Adele is finally making a return to the spotlight after six years away.
The British singer-songwriter announced her separation from Simon Konecki, with whom she has a son, in April 2019.
As the 33-year-old star releases Easy On Me, here is a timeline of her career:
– 2006
Adele graduates from the Brit School in Croydon, south London. The college counts Amy Winehouse, Raye and Loyle Carner among its alumni.
Later in the year she signs a record deal with XL Recordings.
– 2007
She receives the Brit Awards Critics’ Choice award, and tops the BBC Sound of 2008 poll.
– 2008
Adele becomes a household name with the release of her folk and Motown-influenced debut album 19. The record is lauded by critics and goes eight times platinum in the UK and three times platinum in the US.
Lead single Hometown Glory is tapped for a Grammy in the best female pop vocal performance category. Adele, an avid fan of Beyonce, loses out to the US star’s song Halo.
– 2011
After three years of radio silence, the famously private singer re-emerges with the release of 21. It is another critical and commercial success. Unlike her first album, 21 triumphs at the Grammys, winning a record-tying six gongs, plus two Brits.
The album contains the songs that will come to define her: Rolling In The Deep, Someone Like You and Set Fire To The Rain.
– 2012
Adele releases Skyfall, the theme to the James Bond film of the same name. The song earns her a bevy of awards including an Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe.
She is pictured for the first time with charity boss Mr Konecki on holiday. In June she announces she is expecting her first child, confirming the news on her blog.
Their son Angelo is born in October.
– 2013
In June she is appointed an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for services to music.
– 2015
Adele returns after a three-year break from the limelight. Her third album, 25, is released in November.
Again, it is hailed by the public and critics, becoming the year’s best-selling album and breaking first-week sales in the UK and US.
– 2016
She embarks on her largest tour yet, playing stadiums and arenas in Europe, North America and elsewhere.
Adele and Mr Konecki tie the knot in a secret ceremony but thanks to her closely guarded private life, manage to keep the news under wraps.
Her tour culminates in a string of concerts at Wembley Stadium in late 2017.
However, she is forced to pull out of two performances after damaging her vocal cords.
Fans still gather outside the stadium to perform renditions of her songs in an event titled Sing for Adele.
She headlines Glastonbury and, despite dropping copious F-bombs, wins over the festival crowd with a 90-minute set.
– 2019
Adele announces she and Mr Konecki have separated.
Representatives for the star say: “Adele and her partner have separated. They are committed to raising their son together lovingly. As always they ask for privacy.”
On her 31st birthday she posts a message to fans on Instagram, telling them the last year – in which she split from her husband – “tried me so hard”.
Alongside Lady Gaga and Claire Foy, Adele is invited into the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences – the organisation behind the Oscars – as it tries to raise its female membership.
– 2020
Reports emerge suggesting Adele is close to finishing her fourth album but she later confirms production and release have been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In October, she makes her first TV appearance in nearly four years as host of Saturday Night Live, joking about her dramatic weight loss and poking fun at her fans’ impatience for her record.
Easy On Me – October 15 – Midnight UK pic.twitter.com/Fwkeqjb5Mf
— Adele (@Adele) October 12, 2021
– 2021
The new year sees a burst of activity from the star.
In January she reaches a divorce settlement with her estranged husband, almost two years after they separated, and marks the 10th anniversary of her award-winning album 21.
In May, she celebrates her 33rd birthday and tells fans she is feeling “Thirty Free”.
Adele confirms her new romance with American sports agent Rich Paul in September.
Paul is the founder of management company Klutch Sports Group, which represents high-profile basketball stars including LeBron James, Anthony Davis and John Wall, and the pair had been linked for a number of months.
On October 1 the number 30 appears on billboards and is projected on to famous landmarks around the world – including in Dubai, Ireland, France, Italy and the US – marking the start of her release campaign.