style, pushed the singer beyond her comfort zone, and despite being drawn to his unconventional methods, Adele described working with the producer as daunting. [25] Rubin had attended many of her shows throughout 2008–2009, and after a Hollywood Bowl performance, approached her to compliment her live sound. When they met in Malibu, he attempted to "capture her live show across on [her] record," [17] assembling a team of musicians—including drummer Chris Dave, guitarist Matt Sweeney, James Poyser on piano, and Pino Palladino on bass—to contribute live instrumentation to the recording sessions. [10] [26] He also decided against the use of music samples and electronic instruments. [25] An advocate of a more free-form approach to music-making, Rubin relied on the moods and feelings behind the music itself to guide the instrumental and melodic arrangement of the songs. [27] He isolated the singer in the studio and encouraged her, as well as his team of musicians, to approach the production process with more spontaneity and less restraint. [25] The singer even recalled moving the musicians and production team to tears while recording some of the songs. [28] In an interview, he commented on the nature of the recording sessions:

Her singing was so strong and heartbreaking in the studio, it was clear something very special was happening ... The musicians were inspired as they rarely get to play with the artist present, much less singing ... Today, most things are recorded as overdubs on track. This was truly an interactive moment where none of the musicians knew exactly what they were going to play and all were listening so, so, deeply and completely to figure out where they fitted in ... all of the playing was keying off the emotion on Adele's outrageous vocal performance. [19]

After recording the album with Rubin, Adele was dissatisfied with many of the songs. [24] Ultimately, she decided to scrap most of the work done in favour of the early takes she did with other producers, including Epworth and Tedder, in order for the music to reflect the raw emotion felt immediately after her break-up. [29] From her collaboration with Rubin, only five songs appeared on the album: "Don't You Remember," "He Won't Go," "I'll Be Waiting," "One and Only," as well as the U.S.-only track "I Found a Boy." Weeks after her stint with Rubin, Adele learned of her ex-lover's recent engagement, inspiring the composition of the album's final track "Someone like You." Adele's record label was initially dissatisfied with the song's sparse production, which comprised Adele's voice alongside a sole piano, and requested that it be re-recorded with Rubin's band. However, the singer opted to keep the arrangement, stating that the song was personal to her and that she wrote it to "free herself." [30]

Titling

[21]'s different from 19, it's about the same things but in a different light. I deal with things differently now. I'm more patient ... more forgiving and more aware of my own flaws ... Something that comes with age I think. So fittingly this record is called 21 ... Like a photo album you see [my] progression and change ... throughout the years. I tried to think of other album titles but couldn't come up with anything that represented the album properly.

Adele, on the meaning behind the title. [31]

Adele first intended to title the album Rolling in the Deep, [32] her adaptation of the slang phrase "roll deep," which summarises how she felt about her relationship; in her loose translation, the phrase refers to having someone "that has your back" and always supports you. [33] However, the singer later deemed the title too confusing for some of her audiences. [32] Although she had wanted to avoid the number motif of her debut, Adele considered "21" the most fitting title as it represented her age at the time of the album's composition, serving as an autobiographical period piece and symbolising the personal maturity and artistic evolution since her debut. [31] [32]

Music and influence

21 bears influences of Adele's extended exposure to the music of the Southern United States during the North American leg of her 2008–2009 tour An Evening with Adele. [26] [34] [35] Frequent smoke breaks with her tour bus driver, [23] a Nashville, Tennessee native, resulted in her introduction to bluegrass and rockabilly, [23] and the music of Garth Brooks, [23] Wanda Jackson, Alison Krauss, [26] Lady Antebellum, Dolly Parton, and Rascal Flatts. [36] Adele developed an appreciation for the country genre, praising what she described as the immediacy of the themes and the straightforward narrative structure of many of the songs she listened to. [35]

She also expressed her enthusiasm at simply learning a new style of music. Although influenced by Adele's interest in country music at the time, 21 remains faithful to the Motown influences of 19 and exhibits both gospel and soul music inflections. [36] [37] [38] Instruments such as the saxophone, harp, banjo, and the accordion contributed to its exploration of blues and soul. [34] [38] [ failed verification ] The singer drew from the music of Mary J. Blige, Kanye West, Elbow, Mos Def, Alanis Morissette, Tom Waits, and Sinéad O'Connor in the cultivation of the album's sound and credited Yvonne Fair, Andrew Bird, Neko Case, and The Steel Drivers with its musical direction. [31]

Adele's style on 21 is generally characterised by critics as soul, [11] although some suggest that the album eschews any distinct stylistic epithet. [39] John Murphy of musicOMH characterises the album as British soul. [40] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times wrote that the album's music is a part of a recent British soul revival that "summoned styles dating back to Motown girl groups and Dusty Springfield". [41] Ryan Reed of Paste calls Adele a "British alt-soul prodigy" and the album's music "the stuff of sensual modern pop-noir landscape, heavy on retro textures and relationship drama". [42] Danyel Smith of Billboard views that Adele's music exhibits influences from Northern soul, Aretha Franklin, Sade, and Bette Midler. [11] [43]

Larry Flick of SiriusXM called 21 "a pop record with soul leanings", while The Washington Post's Allion Stewart commented on the album's eclectic nature: "Everything on [21] is precisely calibrated to transcend genres, to withstand trends ... It's slightly angled toward country, even more toward R&B", and "informed, but never overwhelmed, by roots music". [39] Mike Spies of Slate argues that soul music is inextricably linked to the political, historical, and cultural experience of African Americans, and that Adele and her contemporaries, far removed from this socio-cultural milieu, can offer only a mere duplicate of actual "soul", despite a capacity to convincingly channel the sound. [44] Randall Roberts of the Los Angeles Times wrote that 21 is an "ode to, American soul, rhythm and blues, jazz, country and the myriad combinations thereof". [45]

Songs

The sequence of the tracks on the deeply autobiographical album correlates with the range of emotions Adele experienced after the break-up, progressing from themes of anger and bitterness to feelings of loneliness, heartbreak, and regret, and finally, acceptance. [15] [16] The revenge song "Rolling in the Deep," a "dark, bluesy, gospel, disco tune" in the singer's own words, was written as a "fuck you" to her ex-lover after his disparaging remarks that she was weak and that her life without him would be "boring and lonely and rubbish." [46] [47] Opening with an understated acoustic guitar strum, the song's first lines set the foreboding tone of the album. [48] Pounding martial beats, shuffling percussion, and piano [37] coalesce into a dramatic, multilayered chorus [48] over which "Adele's voice ranges, dramatizing her search for just the right tone and words to express her dismay that a man would dare break her heart." [38] The first single from 21, "Rolling in the Deep," is one of the more apparent influences of the bluesy Americana music that framed the album's sound. [49]

"Rumour Has It," the singer's tongue-in-cheek retort to the hurtful gossip that surrounded her break-up, was aimed at her own friends for their part in spreading these rumours. [50] [51] Fusing elements of doo-wop and Tin Pan Alley blues, [52] the percussion-driven song is built on girl-group harmonies, piano chords, pounding kick drum, and handclaps, [50] [53] and finds the singer "channeling a '40s, piano-vixen lounge singer." [54] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times pointed out the song's "hollow counterpoint vocals" and slow, "daringly morbid" bridge that veers from the pounding rhythm before once again acceding to it. [55] In the studio, Tedder experimented with a riff inspired by Radiohead's "I Might Be Wrong," crediting the song's drop D tuning and American blues vibe as impetus for "Rumour Has It." [19] In "Turning Tables," a song of domestic dispute, [56] its narrator assumes a defensive stance against a manipulative ex-lover. Reconciling herself with the termination of a contentious relationship, she vows emotional distance to shield herself from future heartbreak. Bryan Boyd of The Irish Times likened the singer to 1980s Welsh rocker Bonnie Tyler in delivering the vocals with a mixture of anger, pain, and pathos. [42] [57] According to Paste magazine, cinematic strings "serve as fitting counterpoint to [the song's] heartbroken, hollowed-out lyrics." [42]

The Rick Rubin-produced fourth track "Don't You Remember," co-written by Adele and Dan Wilson, marks a shift in the album's theme, from anger and defensiveness to reflection and heartbreak. A downtempo country music-styled ballad, [46] the song was added late to the production of the album after the singer grew ashamed of her continued negative portrayal of her ex-lover throughout the album. [35] [58] Its lyrics entreat a past lover to remember the happier moments at the beginning of a now broken relationship. [35] "Don't You Remember" was the most challenging song on 21 for Adele to record. [59] In "Set Fire to the Rain," the singer delineates the conflicting stages of a troubled union and wrestles with her inability to fully let go. [60] Accentuated by ornate orchestral flourishes, swirling strings, crescendos, [37] and dramatic vocal effects towards its climactic end, [34] the song stands in stark contrast to the otherwise understated production of the album and, in reviews, was characterised by critics as a pop rock power ballad. [37] To achieve a fuller sound, producer Fraser T Smith incorporated the popular "wall of sound" reverberative technique in framing the song's dense instrumentation. [34] [61]

"Take It All," the seventh track, written and recorded with Francis "Eg" White and Jim Abbiss before the breakdown of Adele's relationship, is a piano and vocal ballad that borrows heavily from pop, soul, and gospel. [12] [62] [63] In his review of 21, Allmusic's Matt Collar called the song the album's centrepiece, "an instant classic" in the same vein as "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" and "All by Myself," a "cathartic moment for fans who identify with their idol's Pyrrhic lovelorn persona." [62] The track precedes "I'll Be Waiting," the second of two songs produced by Epworth, which diverges from the scathing "Rolling in the Deep" in its optimistic tone and brisk, lilted melody. [53] A protagonist's mea culpa for a relationship gone wrong, she declares to wait patiently for her lover's inevitable return. [64] [65] The song was compared to the work of Aretha Franklin for its "huge vocal sound on the chorus, rolling piano, and boxy snare," [66] while Tom Townshend of MSN Music described its brass section as a Rolling Stones-esque "barroom gospel." [67]

Although the album predominantly explores the singer's failed relationship, not all songs were geared towards her ex-lover. "He Won't Go," a nod to hip-hop and contemporary R&B, [52] was a tribute to a friend who battled heroin addiction. The ninth track "One and Only," noted for its gospel-tinged vocals, organ, and choir, [66] was directed at a close friend for whom Adele shared romantic feelings. [68] And "Lovesong" (a cover of a song by the Cure) was dedicated to Adele's mother and friends, in whom she found solace when she grew homesick and lonely while recording in Malibu. [28]

The album closes with the "heartbreak Adagio" [69] "Someone like You," a soft piano ballad that pairs Adele's vocals with a piano playing mostly an arpeggiated ostinato. In interviews, the singer described it as the summation of her attitude towards her ex-lover by the end of the album's production. [70] The song's lyrics describe a protagonist's attempt at dealing with her heartbreak after she learns of her ex-lover's recent marriage and happy new life. [70] Sean Fennessey of The Village Voice praised the singer's nuanced vocal performance in the song, which ascends "into a near-shrieked whisper" during parts of the chorus, after which she once again regains composure. [71] One of the more commended songs on the album, "Someone like You" was praised for its lyrical depth and understated simplicity. [46] [69]

Release and promotion

Adele performing "Someone like You" in 2011 during a concert in Seattle, Washington. Adele - Seattle, WA - 8.12.2011 (cropped0).jpg
Adele performing "Someone like You" in 2011 during a concert in Seattle, Washington.

For the North American release of 21 on 22 February, Columbia Records executives employed the "'long tail' sales theory" [72] to shape its marketing campaign, which, according to Columbia Senior VP of Marketing Scott Greer, involved "building a critical mass throughout February to reach all those people who bought 19." [72] A key part of this strategy was the record company approaching internet and media partners Vevo, AOL, and VH1 to commence the promotion of Adele's old and new songs. [72] In the months leading up to the European release of 21, Adele embarked on a promotional tour across Europe, performing on the UK's Royal Variety Performance on 9 December 2010, the finale of the reality singing competition The Voice of Holland on 21 January 2011, and on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge six days later. On 24 January 2011, during the week of the album's UK release, she performed an acoustic set of selected songs from 21 at London's Tabernacle music hall, which was screened live on her personal website. Adele performed "Someone like You" at the 2011 BRIT Awards ceremony, which was well received and resulted in a sales increase for both 19 and 21. [72]

From September to October 2010, Adele embarked on a mini-promotional tour of the US, which included stops in New York and Minneapolis, as well as an exclusive appearance at the famous Club Largo in Los Angeles. [73] Although she did not use Twitter at the time, Columbia created an account that redirected followers to the singer's personal blog. [72] Throughout February, Adele's personal site hosted a "21 Days of Adele" [72] promotion, which featured exclusive daily content, including a live chat and a video of the singer explaining the inspiration for each album track. [72] The week of release was also accompanied by a spate of television appearances on many American daytime and late-night talk shows, such as the Today Show on 18 February, Late Show with David Letterman on 21 February, [74] and The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live! on 24 February. [35] [72] Adele performed "Someone like You" at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards ceremony.

