19 won the young singer a number of awards and even more nominations. Adele became the first ever winner of a new category – Critics’ Choice – at the 2008 BRIT Awards and was a nominee for the prestigious Mercury Prize. She also received three BRIT nominations in 2009 for her work on the album.

Adele picked up the awards for Best Jazz Act at the 2008 Urban Music Awards and the European Border Breakers Award for Best Album. Her popular track ‘Chasing Pavements’ alone earned eight nominations, including two Grammy nominations and four MTV Video Music award nods.

As a kid, if I was building a castle out of Lego, I’d have to do it myself. It’s the same with songs now. I like to be in control.’
Adele

At the 51st Grammy Awards in 2009, Adele was nominated in four categories and took home the gongs for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. A surprising success, yet she was obviously the last person to expect herself to win, having removed her shoes and belt prior to her name being called! In 2010, the track ‘Hometown Glory’ received a Grammy nod. It has also featured in both British and American television shows – Skins, Grey’s Anatomy, One Tree Hill, Hollyoaks and Secret Diary of a Call Girl. By February 2012, the album had been certified six times platinum in the UK.

Across The Pond

Adele signed a deal with Columbia Records in March 2008, yet the star’s foray into the United States was not immediately successful: her singles made it into the charts but not to the top. The album itself debuted at 56. The singer didn’t help matters by cancelling US tour dates for her ‘An Evening With Adele’ concert tour. She did so just because she wanted to spend time with her boyfriend, a decision that earned her flak and something she now regrets.

Adele was partying hard again – she has an on-off relationship with red wine and cigarettes. She blames the poor decision partly on drinking ‘far too much’ as the basis of her intense relationship with her boyfriend at the time – ‘I couldn’t bear to be without him, so I was like, OK, I’ll just cancel my stuff then. I can’t believe I did that – it seems so ungrateful,’ Adele told Nylon in 2009, when revealing the real reason for the cancelled shows. She now refers to that period as her ‘ELC’ or Early Life Crisis after which she stopped drinking alcohol completely for a time. The star’s father is a former alcoholic, so it’s no wonder Adele likes to keep an eye on how much she consumes. She would go on to temporarily quit drinking again in January 2011, and again following her throat surgery.

Tonight’s The Night

Yet back in October 2008, it seemed Adele’s attempt to crack America had failed. Sales remained relatively subdued when compared to her...

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