Adele is one of the most talented singers of the 21st century. Her voice can reach the lower notes effortlessly and also the higher octaves without cracking. She has a number of hit songs under her belt, several Grammys and an Academy Award for singing an original song in the James Bond movie Skyfall. Her songs touch the heart because of the lyrics used and melody.

Coming from a non-musical background, finding a footing in the musical industry was quite difficult for her. Sheer hard work and talent has gotten her where she is today.

Some of the facts about her musical training and early days written below are inspirational.

Adele’s musical training began at the age of 4 when she impersonated Gabrielle and Spice Girls. She would often hold makeshift concerts for her mother and her friends.

At the age of 14, one of her estranged father’s friends, a dance programmer, gave her a chance to sing ‘œHeart of Glass’. He thought her voice was ‘œwicked’ and she ought to try her hand at singing covers from the moment she held the microphone, Adele knew she wanted to be a singer.

To receive formal training in music, Adele signed up for a course at the BRIT School of Performing Arts and Technology, the alma mater of singers like Kate Nash and Amy Winehouse. She graduated from the institute in 2006.

Towards the end of 2004, Adele’s friend started her MySpace page for uploading her covers and songs. The page became quite popular and she garnered more than 10,000 friends in a short span of time.

Despite having a MySpace page from 2004, it took some time before she was recognized by a recording label. In 2006, Adele was called by XL recordings for a deal. She was so nervous that she had to take a friend with her. XL recordings assigned Jonathan Dickens as her manager and she sang along with Jamie Penate in the song ‘œMy Yvonne’.

Her first single was released in 2007. ‘˜Hometown Glory’ went on to become a chartbuster. The song was about her formative years in West Norwood, from where she also passed her high school. The song made her top the poll of best breakthrough artist conducted by BBC.

In February 2008, she released her first album, 19. The album debuted at the numero uno position thanks to the single released, Chasing Pavements. It entered the charts at the number two position and stayed there for 4 months.

Adele started touring America in June 2008. She performed on Saturday Night Live with Sarah Palin and sang the songs Cold Shoulder and Chasing Pavements. The episode received 17 million views and catapulted Adele’s album to the number 11 spot on the Billboard 200 list.

In 2011, she cut her second album, 21, which debuted at the number one spot in 26 countries. The songs ‘œSomeone like You’ and ‘œRolling in The Deep’ featured on the top five list. The popularity of the songs reintroduced her debut album on the top charts. She was the second living British artist to have two albums and two singles on the charts, since The Beatles in 1964.

Her album, 21, sold more than 3.4 million copies and overtook Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black and became 21st Century’s most selling album.
Adele underwent vocal cord surgery in 2011 for a haemorrhage that she had suffered. She could have permanently damaged her vocal cords if she hadn’t undergone the surgery.

The facts about Adele’s career as a singer are truly inspiring. She has used her talent judiciously to scale the charts and is continuing to do so.