Adele embarked on her second concert tour, Adele: Live, in support of 21, scheduling more than 60 shows across Europe and North America. The shows received positive reviews, with many noting the show's understated nature, the singer's vocal performance, and her accessible persona. [75] However, recurring health and vocal problems led to numerous alterations to the tour itinerary. The cancellation of the North American leg of the tour was due to a vocal haemorrhage on her vocal cords. [76] The singer underwent corrective vocal surgery in November 2011 and cancelled all public appearances until February 2012. Adele performed "Rolling in the Deep" at the 2011 ECHO Awards, 2012 Grammy Awards, and 2012 BRIT Awards ceremonies.

21 yielded five singles in total, including four worldwide releases. The lead single "Rolling in the Deep" was released in November 2010 and peaked on the charts in the Netherlands, [77] Germany, [78] Belgium, [79] Italy, and Switzerland. [80] It became a top-ten hit in Austria, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, [81] and Norway. Released in the UK on 16 January 2011, it peaked at number two. [82] In the US, the song became "the most widely crossed-over song of the past twenty-five years," [83] [84] appearing on a record 12 different Billboard charts (including the Rock Songs chart, R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and Hot Latin Songs charts). [83] [85] The song spent seven consecutive weeks at the top of the Hot 100, [85] [86] and was ranked as the top song and the best-selling song of the year. [87] [88] [89]

"Someone like You" debuted at number 36 on the UK Singles Chart due to strong digital sales, and after falling to number 47, it ascended to number one when the singer performed it at the 2011 BRIT Awards. [90] [91] It peaked at number one in Australia, [92] New Zealand, [81] Italy, Finland, France, Switzerland, [80] and the US. "Set Fire to the Rain," the third single, topped the singles chart in the US, [93] the Netherlands [94] and Belgium (Flanders), [95] and reached the top five in Switzerland, [80] Italy [96] and Austria.

"Rumour Has It" was confirmed as the fourth and final official US single from the album by Ryan Tedder at the Grammy Awards in 2012, and was released on 1 March 2012. [97] In some countries, "Turning Tables" was released as the fourth single. It was the fifth single to be released to US mainstream stations, although it received limited airplay due to an unofficial release. Even though "I'll Be Waiting" was never released as a single, it charted at No. 29 on the US Triple A chart. [98]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.1/10 [99]
Metacritic 76/100 [100]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [62]
The Daily Telegraph Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [101]
Entertainment Weekly A− [1]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [102]
NME 6/10 [103]
Pitchfork 8.2/10 [104]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [105]
Spin 8/10 [106]
USA Today Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [107]

21 received universal critical acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 76, based on 34 reviews. [100] In the Chicago Tribune , Greg Kot deemed the music an improvement over 19, writing that "21 beefs up the rhythmic drive and the drama of the arrangements." [108] Simon Harper of Clash wrote, "[In] two years ... she's clearly seen the world. Where 19 marked the turbulent swan song to a teenage life, 21 introduces the realities of adult life, where grown-up responsibilities collide with heartache and emotional scars run deep." [109] John Murphy of MusicOMH said that it shared the themes of "pain, sadness and anger" explored on Amy Winehouse's Back to Black (2006), while hailing 21 as "one of the great 'break-up' albums, and the first truly impressive record of 2011." [40] Sputnikmusic's Joseph Viney stated that 21 combined the "best bits of Aretha Franklin's old-school soul with Lauryn Hill's sass and sense of cynical modern femininity." [110]

Sean Fennessey from The Village Voice wrote that the album "has a diva's stride and a diva's purpose. With a touch of sass and lots of grandeur, it's an often magical thing that insists on its importance ... the line here between melodrama and pathos is wafer-thin, and Adele toes it deftly. It's what separates her from her contemporaries in the mid-'00s wave of British white-girl r&b-dom." [71] Q commented that, despite a "slightly scattershot quality ... greatness is tantalizingly within reach." [111] In The New York Times , Jon Pareles applauded the singer's emotive timbre, comparing her to Dusty Springfield, Petula Clark, and Annie Lennox: "[Adele] can seethe, sob, rasp, swoop, lilt and belt, in ways that draw more attention to the song than to the singer." [112] Ryan Reed of Paste regarded her voice as "a raspy, aged-beyond-its-years thing of full-blooded beauty", [42] while MSN Music 's Tom Townshend declared her "the finest singer of [our] generation". [67]

Matthew Cole from Slant Magazine was less impressed, believing Adele's vocals masked the "blandness" of many of the songs, a fault that he said would have been more apparent had they been performed by a lesser talent. [52] Allison Stewart of The Washington Post claimed that many tracks were remarkable "only because Adele is singing them." [39] Robert Christgau gave the album a two-star honourable mention in his consumer guide for MSN Music, writing that "part of me likes how many albums this proud white-soul normal has sold, but the part that likes fast ones wins". [113] [114]

Commercial performance

Globally, 21 is the best-selling album of the 2010s decade according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, [115] and topped the charts in more than 30 countries. [116] [117] Sales of 21 helped increase XL Recordings', Adele's record label, bank balance from £3 million to £32 million in the space of 12 months. [118] 21 was the best-selling worldwide release in 2011 with 18 million units sold, and it remained the best-selling release with an additional 8.3 million units sold the following year. [119]

Europe

Adele became the first UK female to have three number one songs from the same album and have 3 top 10 songs in the same week on Billboard Hot 100. Adele for Vogue in 2021.png
Adele became the first UK female to have three number one songs from the same album and have 3 top 10 songs in the same week on Billboard Hot 100.

21 debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart on 30 January 2011 with first-week sales of 208,000 copies. [120] 21 achieved separate consecutive number-one spells during its 2011 chart run, amassing 23 weeks at number one to date. [121] Midway through 2012, 21 was the best-selling album of the year despite being released in early 2011. [122] 21 sold over 5.08 million copies as of May 2018, making it the biggest-selling album since 2000 in the UK. [123] As of October 2018, the album sold 5.11 million copies, making it the second biggest-selling studio album in the UK, and fourth best-selling album of all time. [124] The success of 21 brought attention to Adele's previous work. 19 climbed to number four on the UK Albums Chart, making Adele the first living act since The Beatles in 1964 to have two UK top five albums and singles simultaneously. [125] A week later, 19 rose to number 2 in its 102nd week of release, making Adele the first act to occupy the chart's top two spots since The Corrs in 1999. [126] [127]

Adele claimed the Guinness World Records for becoming the first female artist to have two singles and two albums in the UK top five simultaneously. 21 also became the first album in UK chart history to reach sales of three million copies in a calendar year, and set records for the most consecutive weeks with a UK number-one album (solo female) with 11 weeks, [116] and the most cumulative weeks at number one (solo female) in the UK. [128] [129] 21 has been certified 16-times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry for shipments of 4,500,000 units. [130] It is also the most downloaded album in UK history, [131] the biggest-selling album of the 21st century in the UK, [132] and the 4th best-selling album in the UK of all time. [133] [134] In December 2019, 21 was unveiled by the Official Charts Company as the decade's best-seller, with 5.17 million chart sales. [135]

In July 2012, the album was certified decuple platinum by the IFPI, denoting sales of ten million copies across Europe, making it the highest-certified album in Europe since the IFPI Platinum Europe award was launched in 1996. [136] The album lodged 35 weeks atop the Irish Albums Chart, [137] the longest in the chart's history, [138] and sold over 270,000 copies. [137] Charting 124 weeks in Finland from early 2011 to summer of 2013 (with 11 weeks atop) and re-entering in early 2014, 21 became the second-longest-charting album of all time in the country. [139] [140] [141]

Americas

Released on 22 February in the US, 21 debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 352,000 copies. [142] [143] The album remained in the top three for its first 24 weeks, [144] the top five for a record 39 consecutive weeks, and the top 10 for a total of 84 weeks. The album is tied with Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. for the second-most weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard 200. [145] [146] [147] 21 became the best-selling digital album of all time in the US, selling 1.879 million copies by January 2012. [148] [149] [150] On 17 May 2012, 21 became the 29th album since 1991 to sell over 9 million copies in the United States and became the first album in the United States to sell that amount since Usher's Confessions reached sales of 9 million in 2005. [151] By November 2012, it had sold 10 million copies, a feat achieved in 92 weeks, making it the fastest album to sell 10 million since 'N Sync's No Strings Attached in 2000. [152] [153] In February 2015, the album reached 208 straight weeks, or four years, on the Billboard 200 chart, spending only 24 of those weeks outside the Top 100. [154]

21 is credited with saving the first quarter album sales of 2012 in the United States. Without 21, the first quarter of 2012 would have been down 3.4% compared to the first quarter of 2011. 21 sold more copies in the first quarter of 2012 than any album since 2005 and is the oldest album to be the best-selling album in the first quarter of the year since No Doubt's Tragic Kingdom in 1997. On 28 November 2012, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it Diamond after having sold more than 10 million copies in the United States alone, made it the first album released in the 2010s to achieve Diamond certification. [155] In December 2012, it was announced that 21 was the best-selling album on iTunes for two years in a row. [156] 21 was the best-selling album of both 2011 and 2012 in the United States and Canada despite being over a year old. [157] [158] It is the first album to be the best-selling album two years in a row since Michael Jackson's Thriller was the best-selling album of 1983 and 1984. Despite being over a year old, 21 sold more copies in 2012 than the best-selling albums of 2006 through 2010 sold in their respective years. It is also one of only four albums in the Nielsen SoundScan era to sell over 4 million copies in each of two calendar years. Due to these successes, Billboard declared Adele the Artist of the Year for the second year in a row, making her the first solo female artist to receive the honor twice. [159] [160] [161]

In February 2013, 21 reached two full years on the Billboard 200, never charting lower than number 35 on the chart. This makes 21 the best-selling album of the past 10 years and the fifth best-selling album released since January 2000. [162] In March 2013, after Adele won an Academy Award for "Skyfall", the album reentered the top 10 of the Billboard 200. This marked the album's 81st week in the top 10. Only two other albums have spent as much time in the top 10: Born in the U.S.A. and The Sound of Music . [163] In November 2013, it was announced that 21 had become the first album to sell three million digital copies in the United States and that the album is the 13th best-selling overall in the United States since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991. [164]

In November 2019, Billboard named 21 the best selling album of the 2010s. [165] As of January 2020, 21 has sold 12 million copies in the United States, becoming the ninth largest-selling album since Nielsen Music started tracking sales in 1991 and best selling album of the 2010s decade. [166] [167] The album's performance on the Billboard 200 chart earned 21 the distinction of all-time number one album on the chart, according to a summary performed by Billboard in November 2015. [6] In spring of 2017, the album broke the record for the longest-charting album by a female artist on the Billboard 200, surpassing Tapestry by Carole King. [168] In February 2019, 21 has been listed on the Billboard 200 album chart for 400 non-consecutive weeks. [169] 21 also became the first album by a woman to reach 450 weeks on the Billboard 200 in February 2020. [170] In February 2021, 21 made history as the first album by a woman to reach 500 weeks on the Billboard 200. [171] In December 2021, it was announced that 21 was the first album by a woman to spend an entire decade on the Billboard 200 chart. [172]

In Canada, 21 spent 35 weeks at number one and was certified diamond in January 2012 by Music Canada for the shipment of 800,000 copies of the album. [173] [174] 21 had sold over 1.489 million copies by January 2013, making it the third best-selling album in Canada since Nielsen SoundScan started tracking sales. [175]

