Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (born 5 May 1988 in West Norwood, South London), known professionally as Adele (), is an English singer. Adele has described her musical style as "heartbroken soul." She is the first recipient of the BRIT Awards Critics' Choice, which was given to artists who, at the time, had yet to release an album. Adele was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2008 in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2008. Adele debuted at number one with her Mercury Prize-nominated debut album 19 on the UK album chart; the album has since been certified platinum with sales of more than 500,000 copies in the UK and over 2.2 million worldwide. After the album peaked at number fifty-four on the Billboard 200 chart on 8 July 2008 (and number thirty-six on the magazine's "Top Heatseekers" chart) Adele performed before 17 million television viewers on Saturday Night Live, propelling her album from number forty-six to number eleven on the official chart. In 2009, Adele won two Grammy Awards, Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the single "Chasing Pavements". The week after the Grammy Awards aired, the album finally peaked at number ten on the Billboard 200. Meanwhile, her single "Chasing Pavements" reached number twenty one on the Billboard Hot 100. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown sent a thank you letter to Adele that stated "With the troubles that the country's in financially, you're a light at the end of the tunnel."

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