We thought Ed Sheeran was a record-breaking machine until we took a closer look at all the titles held by Adele.
While Ed has a sweet 16 records to his name, Adele has a mammoth 44.
To celebrate her 35th birthday today, we’re taking a look back at the record-breaking career of the London singer who first burst onto the scene in 2008 with her hit single “Chasing Pavements”.
We can’t list all of her Guinness World Records titles, because quite frankly, we’d be here all day!
But what we can do is have a little run through of our favourites.
Adele first made her way into the record books on 1 January 2011, when she broke a whopping eight records in one go!
First up, she bagged the record for most albums sold in a calendar year (UK, multiple albums) when 21 sold 3,772,346 copies and 19 sold 1,207,600 – 4,979,946 in total!
She also became the first female to have biggest-selling album and single in US and UK in same year thanks to her album 21 and single “Someone Like You”.
The other titles she claimed that day were:
• Biggest-selling digital album in US and UK – for 21
• First album to sell three million copies in a calendar year (UK) – for 21
• Most cumulative weeks on UK singles chart by British female in a calendar year – 163 weeks
• Biggest-selling digital track in a calendar year (US) – for “Rolling in the Deep”
• First album to sell one million copies on iTunes in Europe – for 21
• First solo female to sell one million copies of two albums in a calendar year (UK) – for 21
The singer was off to a huge start, and there was no slowing down.
Since that date, she’s consistently continued to earn records for topping the charts, winning awards, and from sales of her albums and singles.
She’s enjoyed success on both sides of the pond and around the globe. 21 was the first album to sell more than 100,000 copies in each of its first 11 weeks (UK) and she’s the first solo British female to have two (and three) No.1 singles from one album (US) with “Rolling in the Deep”, “Someone Like You” and “Set Fire to the Rain” from 21 all topping the charts.
Of course, we aren’t the only ones recognizing her success.
She’s won an impressive 173 awards throughout her career and been nominated for hundreds of others.
Adele is the proud owner of four BBC Music Awards, 18 Billboard Music Awards and 12 Brit Awards.
She also has 16 Grammy Awards, and picked up six of those in 2012, bringing her the record for most Grammy Awards won in a single year by a British act (female).
That achievement also ties her with Beyoncé for the most Grammy Awards won in a single year by a female artist.
One of her most exciting awards has to be her Academy Award for Best Original Song for James Bond theme “Skyfall”, which she penned alongside Paul Epworth.
That earned her the record for first Bond theme to win an Oscar.
Her album 25 became the fastest-selling pop album in the USA in 2015 and achieved the fastest time for an album to sell one million copies (UK) by hitting the milestone in just 10 days.
She turns 35 today, but when she was 23 years 4 months 12 days old she became the youngest solo female to sell three million copies of an album in the UK with 21.
We could go on, and on, and on… but we need a lie down after that, and Adele deserves a holiday.
Happy birthday, Adele!