Asia–Pacific

21 spent 32 weeks at number one on the Australian ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart, 10 of which were consecutive. Adele also replicated her UK chart record when she achieved two titles in the top five of the ARIA Album and Singles chart simultaneously. [176] In December 2012, it was announced that 21 was nearing sales of one million in Australia. This makes 21 only the seventh album to ever achieve this feat in Australia and the first to do so since Delta Goodrem's Innocent Eyes . [177] In January 2020, 21 was announced as the biggest album of the 2010s in Australia. [178] On the New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart, 21 debuted at number one in January 2011 and spent 28 weeks at the summit in 2011. [179] [180] Its 38 accumulated weeks at the top are the longest in New Zealand chart history. [81]

Accolades

Rankings

21 was ranked as the number one album of all time on the Billboard Top 200 Albums of All Time. [181] 21 appeared on many year-end best-of lists. Metacritic ranked 21 at number two on their list of 2011's most well-received records, based on inclusions in publications' year-end lists. [182] The album was ranked the best album of the year by the Associated Press, [183] The Austin Chronicle , Entertainment Weekly , [184] Star Tribune , [185] Digital Spy, [186] MSN Music, [187] New York Daily News , [188] Rolling Stone , [189] TIME magazine, [190] and editors of USA Today . [191] Critics at Billboard voted the album number-one of the year, [192] while Scottish newspaper the Daily Record , [193] editors of Amazon [194] and the editors at Rhapsody [195] also ranked the album at number one. The album appeared in the runner-up spot on MTV's list of the Best Albums of 2011 [196] as well as lists produced by The Boston Globe , [197] The Hollywood Reporter [198] and Toronto Sun . [199] It placed within the top 10 on lists produced by American Songwriter , [200] Q , [201] Los Angeles Times , [202] Clash , [203] and The Washington Post . [204] "Rolling in the Deep" consistently placed high on various year-end critics' list, and was ranked the best song of the year in The Village Voice 's Pazz and Jop mass critics' poll. [205]

In 2012, Rolling Stone ranked the album number six on its list of Women Who Rock: The 50 Greatest Albums of All Time. [206] As of January 2015, Billboard named 21 as the third-best album of the 2010s (so far). [207] The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die . [208] In 2019, Rolling Stone , [209] Consequence of Sound , [210] Cleveland.com, [211] Paste, [212] and The Sydney Morning Herald [213] named it the 8th, 19th, 47th, 55th, and 1st best album of the 2010s, respectively. Consequence of Sound also named it the fifth-best pop album of the 2010s. [214] In 2020, the album was ranked at 137 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. [215] Consequence of Sound ranked the album at number seven on their list of "The 10 Greatest Second Albums of All Time". [216] 21's commercial success effectively transformed Adele's image from a blue-eyed soul singer-songwriter to a global pop phenomenon. Entertainment Weekly considered it the record representing the year of 2011 on their 2020 list of the "30 essential albums from the last 30 years". [217]

Industry awards

The album was nominated for the 2011 Barclaycard Mercury Prize [218] but lost to Let England Shake by PJ Harvey. [219] In November 2011, Adele won three American Music Awards including Favorite Pop/Rock Album for 21 at the American Music Awards of 2011. [220] At the 2012 Billboard Music Awards, the singer was nominated for twenty categories, winning a record-breaking twelve, including Top Billboard 200 Album and Top Pop Album for 21, and Top Streaming Song (Audio) for "Rolling in the Deep". [221] [222] In May 2013, Adele received five nominations at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards, including Top Billboard 200 Album and Top Pop Album for 21 two years in a row; she won the latter award. [223]

The album earned Adele seven Grammys. In February 2012, she won the Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for 21, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Short Form Music Video for "Rolling in the Deep," and Best Pop Solo Performance for "Someone like You" at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards. [224] Additionally, her producer Paul Epworth won Producer of the Year, Non-Classical. [225] Adele, who was named Best New Artist in 2009, is only the second artist and the first female in history to win all four major Grammy categories. Christopher Cross achieved the same feat in 1981 with a four-award sweep. [226] She is only the eighth artist in Grammy history to win six or more awards in one night, matching the record set among female artists by Beyoncé in 2010. [227]

With her wins, Adele became only the sixth artist to win "Grammy's Triple Crown" in one night. She was only the second female solo artist to achieve this feat, following Carole King in 1972, and only the second British artist, after Eric Clapton in 1993. [228] At the age of 23, Adele was the youngest artist at the time to achieve this feat. [228] That record was later broken by Billie Eilish, who was 18 years old when she won all "big four" Grammys in one night in 2020. [229] In February 2013, a live rendition of the album's third single "Set Fire to the Rain," included on Live at the Royal Albert Hall , won the Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, making her the first artist to win consecutively in this category. [230] On 21 February 2012, 21 won the British Album of the Year at the 2012 BRIT Awards. [231] It also won the International Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2012. [232]

YearCeremonyCategoryResultRef.
2011 American Music Awards Favorite Pop/Rock Album Won [233]
AIM Independent Music AwardsBest "Difficult" Second AlbumWon [234]
Danish Music Awards International Album of the YearWon [235]
GAFFA Awards Best Foreign AlbumWon [236]
Independent Music Companies Association European Independent Album of the YearWon [237]
Mercury Prize Album of the YearNominated [238]
MOBO Awards Best AlbumNominated [239]
Soul Train Music Awards Album of the Year Nominated [240]
Urban Music Awards Best AlbumNominated [241]
2012 Billboard Music Awards Top Billboard 200 Album Won [242]
Top Pop AlbumWon
Brit Awards British Album of the Year Won [243]
ECHO Music Awards Album of the YearWon [244]
Fryderyk Best International AlbumWon [245]
Grammis Awards Best International AlbumWon [246]
Grammy Awards Album of the Year Won [247]
Best Pop Vocal Album Won
Ivor Novello Awards Album of the YearNominated [248]
Juno Awards International Album of the Year Won [249]
People's Choice Awards Favourite Album of the YearNominated [250]
Premios Oye! Best English AlbumWon [251]
2013 Billboard Music Awards Top Billboard 200 Album Nominated [252]
Top Pop AlbumWon
2014 World Music Awards World's Best AlbumNominated [253]

Legacy

[21] appealed to Baby Boomers nostalgic for Etta James, Carole King and 'Dusty in Memphis.' It also appealed to teens struggling with the first sting of heartbreak, hipsters who missed Amy Winehouse, traditionalists weary of synthesizers and vocal effects, and non-pop fans who simply found it refreshing to hear a singer belt out her blues with conviction. By singing almost exclusively about a relationship gone wrong, Adele made songs that anyone could identify with ... 21 wasn't niche-marketed. It was made for everyone and ... everyone listened.

Tris McCall of The Star-Ledger [254]

The album's success has been attributed to its cross-cultural appeal, [146] [255] which has catered to fans of various genres of pop, adult contemporary, and R&B, [146] as well as various generations and musical timelines. [256] [257] According to Sasha Frere-Jones of The New Yorker , the album's success in the US can be attributed to its target audience—that is, "middle-aged moms ... the demographic that decides American elections." [258] Critics also suggest that the album's understated musical production and relative lack of artifice are striking deviations from the "bombastic theatrics" of the mainstream music industry. [257] [259] Ethan Smith of The Wall Street Journal found that Adele's "deliberately unflashy" nature, full figure, and "everywoman" appeal gave her a lucrative niche in the market, [36] [260] while her tendency to emphasize "substance over style" made her the "Anti-Lady Gaga". [36] Guy Adams of The Independent argued that 21's success signals the re-emergence of the more traditional approach to commercial success:

There are two approaches to the business of being noticed by today's record-buying public. The first ... revolves around oodles of hype and ever-more preposterous wardrobe selections. The second ... requires ... the confidence to let your music do the talking... Amazingly, given preconceived notions about America's supposed preference for style over substance, it is the second of these two sales techniques which appear to be working better. [260]

With the release of 21, critics began to tout Adele as the new torchbearer for the British soul music that ascended to the American mainstream via Duffy, Joss Stone, Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen. Although the initial popularity of these artists in the early 2000s incited the media to declare a "new wave of British invasion", [261] Joseph Viney of Sputnikmusic saw their subsequent absence as an opportunity for Adele to "stake her claim as the UK's leading solo female artist". [110] John Murphy of MusicOMH declared the album "a timely reminder that British soul hasn't lost its mojo". [40] Indie label XL Recordings founder Richard Russell discussed what he believed to be the quasi-subversiveness of 21's chart dominance. Characterising the success of 21 as "almost political and sort of radical", [262] Russell stated that the lack of gimmicks in Adele's music undermined the widespread perception that female performers have to conform to specific body types, or imbue their music with gratuitous sexual imagery, in order to attain success. [262]

Retrospectively, the album received widespread critical praise. Stereogum wrote that 21 established Adele as "pop royalty" and called the album "one of history's great, resilient breakup albums", [263] while Pitchfork praised the album for "cementing her legacy as an artist who could make once-in-a-generation milestones out of her music". [264] Atwood Magazine compared the album to Frank Ocean's Blonde , as they are both sophomore albums, and commented that both albums "could slide into the catalogues of greats like Amy Winehouse and Aretha Franklin and no one would be the wiser" and called Adele "one of the most captivating songwriters of the 21st century". [265] NME described 21 as a "heartbreak pop classic" and further emphasized that it is "so classic in a way that stands the test of time". [266] In an article explaining Adele's record-breaking achievements and impact, The Recording Academy wrote that "Plenty of albums have tapped into emotional truths; few have endured like 21", and further commented that 21 "continues to resonate with audiences in 2021 as much as it did in 2011". [267] Both Junkee and Consequence of Sound credited the album for revitalizing pop music, heralding "a new era of relatable pop", and inspiring a new generation of artists. [268] [269]

Track listing

Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Rolling in the Deep"Epworth3:49
2."Rumour Has It"
Tedder3:43
3."Turning Tables"
  • Adkins
  • Tedder
Jim Abbiss 4:10
4."Don't You Remember"
Rick Rubin 4:03
5."Set Fire to the Rain"Smith4:01
6."He Won't Go"
  • Adkins
  • Epworth
Rubin4:37
7."Take It All"Abbiss3:48
8."I'll Be Waiting"
  • Adkins
  • Epworth
Epworth4:01
9."One and Only"
Rubin5:48
10."Lovesong"Rubin5:16
11."Someone like You"
  • Adkins
  • Wilson
  • Wilson
  • Adkins
4:47
Total length:48:01
iTunes Store bonus track [270]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
12."I Found a Boy"AdkinsRubin3:37
Total length:51:40
iTunes pre-order edition bonus track [271]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."Rolling in the Deep" (live acoustic)
  • Adkins
  • Epworth
Epworth4:07
Total length:52:10
United Kingdom, Taiwan, Poland and Bulgaria limited edition bonus tracks [272]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
12."If It Hadn't Been for Love"Rodaidh McDonald3:08
13."Hiding My Heart"Tim HanserothMcDonald3:28
Total length:54:39
Japan edition bonus tracks [273]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
12."I Found a Boy"AdkinsRubin3:37
13."Turning Tables" (live acoustic)
  • Adkins
  • Tedder
Abbiss4:20
14."Don't You Remember" (live acoustic)
  • Adkins
  • Wilson
Rubin4:18
15."Someone like You" (live acoustic)
  • Adkins
  • Wilson
  • Wilson
  • Adkins
5:14
Total length:65:32
Deluxe edition bonus disc [72]
No.TitleLyricsProducer(s)Length
12."Need You Now" (featuring Darius Rucker) (live at CMT Artists of the Year Awards) 3:55
13."Someone like You" (live acoustic)
  • Adkins
  • Wilson
  • Wilson
  • Adkins
5:14
14."Turning Tables" (live acoustic)
  • Adkins
  • Tedder
Abbiss4:20
15."Don't You Remember" (live acoustic)
  • Adkins
  • Wilson
Rubin4:18
Total length:65:50
Notes

Personnel

Adapted from AllMusic and 21's liner notes. [274] [275]

