Best-selling woman: Adele’s debut breaks sales records
A d e l e’s Gr ammywinning record 21 is the biggest- selling UK a l b um by a woman of all time, it has been revealed.
The singer- songwriter’s second album has accumulated the most UK sales and downloads by any female artist – with more than five million sales, according to figures compiled by the Official Charts Company for BBC Radio 2.
The news was announced during the s t a t i o n’s A l l - Fe m a l e Chart Countdown as part of its celebrations for National Album Day. DJS took on the theme of “women in music” and dedicated the whole day to album tracks by female artists.
The album 21, re l e a s e d in Ja n u a r y 2011, was inspired by the
London- born singer’s break- up with a former boyfriend and included the hit tracks Rolling In The Deep, Someone Like You and Set Fire To The Rain.
It spent 23 weeks in the top spot of the UK album charts and in 2012 went on to win album of the year at the Grammy Awards, as well as the Brit Award for best British album.
The 33-year-old released her first single in six years, Easy On Me, on Friday – with the full album, entitled 30, due for release on November 19.
Adele has previously said that her upcoming fourth album was her attempt at explaining her divorce from charity boss Si m o n Konecki – who is father to her eight-year-old son Angelo.
DJ Jo Whiley, who announced the results in a Top 30 countdown on Radio 2 yesterday afternoon, said: “When Adele writes, she writes from the heart and that’s why her music resonates with so many people.”