Overview
21 is Adele’s second studio album, released January 24, 2011. The album became one of the best-selling albums of all time with over 31 million copies sold globally and dominated charts for years, spending 24 weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200.
Record-Breaking Success
“Rolling in the Deep” spent seven weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won Record of the Year at the 2012 Grammys. “Someone Like You” also hit #1, making Adele the first British female artist to have two #1 singles and albums simultaneously in the US. The album won six Grammys including Album of the Year.
Cultural Phenomenon
21 was the best-selling album of 2011 and 2012 in the US (first album to top two consecutive years since 1990). The album’s themes of heartbreak resonated globally. Adele’s performance of “Someone Like You” at the 2011 BRIT Awards became legendary for its raw emotion. Her vocal power and songwriting maturity at age 23 was unprecedented.