Production

Music

Charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Certifications for 21, with pure sales where available
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF) [462] 4× Platinum 
Australia (ARIA) [463] 17× Platinum1,190,000
Austria (IFPI Austria) [464] Platinum20,000*
Belgium (BEA) [465] 6× Platinum180,000*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [466] 3× Diamond480,000
Canada (Music Canada) [467] 2× Diamond1,600,000
Chile [468] 2× Platinum40,000 [469]
Colombia [470] Gold 
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [471] 10× Platinum200,000
Finland (Musiikkituottajat) [472] 2× Platinum83,234 [472]
France1,740,000 [473]
Germany (BVMI) [474] 8× Platinum1,600,000^
Greece (IFPI Greece) [289] Platinum6,000^
Hungary (MAHASZ) [475] Platinum6,000^
Iceland (FHF) [476] Gold2,500 [477]
Ireland (IRMA) [137] 18× Platinum270,000 [137]
Israel [478] Platinum40,000 [478]
Italy (FIMI) [479] 9× Platinum450,000
Japan (RIAJ) [480] Gold100,000^
Mexico (AMPROFON) [481] Diamond+3× Platinum480,000
Netherlands (NVPI) [482] 4× Platinum500,000 [483]
New Zealand (RMNZ) [484] 13× Platinum195,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway) [485] Platinum100,000 [486]
Poland (ZPAV) [487] 2× Diamond200,000*
Portugal (AFP) [488] 2× Platinum30,000^
Russia (NFPF) [489] Platinum10,000*
South Africa30,000 [490]
South Korea11,583 [491]
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [492] 5× Platinum300,000^
Sweden (GLF) [493] 3× Platinum140,000 [494]
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [495] 7× Platinum210,000^
Taiwan12,000 [496]
United Kingdom (BPI) [130] 18× Platinum5,400,000
United States (RIAA) [497] 14× Platinum12,009,000 [167]
Venezuela10,000 [498]
Summaries
Europe (IFPI) [499] 10× Platinum10,000,000*
Worldwide31,000,000 [8]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

RegionRelease dateFormatLabel
Japan [273] 5 January 2011

19 January 2011

Hostess
Germany [500] 21 January 2011 XL
Ireland [501]
Australia [502] 24 January 2011
Austria [503]
Finland [504]
Netherlands [94]
Switzerland [80]
United Kingdom [505]
  • CD
  • Limited edition
Poland [506]
France [507]
  • CD
  • digital download
  • LP
United States [270] [508] 22 February 2011 Columbia
Canada [509]
Mexico [510] 5 April 2011
  • CD
  • digital download
Sony Mexico
China [511] 7 March 2013CDStarsing

