Mama, Look at Me Now," which, thanks to her role in the film _Confessions of a Shopaholic_ , became something of a worldwide hit. "Amid the songs that followed, in 'I Told You So' and 'It Hurts,' she was singing not only to a man but to a woman who's left her behind," observed _Rolling Stone_ 's Kory Grow. "Though a bit of the earlier Adele is in her 'I Told You So,' some of the pop and soul influences are gone from her."
In that same Rolling Stone interview, Adele also talked about the end of her marriage.
I had been married for ten years when I got married and then I got divorced a year later. We had a two-year-old son and he just—he didn't understand and I didn't understand it either. I'd rather have been working at a bar and spending all my time with him than just the other way around. I didn't know what was wrong with me. I couldn't put my finger on it. I don't think I was unhappy at home, I just couldn't concentrate, I was too distracted by everything. I think I always just put my career in front of everything, like that's just so much more important than my home life.
She was also asked about other famous couples who had fallen apart: Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise; Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow; her ex-boyfriend Joe (who she'd met when they made the music video for Rihanna's "What's My Name?") and Katy Perry, which Adele diplomatically described as "hard," saying, "I have huge respect for them for trying."
I remember backstage at _Britain's Got Talent_ , watching Gareth and Michelle singing in this massive hall. There was some kind of noise in the background that I just couldn't decipher. And I finally got up the courage to go up to Michelle and ask her about the noise and they did nothing to hide their obvious annoyance with me. So Michelle said something to me like, "Can you keep it down?" And I just burst into tears. I said, "Well, don't tell me what to do," and she said, "Oh, yes, my lady, you can come and tell _me_ what to do." She said to me, "You don't know what it's like for me." And then I was like, "Well, you've had all these people judging you for _weeks_!" And I guess maybe we didn't deal with each other's pride well. And maybe she was right—maybe it _was_ a mess.
But not _too_ much of a mess—Adele was still working a year after the split. Her second album, _21_ , was released on November 21, 2008. On the cover, she is sitting on a stool with the album's title spelled out in black cursive at the top of her head—it's "Adele," which she said "was supposed to be _Adel_ , but apparently I had it in a different part of my head, so I needed to change it."
In a rare interview with BBC News, Adele talked about her new album and how it differs from her debut. "I guess a few people were expecting more change, but I'd rather just do it the way I want to do it and don't change for anybody. I'm happy with it; people are still liking it." And like _19_ , _21_ did well on the _Billboard_ charts, peaking at number two in the US and Canada.
The album also features two major singles—the title track, which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group, and "Chasing Pavements," the lead single from the film _Bend It Like Beckham_ , which charted at number seven in the US, number four in the UK, and number two in Canada.
On November 4, 2008, she performed "Chasing Pavements" live on _The X Factor_ and released the video for "Chasing Pavements" on November 13. It's a charming, joyous video—Adele plays an uninhibited teenager who's just discovered music. "When she found out I'd written the music for the _Bend It Like Beckham_ song, it was like winning an Oscar!" said James Corden, the show's writer.
The video won Best Video at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards in New York on September 8. Adele thanked her friend and writing partner Mark Ronson, whom she would work with again on her next album. "You've been an unbelievable writing partner for the past two years and I couldn't have done this without you," she said. And she dedicated the award to her sister, who'd died the previous year.
I'd also like to dedicate this award to my sister, Amy Winehouse. She wasn't here this year, but I know wherever she is, she's happy that I've won a fucking award for once.
Adele also dedicated the award to all those like her sister and the mother of Amy Winehouse who "work hard, look after their children and never get the recognition that's so well deserved, they've just got to keep going, you know. They're mothers, their children are everything. It's not easy. You wake up and hope that today is the day that it all changes. And then it never changes."
The single "Chasing Pavements" did even better in the UK than its predecessor "Hometown Glory." It charted at number three, number four in Canada, and number one in New Zealand. On the _Billboard_ charts, it reached number two in the US, number one in Canada, and number four in the UK.
After a second set of dates on Adele's tour, which continued through December, the set was cut short by her going back into the studio to record the first single from her third album. In October 2009, on a cold and wet day, Adele was seen walking to the recording studio with a large suitcase in tow. The photo of the tall, pouty-lipped singer being escorted by a security guard from a car showed her looking glamorous and self-assured, which wasn't very far from the truth—her new album was to be titled _21_.
Unlike on the first two albums, Adele took all her inspiration from her own life for this album, including the lyrics of "Sweetest Devotion." Her single "Rolling in the Deep," which came out in May 2011, also made Adele one of the biggest selling artists of the year.
"Adele is one of those rare artists that just feels like she was born for music," said the _Chicago Tribune_ 's Michael Corcoran. "As if it was just a given, even though she hadn't necessarily worked toward it. For Adele, music was just a part of who she was, and who she was was one of the most important people in pop culture. For the millions who loved her music, for herself as an artist, Adele will never be gone."
Adele was born in London on November 5, 1988, to Greg and Gillian Duffy. Her dad was a schoolteacher and her mother a bookkeeper for a pharmaceutical company, which meant she and her younger brother had to share a bedroom while she was growing up. When Adele was three, her parents divorced and she was sent to live with her mother and stepfather, Ian Broadley. They were quite wealthy, with their main asset being a large house in Chiswick, where they lived when Adele was a child. In 2012, she would tell the _Daily Mirror_ , "I love my mum and dad, but I just wish I had grown up with my dad—he was always around, really."
Adele's first solo venture was to give a voice to the teddy bear she had as a child. "It was a stupid, pink, fluffy bear called Baby. I put it on a CD called _When I Was One_ and sang to it. I don't even remember why I did it, but I just thought I could do this, like, this is for me. And I think it started the love of performing."
One of the songs she sang as a child was Stevie Wonder's "If You Really Love Me" and she later said, "I got emotional when I was seven listening to Stevie Wonder's 'If You Really Love Me.' This album was basically a love letter to me from my mum."
It's a touching song, but on the second _19_ album, it's turned into a heartfelt ballad in which the narrator promises her lover he'll never leave her. In fact, in an interview with _Rolling Stone_ magazine, Adele said of that song, "I'd rather have you and the pain, than just be with someone I don't like." She also told the magazine about another song that had influenced her when she was a teenager: "The first song I really loved that really talked about love and the way it hurts was 'Because the Night.' It was so much about the pain of unrequited love. And the words just touched me, even now. They're simple, but I don't think I'll ever get sick of those words. And it was