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 Greenblatt, Leah (9 February 2011). "Adele's '21': The EW review". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 24 April 2011.
  2. 1 2 Dean, Will (20 January 2011). "Adele: 21 – review". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 10 February 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
  3. "25 Going on 40". Slate. 24 November 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  4. "Adele – 21 – MP3 Downloads". 7digital. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  5. "Greatest of All Time Billboard 200 Albums Chart" . Billboard. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  6. 1 2 Caulfield, Keith (12 November 2015). "Greatest Billboard 200 Albums & Artists of All Time: Adele's '21' & The Beatles Are Tops". Billboard . Archived from the original on 10 December 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  7. "BBC Radio 2 - Pick of the Pops - The Top 40 Best Selling Albums of the 21st Century so far..." BBC. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  8. 1 2 Serjeant, Jill (31 October 2016). Osterman, Cynthia (ed.). "Adele says she battled depression, before and after son's birth". Vanity Fair . Reuters. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
  9. Still, Jennifer (23 February 2011). "Adele: 'Writing album broke my heart'". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi. Archived from the original on 4 April 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Verrico, Lisa (9 January 2011). "Ready to join the A list. Interview: Feisty, fashionable and feted by the stars, Adele could be set for Amy-style success with her second album". The Sunday Times . London. p. 22.
  11. 1 2 3 Hare, Breeanna (24 February 2011). "Cover Story: Adele keeps old soul fresh". CNN. Turner Broadcasting System . Archived from the original on 31 January 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  12. 1 2 3 Collins, Leah (12 March 2011). "Another broken heart pays off: English singer Adele uses second breakup for equally emotional followup to debut album". Edmonton Journal . John Connolly. Archived from the original on 7 March 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  13. McCormick, Neil (6 April 2011). "Adele: she's stopped us in her tracks" . The Daily Telegraph . London. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
  14. Krajewski, Jill (19 May 2011). "Adele plays first arena gig at ACC". CanCulture. Archived from the original on 31 May 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  15. 1 2 Harmsworth, Andrei (23 February 2011). "Adele: Bitter break-up drove me to drink". Metro . London. Archived from the original on 31 January 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  16. 1 2 Mpubani, Raymond (23 April 2011). "This is what 21 years sound like". Daily Monitor . Kampala: Monitor Publications. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2011.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 Stevenson, Jane (13 March 2011). "Adele, Rubin an oddly perfect pair". Calgary Sun . Archived from the original on 19 December 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
  18. Levine, Nick (17 January 2011). "Adele: 'Rolling in the Deep'". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi. Archived from the original on 4 April 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "The Adele Experience". M Magazine. PRS for Music. 22 December 2011. Archived from the original on 21 January 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  20. "Adele–21". Discogs. Zink Media. 20 January 2011. Archived from the original on 2 November 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
  21. 1 2 Adkins 2011 , Interview: "Turning Tables"
  22. 1 2 Inman, Davis (21 November 2011). "Adele, "One And Only"". American Songwriter . Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  23. 1 2 3 4 Mark McInnis (Creator and Executive Producer) (16 March 2011). Adele Plays with MTV News (Television production). Toronto, Canada: MTV Live, MTV Canada. Bell Media. Archived from the original on 13 September 2011. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
  24. 1 2 "I.B. Bad Is a Ladies' Man: Lady Antebellum Shows Need You Now Was No Fluke, While Adele Finds Humongous Success By Going with Her Gut". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. 23 September 2011. Archived from the original on 5 October 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  25. 1 2 3 Hurley, James (12 January 2011). "Adele interview – part two". MSN Music. Microsoft. Archived from the original on 5 November 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  26. 1 2 3 Eliscu, Jenny (23 July 2010). "In the Studio: Adele Goes Country on Fall Disc". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 24 April 2011.
  27. Maines, Natalie (3 May 2007). "The Time 100: Artists and Entertainers—Rick Rubin". Time . Archived from the original on 29 August 2008. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  28. 1 2 Adkins 2011 , Interview: "Lovesong"
  29. "The Triumph of Adele". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on 30 September 2012.
  30. Montgomery, James (18 February 2011). "Adele Says 21 Has People Thinking 'I'm Sort of a Manic-Depressive'". MTV. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2011.
  31. 1 2 3 Adkins, Adele (1 November 2010). "Adele: I'm very excited, nervous, eager, anxious but chuffed to announce my new album!". Adele.tv. XL Recordings. Archived from the original on 24 April 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
  32. 1 2 3 Jewell, Stephen (31 January 2011). "Adele Opens Up About the Relationship that Inspired Her New Album". BlackBook . Brett Wagner. Archived from the original on 3 June 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  33. Staff (17 February 2011). "Adele on '21': 'The Songs on Here are the Most Articulate I've Ever Written'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  34. 1 2 3 4 McGinley, Gary (25 January 2011). "Adele 21". No Ripcord. Archived from the original on 11 April 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
  35. 1 2 3 4 5 Shelburne, Craig (4 February 2011). "Adele Inspired by Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now": Grammy-Winning Singer Discovers Country Music Through Her Bus Driver". Country Music Television. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on 6 January 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  36. 1 2 3 4 Smith, Ethan (25 February 2011). "America Goes Gaga for Adele". The Wall Street Journal . New York. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
  37. 1 2 3 4 Freed, Nick (8 April 2011). "Adele:21". Consequence of Sound. Complex Media Network. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
  38. 1 2 3 Tucker, Ken (9 March 2011). "On 21, Adele's Voice Is Wise Beyond Her Years". NPR Music. NPR. Archived from the original on 2 November 2013. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
  39. 1 2 3 Stewart, Allison (22 February 2011). "Adele, 21: Album review". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on 19 December 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  40. 1 2 3 Murphy, John (24 January 2011). "Adele: 21 Review". MusicOMH. Archived from the original on 6 November 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
  41. Caramanica, Jon (6 June 2012). "A Singer With Many Influences But a Soul That's Hers Alone". The New York Times . p. C1k. Archived from the original on 11 February 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  42. 1 2 3 4 Reed, Ryan (22 February 2011). "Adele: 21". Paste . Wolfgang's Vault. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
  43. "Authenticity makes a comeback". The Economist . 11 June 2012. Archived from the original on 28 September 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  44. Spies, Mike (2 March 2011). "Listening to Adele's New Album: How soul music became "soul music"". Slate . John Alderman. Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
  45. Roberts, Randall (15 August 2011). "Live review: Adele, Wanda Jackson at the Greek Theatre". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 11 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  46. 1 2 3 4 Dorken, Joanne (21 January 2011). "Adele 21 – Track By Track Review". MTV (UK). MTV Networks. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
  47. 1 2 Adkins 2011 , Interview: "Rolling in the Deep"
  48. 1 2 Kern, Kevin (27 April 2011). "Adele Rolls Deep". Popstache Magazine. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  49. Walters, Barry (15 December 2010). "Rolling in the Deep by Adele – Song Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
  50. 1 2 Adkins 2011 , Interview: "Rumour Has It"
  51. Levine, Nick (19 January 2011). "Adele aimed to "surprise" with Tedder song". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi. Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
  52. 1 2 3 Cole, Matthew (20 February 2011). "Adele: 21 – Music Review". Slant Magazine . Archived from the original on 22 February 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
  53. 1 2 Walker, Ian (8 April 2011). "Review: Adele 21". AbsolutePunk. Buzz Media. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
  54. "Adele: 21". URB . Raymond Roker. 25 February 2011. Archived from the original on 19 December 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  55. Caramanica, Jon (11 February 2011). "Adele:21". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 12 July 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  56. McCormick, Neil (13 September 2011). "Adele – De Montfort hall, Leicester: review" . The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
  57. Boyd, Bryan (14 January 2011). "Adele: CD of the Week, 21". The Irish Times . Dublin. Archived from the original on 19 February 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  58. Adkins 2011 , Interview: "Don't You Remember"
  59. "73* Questions With Adele Vogue". YouTube .
  60. Adkins 2011 , Interview: "Set Fire to the Rain"
  61. Gipson, L. Michael (2 February 2011). "Adele: 21". Creative Loafing . Sharry Smith. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
  62. 1 2 3 Collar, Matt. "21 – Adele". AllMusic . All Media Network. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  63. Adkins 2011 , Interview: "Take It All"
  64. Adkins 2011 , Interview: "I'll Be Waiting"
  65. Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (19 April 2011). "Adele 21". Financial Times . Pearson. Archived from the original on 29 April 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
  66. 1 2 Yaqub, Aamir (26 January 2011). "Adele: 21". Soul Culture. Archived from the original on 29 April 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
  67. 1 2 Townshend, Tom (11 January 2011). "Album review: Adele – 21". MSN Music. Microsoft. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
  68. Adkins 2011 , Interview: "One and Only"
  69. 1 2 Breihan, Tom (15 February 2011). "Adele's "Someone like You"". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
  70. 1 2 Adkins 2011 , Interview: "Someone like You"
  71. 1 2 Fennessey, Sean (23 February 2011). "Adele Goes Deep: The queen of British white-girl r&b-dom is crowned at last". The Village Voice . New York. Archived from the original on 4 February 2009. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
  72. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Wood, Mikael (28 January 2011). "Adele: The Billboard Cover Story". Billboard. Archived from the original on 1 May 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
  73. "Success of 21 is Continuation of Successful Launch". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. 7 March 2011. Archived from the original on 23 December 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2011.
  74. Perpetua, Matthew (22 February 2011). "Adele Impresses David Letterman With a Stunning Version of 'Rolling in the Deep'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 10 July 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  75. Lamont, Tom (27 March 2011). "Adele: the girl with the mighty mouth". The Observer . London. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  76. Mckinley, James Jr. (4 October 2011). "For 2nd Time, Adele Cancels a Tour". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 17 October 2011. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  77. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Dutch charts portal: "Set Fire to the Rain"" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. GfK. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
  78. "Adele, "Rolling in the Deep"" (in German). Media Control Charts. Media Control GfK International. Archived from the original on 6 December 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
  79. "Ultratop Belgium (FL): Adele-21" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 17 February 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
  80. 1 2 3 4 "Adele 21 (Album)" (in German). Schweizer Hitparade. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
  81. 1 2 3 "ADELE 21 (ALBUM)". charts.nz. Archived from the original on 5 April 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
  82. "2011 Top 40 Official UK Singles Archive". Official Charts Company. 29 January 2011. Archived from the original on 10 January 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
  83. 1 2 Trust, Gary (14 July 2011). "Adele's 'Rolling in the Deep' Is The Biggest Crossover Song of Past 25 Years". Billboard. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  84. Trust, Gary (20 April 2011). "Rihanna's 'S&M' Reigns on Hot 100, Lady Gaga's 'Judas' Debuts". Billboard. Archived from the original on 16 April 2011. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
  85. 1 2 Trust, Gary (11 May 2011). "Adele's 'Rolling in the Deep' Tops Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
  86. Trust, Gary (27 April 2011). "Katy Perry's 'E.T.' Returns To No. 1 on Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on 5 May 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
  87. Grein, Paul (6 April 2011). "Songs: Even Divas Struggle". Chart Watch. Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on 9 May 2011. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
  88. Christman, Ed (6 October 2011). "2011 U.S. Album Sales Still Strong After Three-Quarters: Artists including Adele and Eminem contributed to a 3.3% increase over the corresponding period of 2010". The Hollywood Reporter . Los Angeles. Archived from the original on 11 October 2011. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  89. Jones, Alan (13 July 2011). "Beyoncé's 4 overtakes Adele to top the world sales chart". Music Week . Archived from the original on 19 July 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  90. "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 11 May 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  91. Howard, Amy (20 February 2011). "Adele equals Beatles' record to lead Official Charts Brits Bonanza". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 25 February 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  92. "Hillsong beats Beyonce, Lady Gaga on Australian albums chart". Herald Sun . Melbourne. 11 July 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
  93. Corner, Lewis (5 May 2011). "Adele tops US album chart for sixth week". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi. Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  94. 1 2 "Nederlandse Top 40—Dutch Charts Portal" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. GfK. Archived from the original on 12 January 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
  95. "Adele—"Set Fire to the Rain'" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 12 June 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
  96. "Set Fire to the Rain" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
  97. Schneider, Marc (13 February 2012). "Adele's Next '21' Single: 'Rumour Has It'". Billboard. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
  98. "Radio, On Its Own, Mines Adele's '21' for More Hits". Billboard . August 2012.
  99. "21 by Adele reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  100. 1 2 "Reviews for 21 by Adele". Metacritic. CBS Interactive . 27 January 2011. Archived from the original on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
  101. McNulty, Bernadette (19 January 2011). "Adele: 21, CD of the week, review". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 25 January 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
  102. Gill, Andy (21 January 2011). "Album: Adele, 21 (XL)". The Independent . London. Archived from the original on 28 February 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  103. Parkin, Chris (24 January 2011). "Adele 21 (XL)". NME . Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
  104. Blum, Dani (27 September 2020). "Adele: 21 Album Review". Pitchfork . Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  105. Hermes, Will (17 February 2011). "21". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
  106. Walters, Barry (22 February 2011). "Adele, '21' (XL/Columbia)". Spin . Archived from the original on 3 September 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
  107. "Listen Up: INXS' 'Original Sin' is salvation for band's fans". USA Today . McLean. 22 February 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  108. Kot, Greg (20 February 2011). "Adele 21". Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on 1 May 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
  109. Harper, Simon (24 January 2011). "Adele 21: All About That Voice". Clash . Archived from the original on 13 July 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
  110. 1 2 Viney, Joseph (29 January 2011). "Album review: Adele – 21". Sputnikmusic. Archived from the original on 8 December 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
  111. "Adele, '21' (XL)". Q (295). London: 106. February 2011.
  112. Pareles, Jon (20 May 2011). "Songs About What Went Wrong, but Performed So Right". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 23 May 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
  113. Christgau, Robert (20 January 2012). "Odds and Ends 005". MSN Music. Microsoft. Archived from the original on 23 April 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  114. Christgau, Robert. "Adele: Consumer Guide Reviews". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  115. Smirke, Richard (26 March 2012). "IFPI 2012 Report: Global Music Revenue Down 3%; Sync, PRO, Digital Income Up". Billboard. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  116. 1 2 Copesy, Robert (4 April 2011). "11 Chart Facts about Adele's 21". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi. Archived from the original on 5 April 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
  117. Williams, Paul (7 September 2011). "Ten million and counting for the unstoppable Adele". Music Week. Archived from the original on 11 September 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  118. "Adele's '21' helps boost label XL profits to £41 million". NME. 3 May 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  119. "Recording Industry in Numbers" (PDF). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. 2013. p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 April 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  120. "Adele comes of age with 21 at number one". Official Charts Company. 30 January 2011. Archived from the original on 14 February 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  121. Kreisler, Lauren (22 January 2012). "Adele equals Oasis and Queen chart record". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 28 June 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  122. "Adele's 21 is the 2nd biggest selling album of 2012 so far with Emeli Sandé's debut album Our Version of Events ahead of her". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  123. White, Jack (31 May 2018). "Ed Sheeran's ÷ surpasses three million combined sales". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 12 August 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  124. Copsey, Rob (13 October 2018). "The UK's biggest studio albums of all time". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  125. Sexton, Paul (21 February 2011). "Adele Ties Beatles Record on U.K. Charts, BRIT Awards Boost Winners". Billboard. Archived from the original on 29 May 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
  126. Sperling, Daniel (27 February 2011). "Adele scores fifth week at album No.1". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 14 December 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  127. Croft, Adrian (27 February 2011). "Adele tightens grip on charts". London: Reuters. Thomson Reuters. Archived from the original on 20 August 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  128. Gritt, Emma (13 September 2011). "Adele's gets three Guinness World Records to top amazing 2011". Metro. London. Archived from the original on 3 January 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
  129. Sexton, Paul (21 February 2011). "Adele, Jennifer Lopez Extend Reign on U.K. Charts". Billboard. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
  130. 1 2 "British album certifications – Adele – 21". British Phonographic Industry.
  131. "Digital music sales 'pass £1bn'". BBC Online. BBC. 12 May 2011. Archived from the original on 12 May 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  132. "Adele's 21 smashes Official Albums Chart records, again!". Official Charts Company. 8 January 2012. Archived from the original on 29 June 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  133. Lane, Dan (22 April 2012). "Record breaker Adele denies Jason Mraz his first UK Number 1". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  134. Kreisler, Lauren (15 April 2012). "Adele returns to Number 1 and overtakes Bowie, Dire Straits and The Beatles". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  135. Copsey, Rob (11 December 2019). "The UK's Official Top 100 biggest albums of the decade 2010 – 2019". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  136. "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – Q1 & Q2 2012". IFPI. July 2012. Archived from the original on 10 August 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  137. 1 2 3 4 "Adele sells over 250,000 albums in Ireland". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 3 August 2012. Archived from the original on 6 August 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  138. "21 – The Magic Number". Chart-track.co.uk. 22 July 2011. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  139. "Top 100 of all Albums in the charts since 1995". Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 2 August 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
  140. "Leevi and the Leavings: Keskiviikko – 40 ensimmäistä hittiä" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  141. 1 2 "Adele: 21" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  142. Caulfield, Keith (2 March 2011). "Adele's 21 Debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 With 352,000 Sales". Billboard. Archived from the original on 20 August 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
  143. Caulfield, Keith (2 March 2011). "Adele's 21 Sells Over 350k to Top Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  144. "Billboard 200 August 20, 2011 chart". Billboard. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  145. "Adele, 21 – No. 10 collects its 84th nonconsecutive week in the top 10". Billboard. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  146. 1 2 3 Grein, Paul (15 September 2011). "Chart Watch Extra: Adele's Past, Present And Future". Chart Watch. Yahoo!!! Music. Archived from the original on 1 December 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  147. Jones, Alan (9 January 2012). "TAlbum Chart Analysis: Adele needs just 38k weekly sales to claim No.1". Music Week. Archived from the original on 2 November 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  148. Jones, Steve (13 July 2011). "Digital album sales soar, thanks to Adele, Eminem". USA Today. McLean, Virginia. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  149. Grein, Paul (18 January 2012). "Week Ending Jan. 15, 2012. Albums: Good News & Bad News". Chart Watch. Yahoo!!! Music. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2012.
  150. Grein, Paul (4 January 2012). "Week Ending Jan. 1, 2012. Albums: She's Back". Chart Watch. Yahoo!!! Music. Archived from the original on 3 April 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  151. Grein, Paul (16 May 2012). "Week Ending May 13, 2012. Albums: 9 Million!". Yahoo! Music . Retrieved 17 May 2012.
  152. Trust, Gary (27 November 2012). "Adele's '21' Hits 10 Million in U.S. Sales". Billboard. Archived from the original on 1 January 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  153. Grein, Paul (28 November 2012). "Chart Watch Extra: Adele Tops 10 Million". Chart Watch. Yahoo Music. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  154. McIntyre, Hugh (24 February 2015). "Adele's '21' Has Now Spent Four Straight Years on the Charts". Forbes . Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  155. "RIAA – Adele Earns RIAA Diamond for "21"". 28 November 2012. Archived from the original on 4 January 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  156. "Adele and Carly Rae Jepsen Top iTunes Sales in 2012". 13 December 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  157. 1 2 "Year-End top-selling albums across all genres, ranked by sales data as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan." Billboard . Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  158. 1 2 "Year-End top-selling albums across all genres, ranked by sales data as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan." Billboard . Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  159. "Chart Watch Extra: Billboard's Year-End Charts". Yahoo!. 14 December 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  160. "Chart Watch Extra: The Year's Top Albums". Yahoo!. 12 December 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  161. Copsey, Nick (16 December 2012). "Adele announced as top Billboard artist for second year running". Digital Spy. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  162. "Week Ending Feb. 17, 2013. Albums: Mumford's Grammy Surge". 20 February 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  163. Grein, Paul (6 March 2013). "Week Ending March 3, 2013. Albums: Bargain Gives Bruno A Boost". USA Today. Yahoo! Chart Watch. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
  164. "Chart Watch: Eminem Returns to No. 1, Gaga Sinks to No. 8". 27 November 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  165. "The Decade in Charts: Mark & Bruno's 'Uptown Funk!' Rules Hot 100 & Adele's '21' Tops Billboard 200". Billboard . Archived from the original on 15 November 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  166. Caulfield, Keith (27 October 2017). "Billboard 200 Chart Moves: Adele's '25' Hits 100th Consecutive Week on Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  167. 1 2 "Nielsen Music;U.S. 2019 Year-End Music Report" (PDF). Billboard, Nielsen Soundscan . Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  168. Caulfield, Keith (6 April 2017). "Adele's '21' Breaks Record for Longest-Charting Album by a Woman on the Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on 9 October 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  169. "Adele Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  170. McIntyre, Hugh (5 February 2020). "Adele's '21' Is The First Album by a Woman To Reach 450 Weeks on the Billboard 200 Chart". Forbes. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  171. McIntyre, Hugh (8 February 2021). "Adele Makes Billboard Chart History (Again) As Her Album '21' Reaches A Very Important Milestone". Forbes. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  172. Manning, James (22 December 2021). "Adele becomes first female singer to have a record on The Billboard 200 for a decade". TheNews . Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  173. William, John (25 January 2012). "Edwards can't beat Adele on charts". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
  174. "Gold Platinum Database". Music Canada. Archived from the original on 2 May 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
  175. "2014 Canadian Music Market Report" (Press release). FYI Music News. 25 January 2015. Archived from the original on 17 March 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  176. Lendrum, Tony (18 July 2011). "Adele's 21 becomes second longest running number one ARIA chart album this decade". The AU Review. Heath Media & the AU review. Archived from the original on 2 November 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  177. "Adele 21 About To Pass One Million Sales in Australia". Noise11. 26 December 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  178. Manning, James (10 January 2020). "ARIA releases charts of 2019 and charts of the decade". Mediaweek. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  179. Miller, Andrew (19 October 2011). "Complete Six60". Chart Bitz. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 17 October 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  180. Miller, Andrew (26 September 2011). "Adele's New Record". Chart Bitz. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 17 October 2011. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  181. "Greatest of All Time Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard . Archived from the original on 1 October 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  182. Dietz, Jason (7 January 2011). "Music Critic Top 10 List – Best Albums of 2011". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 10 November 2018. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
  183. Moody, Nekesa Mumbi (20 December 2011). "No Surprise: Adele Tops AP's List of Best Albums". HuffPost . Archived from the original on 23 December 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
  184. "10 Best Albums of 2011". Entertainment Weekly. 26 December 2011. Archived from the original on 2 November 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
  185. "Our music critics save their best for last". Star Tribune . Minneapolis. 26 December 2011. Archived from the original on 7 January 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
  186. "Digital Spy's top 25 albums of 2011". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi. 26 December 2011. Archived from the original on 2 November 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
  187. "2011 Critics Poll: Best Albums". MSN Music. Microsoft. 26 December 2011. Archived from the original on 4 May 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
  188. Farber, Jim (25 December 2011). "The Best Music of 2011: Adele, Glen Campbell plus 40 more CDs to download". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
  189. "50 Best Albums of 2011". Rolling Stone. 8 December 2011. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  190. Suddath, Claire (8 December 2011). "The Top 10 Everything of 2011: Top 10 Albums". Time. Archived from the original on 7 December 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  191. "Year-end music: Our critics' picks for top albums". USA Today . McLean, Virginia. 26 December 2011. Archived from the original on 27 December 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
  192. "Critics' Picks: 10 Best Albums of 2011". Billboard. 13 December 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
  193. Harrison, Rachel (23 December 2011). "The 20 best albums of 2011". Daily Record . Glasgow. Archived from the original on 14 January 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
  194. "The Best Albums of 2011". Amazon. 8 December 2011. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  195. "The Top 50 Albums of 2011". Rhapsody. 14 December 2011. Archived from the original on 19 April 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
  196. Montgomery, James (6 December 2011). "Drake, Adele And More: The 20 Best Albums Of 2011". MTV. Archived from the original on 18 April 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  197. Rodman, Sarah (18 December 2011). "Eleven For '11: Sarah Rodman's top albums of 2011". Boston Globe . Archived from the original on 17 January 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
  198. Halperin, Shirley (23 December 2011). "THR Music Editor's Top 10 Albums of 2011". The Hollywood Reporter. Los Angeles. Archived from the original on 7 January 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
  199. Sterdan, Darryl (23 December 2011). "QMI's top 10 CDs of 2011". Toronto Sun . Archived from the original on 2 November 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
  200. "American Songwriter's Top 50 Albums of 2011". American Songwriter. 29 November 2011. Archived from the original on 9 September 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  201. "Q's Top 50 Albums of 2011—Countdown". Q . 29 November 2011. Archived from the original on 8 May 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  202. Roberts, Randall (16 December 2011). "2011 year in review: Best in pop music". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 21 December 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
  203. "The Top 40 Albums of 2011". Clash. 7 December 2011. Archived from the original on 14 January 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  204. Stewart, Allison (14 December 2011). "Allison Stewart picks her top 10 albums of 2011". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 13 January 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
  205. St. Asaph, Katherine (18 January 2012). "The Spotlight Shines on Adele's Heartbreak". The Village Voice. New York. Archived from the original on 13 September 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  206. "Women Who Rock: The 50 Greatest Albums of All Time: Adele, '21'". Rolling Stone . New York. 22 June 2012. Archived from the original on 25 June 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  207. "Billboard's Top 20 Best Albums of the 2010s (So Far)". Billboard . 13 January 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  208. Dimery, Robert; Lydon, Michael (2014). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN   978-0-7893-2074-2.
  209. "The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s". Rolling Stone . 3 December 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  210. Consequence of Sound staff (5 November 2019). "Top 100 Albums of the 2010s". Consequence of Sound . Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  211. Smith, Troy L. (9 October 2019). "100 greatest albums of the 2010s". Cleveland.com . Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  212. "The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s". Paste . 9 October 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  213. Mathieson, Craig (7 December 2019). "Kanye, Beyonce, Taylor, Billie: The albums of the decade". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  214. Naftule, Ashley; Consequence of Sound staff (8 November 2019). "The Top 25 Pop Albums of the 2010s". Consequence of Sound . Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  215. "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  216. Roffman, Michael (19 June 2017). "The 10 Greatest Second Albums of All Time: 07. Adele −21". Consequence of Sound . Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  217. Greenblatt, Leah; Rodman, Sarah; Suskind, Alex (28 August 2020). "The 30 essential albums from the last 30 years". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  218. Singh, Anita (19 June 2011). "Mercury Prize: here come the girls". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
  219. Vena, Joselyn (9 July 2011). "PJ Harvey Beats Out Adele for Mercury Prize". MTV. Archived from the original on 8 July 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
  220. Greenwald, David (20 November 2011). "AMAs 2011: Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj Win Big on Ladies' Night". Billboard. p. 2. Archived from the original on 27 November 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
  221. "Billboard Music Awards 2012 winners". Billboard. Archived from the original on 5 July 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  222. "Billboard Music Awards 2012: The Complete Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
  223. "Billboard Music Awards 2013: The Complete Winners List". MTV. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  224. "54th Annual GRAMMY Awards". [Grammy.com]. 12 February 2012. Archived from the original on 12 March 2019. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  225. Messitte, Nick (9 February 2015). "What Does A 'Producer of the Year' Grammy Really Mean for the Winner". Forbes. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  226. Bodner, Brett (12 February 2016). "Grammy Awards History: 11 Facts And Trivia Before The 2016 Awards Show". International Business Times. Archived from the original on 18 February 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  227. Grein, Paul (15 May 2017). "Adele To Michael Jackson: Who's Won The Most GRAMMYs in a Night?". [Grammy.com]. Archived from the original on 10 March 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  228. 1 2 Grein, Paul (1 February 2012). "Grammy's Triple Crown". Yahoo. Archived from the original on 23 February 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  229. Betancourt, Bianca (27 January 2020). "Billie Eilish Just Became the Second Artist Ever to Sweep the Top Grammy Categories, Duh!". Harpers Bazaar. Archived from the original on 27 January 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  230. Grein, Paul (2 December 2014). "The GRAMMYs' Biggest Winners: The '10s". [Grammy.com]. Archived from the original on 29 June 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  231. Smirke, Richard (21 February 2012). "BRIT Awards 2012: Adele, Ed Sheeran, Coldplay Win Big". Billboard. Archived from the original on 27 December 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  232. "Feist scoops three awards at Canada's Juno Awards". NME. London. 2 April 2012. Archived from the original on 18 December 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  233. Kellogg, Jane (20 November 2011). "AMAs 2011: Winners and Nominees Complete List". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
  234. "Adele, Frank Turner dominate AIM Independent Music Awards". NME . 11 November 2011. Archived from the original on 19 December 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  235. Hansen, Thomas Søie (5 November 2011). "Agnes' aften til Danish Music Awards". Berlingske (in Danish). Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  236. "GAFFA-Prisen – og vinderne er..." Gaffa (in Danish). Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  237. "Awards : Impala". Independent Music Companies Association. Archived from the original on 7 February 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  238. Moreno, Chino (6 September 2011). "PJ Harvey wins 2011 Barclaycard Mercury Prize". NME. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  239. "2011 Mobo awards nominees". The Daily Telegraph. 5 October 2011. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  240. Vena, Jocelyn (21 October 2011). "Chris Brown, Beyonce Lead Soul Train Award Nods". MTV. Archived from the original on 2 August 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  241. Lee, Ann (16 August 2011). "Jessie J, Adele, Wretch 32 and Tinie Tempah up for Urban Music Awards". Metro . Archived from the original on 16 March 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
  242. "Billboard Music Awards 2012 winners". Billboard. Archived from the original on 5 July 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  243. "Brit Awards: Adele cut short amid triumph". BBC News. 22 February 2012. Archived from the original on 21 February 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  244. Spahr, Wolfgang (23 March 2012). "Adele Wins, Katy Perry Performs at 2012 German ECHO Awards in Berlin". Billboard. Archived from the original on 11 May 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  245. "Fryderyk 2012 Laureaci" (PDF). Fryderyk. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 March 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  246. "Nominerade Grammis 2012". Grammis. 19 December 2012. Archived from the original on 22 May 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  247. "Grammy Awards 2012: Winners and nominees list". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  248. "Adele Picks Up Two Ivor Novello Awards". MTV. 17 May 2012. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  249. "2012 Junos: All the winners". CBC News. 1 April 2012. Archived from the original on 27 July 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  250. "People's Choice Awards 2012: List of winners". CBS News. 12 January 2012. Archived from the original on 7 July 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  251. "Lista de ganadores de los Premios Oye!". Marie Palma F. (in Spanish). starMedia Latinoamericana. 10 February 2012. Archived from the original on 13 April 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  252. "Billboard Music Awards 2013 Winners". Billboard. Archived from the original on 6 June 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  253. Nicholson, Jessica (14 December 2012). "World Music Award Nominees Announced". MusicRow . Archived from the original on 10 August 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  254. McCall, Tris (6 January 2011). "Song of the Week: 'Set Fire to the Rain,' Adele". The Star-Ledger . Newark: Richard Vezza. Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
  255. Jonze, Tim (6 April 2011). "How Adele conquered the world". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  256. Farber, Jim (22 February 2011). "Adele 21 review: Perfect album floats beyond countries and time". Daily News . New York. Archived from the original on 15 August 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  257. 1 2 Winistorfer, Andrew (9 August 2011). "Rolling in the Deep: Why Can't Anyone Explain Adele's Chart Domination". Prefix Magazine. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  258. Frere-Jones, Sasha (27 June 2011). "Show Runners: The women of pop". The New Yorker . Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
  259. Shepherd, Julianne Escobedo (8 December 2011). "21 And Up: Adele's Billboard Cover Story". Billboard. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
  260. 1 2 Adams, Guy (5 March 2011). "Straight in at No 1...America embraces Adele, the 'Anti-Gaga'" . The Independent . London. Archived from the original on 6 March 2011. Retrieved 10 May 2011.
  261. Hermes, Will (9 March 2007). "Music Review: Back To Black (2007)". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  262. 1 2 Topping, Alexandra (29 May 2011). "Adele can change how music industry markets female acts, says label boss". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 30 September 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
  263. Turner-Williams, Jaelani (22 January 2021). "21 Turns 10". Stereogum. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  264. Blum, Dani (27 September 2020). "Adele: 21 Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  265. Culp, Leo (27 October 2020). "The Sophomore Series: Adele's '21'and Frank Ocean's 'Blonde'". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  266. Hunt, El (24 January 2021). "10 years of Adele's record-smashing '21': the story of a heartbreak pop classic". NME. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  267. Alkins, Gabriel (24 January 2021). "For The Record: Adele's Icon-Making '21' At 10". The Recording Academy. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  268. Murphy, Sam (19 January 2021). "How Adele's '21' Heralded A New Era Of Relatable Pop". Junkee. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  269. Thiessen, Christopher (24 January 2021). "Adele's 21 Brought Sincerity to Pop Music When It Needed It Most". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  270. 1 2 "Adele 21". iTunes Store (US). Apple Inc. 24 January 2011. Archived from the original on 8 March 2011. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  271. "ADELE: Watch Adele's "Rolling In The Deep" Live Acoustic performance exclusively on Ping!". Archived from the original on 1 November 2013.
  272. "Adele (3) – 21 (CD, Album) at Discogs". discogs. Archived from the original on 29 January 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
  273. 1 2 "Adele 21". Amazon.com (JP) (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 11 August 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  274. "21 Credits". AllMusic . All Media Network. Archived from the original on 20 August 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
  275. 21 (booklet). XL, Columbia. 2011.
  276. "Ranking Mensual-Pop" (in Spanish). Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original on 10 November 2011. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  277. "Australiancharts.com – Adele – 21". Hung Medien.
  278. "Austriancharts.at – Adele – 21" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  279. "Ultratop.be – Adele – 21" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  280. "Ultratop.be – Adele – 21" (in French). Hung Medien.
  281. "Chart Search Results – Brazil Albums 31 March 2012". Billboard. Archived from the original on 1 August 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
  282. "Adele Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard.
  283. "Top stranih – tjedan 1. 2012" (in Croatian). Hrvatska Diskografska Udruga. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  284. "Top 50 Prodejní: Adele" (in Czech). IFPI ČR Hitparáda. International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Czech Republic. Archived from the original on 15 May 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
  285. "Danishcharts.dk – Adele – 21". Hung Medien.
  286. "Dutchcharts.nl – Adele – 21" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  287. "Lescharts.com – Adele – 21". Hung Medien.
  288. "Offiziellecharts.de – Adele – 21" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  289. 1 2 "Ελληνικό Chart – Top 50 Ξένων Aλμπουμ" (in Greek). IFPI Greece . Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  290. "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2012. 8. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ.
  291. "Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending 27 January 2011". GfK Chart-Track. Archived from the original on 2 May 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  292. "Italiancharts.com – Adele – 21". Hung Medien.
  293. "21 | アデル" [21 | Adele] (in Japanese). Oricon.
  294. 1 2 "Los Más Vendidos 2011" (PDF) (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 January 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  295. "Charts.nz – Adele – 21". Hung Medien.
  296. "Norwegiancharts.com – Adele – 21". Hung Medien.
  297. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry.
  298. "Portuguesecharts.com – Adele – 21". Hung Medien.
  299. "Lenta.ru: Адель в платине" (in Russian). lenta.ru . Retrieved 30 March 2012.
  300. February 2011/40/ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  301. "Slo Top 30" (in Italian). RTV SLO. International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. 14 July 2011. Archived from the original on 10 June 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
  302. "Radio Sonder Grense" (in Afrikaans). South African Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 13 March 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  303. "2015 Weeks 50 Album Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart.
  304. "Spanishcharts.com – Adele – 21". Hung Medien.
  305. "Swedishcharts.com – Adele – 21". Hung Medien.
  306. "Swisscharts.com – Adele – 21". Hung Medien.
  307. "Adele | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
  308. February 2011/131/ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  309. "Adele Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  310. "Tónlistinn – Plötur – Vika 41 – 2023" [The Music – Albums – Week 41 – 2023] (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Archived from the original on 15 October 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  311. "Adele Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  312. "Ireland's Top 50 biggest female artist albums". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  313. Kreisler, Lauren (10 February 2014). "Queen's Greatest Hits becomes first album to sell 6 million copies in the UK". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  314. "Greatest of All Time Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard . Archived from the original on 13 November 2015. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  315. "Greatest of All Time Billboard 200 Albums by Women". Billboard . Archived from the original on 1 February 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  316. "ARIA Top 100 Albums of the 10's". January 2020. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  317. "Year-End Music Report Canada 2019" (PDF). 9 January 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 July 2020.
  318. "Decennium Charts - Albums 2010-2019" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts . Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  319. "Platz 4️⃣ der erfolgreichsten Singles und Alben des Jahrzehnts +++ +++ Der erfolgreichste Song von Avicii heißt... "Wake Me Up". Er stand 2013 für 10 Wochen an der Spitze der Single-Charts, war Sommerhit 2013, Hit des Jahres 2013 – und schaffte es im Frühjahr 2018, kurz nach dem Tod Aviciis, noch einmal bis auf Rang 13. Universal Music Deutschland +++ "21" von Adele ist das am häufigsten in Deutschland heruntergeladene Album. Acht Mal stand es auf Platz 1 – es wurde Album des Jahres 2011 – und war insgesamt 148 Wochen platziert. Beggars Group Germany" (in German). GfK Entertainment . Retrieved 31 December 2019 via Facebook.
  320. "Topp 40 2010–2019" (in Norwegian). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Norway. 13 January 2020. Archived from the original on 14 January 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  321. Copsey, Rob (11 December 2019). "The UK's Official Top 100 biggest albums of the decade 2010 – 2019". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  322. "Decade-End Charts: Billboard 200". Billboard. 31 October 2019. Archived from the original on 14 November 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  323. "Mercado argentino de la música 2011" (PDF) (in Spanish). Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 November 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  324. "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 100 Albums 2011". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 12 January 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
  325. "Jahreshitparade Alben 2011" (in German). IFPI Austria. Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
  326. "Jaaroverzichten 2011" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
  327. "Rapports annuels 2011" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
  328. "Top 20 CDs 2011 – Page 10" (PDF). ABPD. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 August 2012. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  329. "Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2011". Billboard. 31 December 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  330. "Album-Top 100". Hitlisten.NU. IFPI Denmark. Archived from the original on 9 June 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  331. "Jaaroverzichten 2011" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
  332. The first is the list of the best-selling domestic albums of 2011 in Finland, the second is that of the foreign albums:
  333. "Quels sont les tops musicaux de l'année 2011 ?" (in French). Chartinfrance. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  334. "Viva Album Jahrescharts 2011 – 2011" (in German). Chartinfrance. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
  335. "Best selling albums in 2011 of Hungary". Mahasz. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  336. "Best of 2011". Irish Recorded Music Association . Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  337. "Classifica annuale 2011 (dal 27.12.2010 al 01.01.2012) – Album & Compilation" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
  338. "End of Year Charts 2011 – Albums". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
  339. "Top 100 – annual chart – 2011" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 11 March 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  340. "Radio Sonder Grense: SA Top-20" (in Afrikaans). South African Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 1 July 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  341. "Top 50 Albumes 2011" (PDF) (in Spanish). Promusicae. Media Control. GfK International. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 January 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  342. "Årslista Album – År 2011" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Swedish Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 13 April 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
  343. "Swiss Year-End Charts 2011". Media Control. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  344. "The Top 20 biggest selling albums of 2011 revealed!". Official Charts Company. 2 January 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  345. 1 2 "IFPI Global Music Report 2013" (PDF). p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  346. "Rankings" (in Spanish). Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original on 3 July 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  347. "ARIA Australian Top 50 Singles Chart| Australia's Official Top 50 Songs". ARIA Charts. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  348. "Jahreshitparade Alben 2012" (in German). IFPI Austria. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 28 August 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
  349. "Jaaroverzichten 2012" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  350. "Rapports annuels 2012" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  351. "Top 20 CDs 2012" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 September 2013. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  352. "Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2012". Billboard. 31 December 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  353. Treo, Thomas (21 January 2012). "Så lidt solgte popstjernerne i 2012". Ekstra Bladet (in Danish). Retrieved 21 January 2012.
  354. "Jaaroverzichten 2012" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  355. The first is the list of the best-selling domestic albums of 2012 in Finland, the second is that of the foreign albums:
  356. "Classement des 200 premiers Albums Fusionnés par GfK – année 2012" (PDF) (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 September 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  357. "Die Jahres-Charts 2012". 1Live. 3 January 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  358. "Best selling albums of Hungary in 2012". Mahasz. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  359. "Best of 2012". Irish Recorded Music Association . Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  360. "Classifica annuale 2012 (dal 02.01.2012 al 30.12.2012) – Album & Compilation" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  361. "Top Albums Sales 2012". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  362. "年間 アルバムランキング 2012年度" [Annual Album Ranking 2012] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  363. "Los Más Vendidos 2012" (PDF) (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  364. "End of Year Charts 2012 – Albums". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
  365. "Top 100 – annual chart – 2012" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  366. "Триумф нестыдной попсы" (in Russian). lenta.ru. 28 December 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  367. "Top 50 Albumes Anual 2012" (PDF). Promuiscae.es. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 May 2013. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
  368. "Årslista Album – År 2012" (in Swedish). Hitlistan.se. Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on 7 October 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
  369. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2012". hitparade.ch. 31 December 2012. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  370. Lane, Dan (2 January 2013). "The Official Top 40 Biggest Selling Albums of 2012 revealed!". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  371. "El álbum más vendido durante 2013 en Argentina: "Violetta – Hoy somos más"" (in Spanish). Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  372. "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 100 Albums 2013". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  373. "Jahreshitparade Alben 2013" (in German). IFPI Austria. Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  374. "Jaaroverzichten 2013" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 17 April 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  375. "Report Annuels 2013" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  376. "Canadian Albums: 2013 Year-End Charts". Billboard. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  377. "Album-Top 100 2013" (in Danish). Hitlisten.NU. IFPI Denmark. Archived from the original on 31 January 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  378. "Dutch Charts - dutchcharts.nl". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  379. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  380. "Összesített album- és válogatáslemez-lista – eladási darabszám alapján – 2013" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  381. "Classifica annuale 2013 (dal 31.12.2012 al 29.12.2013) – Album & Compilation". Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  382. "Top Selling Albums of 2013". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  383. "Årslista Album – År 2013" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Swedish Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  384. "Swiss Year-End Charts 2013". Media Control. Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  385. "End of Year 2013" (PDF). UKChartsPlus . Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  386. "Billboard 200 2013". Billboard . 22 December 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  387. "Jaaroverzichten 2014" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  388. "Report Annuels 2014" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 2 January 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  389. "Dutch Charts - dutchcharts.nl". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  390. "Top Selling Albums of 2014". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  391. "Billboard 200 2014". Billboard . 19 December 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  392. "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 100 Albums 2015". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  393. "Dutch Charts - dutchcharts.nl". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  394. "Classifica annuale 2015 (dal 29.12.2014 al 31.12.2015) – Album & Compilation" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  395. "The Official NZ Music Charts – End of Year Charts 2015".
  396. "2015년 Album Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart . Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  397. "Årslista Album – År 2015" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  398. "End of Year 2015". UKChartsPlus . Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  399. "Billboard 200 2015". Billboard . 12 December 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  400. "ARIA Top 100 Albums 2016". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  401. "Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2016". Billboard. 31 December 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  402. "Album Top-100 2016" (in Danish). Hitlisten.NU. Archived from the original on 30 December 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  403. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2016" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
  404. "Top Selling Albums of 2016". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved 25 December 2016.
  405. "2016년 Album Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  406. "Årslista Album – År 2016" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  407. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade Alben 2016 – hitparade.ch". Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  408. "End of Year Album Chart 2016". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  409. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  410. "ARIA End of Year Albums 2017". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  411. "Album Top-100 2017" (in Danish). Hitlisten. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  412. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2017" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  413. "Top Selling Albums of 2017". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  414. "2017년 Album Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  415. "Årslista Album – År 2017" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan . Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  416. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  417. "ARIA End of Year Albums 2018". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  418. "Tónlistinn – Plötur – 2018" (in Icelandic). Plötutíóindi. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  419. "2018년 Album Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  420. "Årslista Album – År 2018" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  421. "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  422. "ARIA End of Year Albums Chart 2019". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  423. "Jaaroverzichten 2019" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  424. "Tónlistinn – Plötur – 2019" (in Icelandic). Plötutíóindi. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  425. "Årslista Album, 2019" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  426. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard . Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  427. "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2020". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  428. "Jaaroverzichten 2020" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  429. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2020" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  430. "Tónlistinn – Plötur – 2020" (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  431. "Årslista Album, 2020" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  432. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2020". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  433. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2020". Billboard . Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  434. "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2021". Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  435. "Jaaroverzichten 2021" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  436. "Rapports annuels 2021" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  437. "Album Top-100 2021" (in Danish). Hitlisten. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  438. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2021". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  439. "Tónlistinn – Plötur – 2021" (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  440. "Årslista Album, 2021". Sverigetopplistan . Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  441. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2021". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  442. "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard . Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  443. "ARIA Top 100 Albums Chart for 2022". Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  444. "Jaaroverzichten 2022" (in Dutch). Ultratop . Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  445. "Rapports annuels 2022" (in French). Ultratop . Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  446. "Album Top-100 2022". Hitlisten. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  447. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2022". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  448. "Tónlistinn – Plötur – 2022" (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  449. "2022 metų klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA . Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  450. "Årslista Album, 2022" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan . Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  451. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2022". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  452. "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  453. "ARIA Top 100 Albums Chart for 2023". Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  454. "Jaaroverzichten 2023" (in Dutch). Ultratop . Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  455. "Rapports annuels 2023" (in French). Ultratop . Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  456. "Album Top-100 2023". Hitlisten . Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  457. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2023". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  458. "Tónlistinn – Plötur – 2023" (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  459. "Årslista Album, 2023". Sverigetopplistan . Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  460. "End of Year Albums Chart – 2023". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  461. "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2023". Billboard. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  462. "2012: Gran año de Sony Music" (PDF). Prensario Musica (in Spanish): 6. 1 February 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  463. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2019 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  464. "Austrian album certifications – Adele – 21" (in German). IFPI Austria.
  465. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2012". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
  466. "Brazilian album certifications – Adele – 21" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil . Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  467. "Canadian album certifications – Adele – 21". Music Canada . Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  468. Sandoval, Javier (13 April 2012). "Adele Alcanzo Doble Platino En Chile Por Su Disco '21'" (in Spanish). Los 40 Chile. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  469. "One Direction vende 20 mil discos en Chile en dos meses" (PDF). La Tercera (in Spanish). 15 December 2012. p. 106. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 September 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  470. Solano, Carlos (17 July 2012). "El 'soul' de Adele vence a Lady Gaga". El Tiempo (in Spanish). Colombia. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  471. "Danish album certifications – Adele – 21". IFPI Danmark . Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  472. 1 2 "Adele" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland . Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  473. Claimed sales in France for 21:
  474. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Adele; '21')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie . Retrieved 12 June 2012.
  475. "Adatbázis – Arany- és platinalemezek – 2015" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ . Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  476. "Tónlistinn – Plötur" [The Music – Albums] (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Archived from the original on 9 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  477. "Söluviðurkenningar" (in Icelandic). Félag hljómplötuframleiðenda . Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  478. 1 2 נסטר, אלכס (5 May 2012). Ynet (ed.). "בתוך שנה: 40,000 ישראלים קנו את אדל" (in Hebrew). Frogi. Archived from the original on 28 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  479. "Italian album certifications – Adele – 21" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana . Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  480. "Japanese album certifications – Adele – 21" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan.Select 2012年2月 on the drop-down menu
  481. "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas . Retrieved 2 December 2020.Type Adele in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and 21 in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
  482. "Dutch album certifications – Adele – 21" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers.Enter 21 in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  483. "Adele's 21 opnieuw best verkochte album van het jaar in Nederland". Entertainment Business. 21 December 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  484. "New Zealand album certifications – Adele – 21". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  485. "Norwegian album certifications – Adele – 21" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
  486. Gjerstad, Leif (12 April 2012). "Adele på pengetoppen" (in Norwegian). ABC Nyheter. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  487. "Wyróżnienia – Diamentowe płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2012 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 12 January 2012.
  488. "Portuguese album certifications – Adele – 21" (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Archived from the original on 27 April 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  489. "Адель в платине" (in Russian). Lenta.ru. 30 March 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  490. Claimed sales in South Africa for 21:
  491. Cumulative sales of 21 in South Korea, according to Gaon Music Chart:
  492. "Spanish album certifications – Adele – 21". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  493. "Veckolista Album, vecka 49, 2012 | Sverigetopplistan" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan.
  494. "Adele - Oscarsvinnare Med Bondlaten 'Skyfall'" (in Swedish). Mynewsdesk. 25 February 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  495. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('21')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  496. "卡卡《天生完美》踢走愛黛兒 登寶島唱銷王 | 蘋果日報" (in Chinese). Next Media. Archived from the original on 28 December 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  497. "American album certifications – Adele – 21". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  498. Sanchez, Jeannariana. "Adele alcanza "Disco de Oro" en Venezuela" (in Spanish). SinFlash.com. Archived from the original on 30 January 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  499. "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2012". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  500. "Deutschland im Adele-Fieber" (in German). Media Control GfK. Archived from the original on 6 December 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  501. "Adele 21". iTunes (Ireland). Apple Inc. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  502. "Adele 21". CD Wow! (Australia). Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  503. "Adele 21" (in German). iTunes Store (DE). Apple Inc. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  504. "Adele – 21" (in Finnish). CM Store. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
  505. "Adele 21". iTunes Store (UK). Apple Inc. 21 January 2011. Archived from the original on 17 March 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  506. "Adele 21 (Limited Edition)" (in Polish). Empik . Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  507. "Adele 21" (in French). iTunes Store (FR). Apple Inc. 21 January 2011. Archived from the original on 20 January 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  508. "Adele 21". Amazon.com (US). Archived from the original on 31 July 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  509. "Adele 21". Amazon.com (CA). Archived from the original on 20 July 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
  510. "Adele 21" (in Spanish). iTunes Store (MX). Apple Inc. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  511. "阿黛尔:21(CD)" [Adele 21 (CD)]. Amazon.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 7 March 2013.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Real Slim Shady</span> 2000 single by Eminem

"The Real Slim Shady" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his third album The Marshall Mathers LP (2000). It was released as the lead single a month before the album's release.

<i>The Bodyguard</i> (soundtrack) 1992 soundtrack album to the film of the same name

The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album is a soundtrack album from the film of the same name, released on November 17, 1992, by Arista Records. The album's first side features songs recorded by American singer Whitney Houston, who starred in the film, while side two features the work of various artists. Houston and Clive Davis were co-executive producers of the record.

<i>Legend</i> (Bob Marley and the Wailers album) 1984 greatest hits album by Bob Marley and the Wailers

Legend is a compilation album by Bob Marley and the Wailers. It was released on 7 May 1984 by Island Records. It is a greatest hits collection of singles in its original vinyl format and is the best-selling reggae album of all-time, with more than 18 million copies sold in the US, more than 3.3 million in the UK and an estimated 25 million copies sold globally. In 2003, the album was ranked number 46 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" and maintained the ranking in a 2012 revised list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beyoncé albums discography</span>

American singer and songwriter Beyoncé has released eight studio albums, five live albums, three compilation albums, five EPs, one soundtrack album, and two karaoke albums. To date, Beyoncé has sold over 200 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Billboard ranked her as the 37th greatest artist of all time.

<i>Life for Rent</i> 2003 studio album by Dido

Life for Rent is the second studio album by English singer Dido, released by Arista Records on 29 September 2003. The album was produced by her brother Rollo Armstrong and American songwriter Rick Nowels. Work on the album began in mid-2002. It was certified 9× Platinum by the BPI, and sold over 12 million copies worldwide, making it the fourth best-selling album worldwide of 2003. The album became the seventh best-selling album of the 2000s in the United Kingdom, making Dido the only singer to have two albums in the top 10 list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adele</span> English singer-songwriter (born 1988)

Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, known mononymously as Adele, is an English singer-songwriter. Regarded as a British icon, she is known for her mezzo-soprano vocals and sentimental songwriting. Her accolades include 16 Grammy Awards, 12 Brit Awards, an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award.

<i>19</i> (Adele album) 2008 studio album by Adele

19 is the debut studio album by the English singer-songwriter Adele, released on 28 January 2008 by XL Recordings. Following Adele's graduation from the BRIT School in April 2006, she began publishing songs and recorded a three-song demo for a class project and gave it to a friend. They posted the demo on MySpace, where it became very successful and led to interest from the record label. This led to Adele signing a recording contract at age 18 with the label and providing vocals for Jack Peñate. During this session for Peñate's song she met producer Jim Abbiss, who would go on to produce the majority of her debut album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adele discography</span> Discography of notable English musician

English singer-songwriter Adele has released four studio albums, one video album, two extended plays, 17 singles and eleven music videos. Adele has sold over 72 million in pure album sales and over 100 million in album equivalent units worldwide over four studio albums and one video album as of December 2021. She was named the best-selling album artist of the 2010s decade in the US and worldwide. She has also sold over 100 million in single sales with total sales records over 170 million as of December 2021. She also became the best-selling female artist of the 21st century in the UK. Her album 21 became the best-selling album of the 21st century.

<i>Speak Now</i> 2010 studio album by Taylor Swift

Speak Now is the third studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on October 25, 2010, by Big Machine Records. Swift wrote the album entirely herself while touring in 2009–2010 to reflect on her transition from adolescence to adulthood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolling in the Deep</span> 2010 single by Adele

"Rolling in the Deep" is a song by English singer-songwriter Adele from her second studio album, 21 (2011). It is the lead single and opening track on the album. The song was written by Adele and Paul Epworth. The singer herself describes it as a "dark blues-y gospel disco tune". In 2011, it was reportedly the biggest crossover hit in the United States since 1985; "Rolling in the Deep" gained radio airplay from many different radio formats. It was released on 29 November 2010 as the lead single from 21 in digital download format. The lyrics describe the emotions of a scorned lover. The song's official MV uploaded to YouTube on 30 November 2010 has accumulated over 2.58 billion views and 13 million "Likes" as of 19 October 2024, similar to that of Adele's another hit Someone Like You released 10 months later, which Adele considered as having changed her life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Someone like You (Adele song)</span> 2011 single by Adele

"Someone like You" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele. She and Dan Wilson wrote and produced the track for her second studio album, 21 (2011). XL Recordings released the song as the second single from the album on 24 January 2011 in the United Kingdom and on 9 August 2011 in the United States. Accompanied only by a piano in the song, Adele sings about the end of the relationship with her ex-partner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Set Fire to the Rain</span> 2011 song by Adele

"Set Fire to the Rain" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele for her second studio album, 21 (2011). The song was written by Adele and Fraser T. Smith while the production was handled by the latter. It became Adele's third consecutive US number-one single from 21 and reached the top ten in most of other foreign markets. It is a pop power ballad with lush instrumentation and a swelling string arrangement, in contrast to the understated production of most songs on the album. The song has received acclaim from various critics with many complimenting on Adele's vocals. "Set Fire to the Rain" was voted by readers of Billboard as their favorite number one hit of 2012. Though no official music video was released for the song, a live performance from the DVD Live at the Royal Albert Hall was uploaded to video-sharing website YouTube. This rendition won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards.

<i>4</i> (Beyoncé album) 2011 studio album by Beyoncé

4 is the fourth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Beyoncé. It was released on June 24, 2011, by Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records.

<i>Loud</i> (Rihanna album) 2010 studio album by Rihanna

Loud is the fifth studio album by Barbadian singer Rihanna. It was released on November 12, 2010, by Def Jam Recordings and SRP Records. The album was recorded between February and August 2010, during the singer's Last Girl on Earth tour (2010–2011) and the filming of her first feature film Battleship (2012). Rihanna and L.A. Reid were the executive producers of Loud and worked with various record producers, including Stargate, Sandy Vee, The Runners, Tricky Stewart and Alex da Kid. The album features several guest vocalists, including rappers Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Eminem, who is featured on the sequel to "Love the Way You Lie", titled "Love the Way You Lie ".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rumour Has It (Adele song)</span> 2011 song by Adele

"Rumour Has It" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele for her second studio album, 21 (2011). The song was written by Adele and Ryan Tedder; the latter is also the producer. Adele has stated that the song was not inspired by the media but it was aimed at her own friends who believed 'rumours' they read about her in tabloids. It was released on 5 November 2011 as the fourth single from the album in the United Kingdom.

<i>Old Ideas</i> 2012 studio album by Leonard Cohen

Old Ideas is the twelfth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, released in January 2012. It is Cohen's highest-charting release in the United States, reaching number 3 on the Billboard 200, 44 years after the release of his first album. The album topped the charts in 11 countries, including Finland, where Cohen became, at the age of 77, the oldest chart-topper, during the album's debut week. The album was released on January 27, 2012, in some countries and on January 31, 2012, in the U.S. On January 22, before its release, the album was streamed online by NPR and on January 23 by The Guardian.

<i>Red</i> (Taylor Swift album) 2012 studio album by Taylor Swift

Red is the fourth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released on October 22, 2012, by Big Machine Records. Swift designated Red as a breakup album that portrays the complex and conflicting feelings ensuing from lost love.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skyfall (song)</span> 2012 single by Adele

"Skyfall" is a song recorded by English singer Adele for the James Bond film of the same name. It was written by Adele and producer Paul Epworth and features orchestration by J. A. C. Redford. British film production company Eon Productions invited the singer to work on the theme song in early 2011, a task that Adele accepted after reading the film's script. While composing the song, Adele and Epworth aimed to capture the mood and style of the other Bond themes, including dark and moody lyrics descriptive of the film's plot. "Skyfall" was released at 0:07 BST on 5 October 2012 as part of the Global James Bond Day, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the release of Dr. No, the first James Bond film.

<i>25</i> (Adele album) 2015 studio album by Adele

25 is the third studio album by the English singer-songwriter Adele, released on 20 November 2015 by XL Recordings and Columbia Records. The album is titled as a reflection of her life and frame of mind at 25 years old and is termed a "make-up record". Its lyrical content features themes of Adele "yearning for her old self, her nostalgia", and "melancholia about the passage of time" according to an interview with the singer by Rolling Stone, as well as themes of motherhood, new love, and regret.

<i>30</i> (album) 2021 studio album by Adele

30 is the fourth studio album by the English singer and songwriter Adele. It was released on 19 November 2021 by Columbia Records. Her first studio album in six years following 25 (2015), 30 was inspired by Adele's experiences and anxiety following her divorce and its impact on her son's life, along with motherhood and fame. Adele had begun working on the album in 2018 and collaborated with producers such as Greg Kurstin, Max Martin, Inflo, Tobias Jesso Jr., Ludwig Göransson, Shawn Everett, and Shellback. Musically, 30 is a pop, soul, and jazz album, which incorporates dance-pop, gospel, and R&B elements. The album was promoted with the television specials Adele One Night Only and An Audience with Adele. Three singles were released from the album. The lead single, "Easy on Me", reached number one in several countries, including the US and UK. The follow-up singles, "Oh My God" and "I Drink Wine", charted in the UK chart's top five simultaneously with it.

References