References

21

album by Adele

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July 20, 2026

Quick Summary

21 is the second studio album by English singer-songwriter Adele, released in 2011. The album was a commercial and critical success, featuring a more diverse range of styles than her previous work, 19.

Key songs from 21 include:
* "Rolling in the Deep": A gospel- and disco-influenced track that reached number one in multiple countries.
* "Someone like You": An affecting breakup ballad that also achieved widespread success.

Despite Adele needing to cancel tour dates due to a vocal-cord ailment, 21 became the best-selling album of the year in both the United States and the United Kingdom. It sold over 20 million copies worldwide by mid-2012 and is credited with helping to revive the recording industry. The album earned Adele six Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year for "Rolling in the Deep".12

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Adele
The result, 21 (2011), was a bolder and more stylistically diverse set of material, with singles ranging from the earthy gospel- and disco-inflected “Rolling in the Deep” to the affecting breakup ballad “Someone like You.” Both songs hit number one in multiple countries, and, despite a vocal-cord…
Read More
The result, 21 (2011), was a bolder and more stylistically diverse set of material, with singles ranging from the earthy gospel- and disco-inflected “Rolling in the Deep” to the affecting breakup ballad “Someone like You.” Both songs hit number one in multiple countries, and, despite a vocal-cord…
Read More

Rick Rubin
Career with Columbia Records and later projects
…album of the year, Adele’s 21, Rubin left Columbia Records and revived his American Recordings imprint as an arm of Republic Records. The new venture worked with a typically diverse group of artists, including blues-rock veterans ZZ Top, folk rockers the Avett Brothers, indie artists Band of Horses, and rapper…
Read More
…album of the year, Adele’s 21, Rubin left Columbia Records and revived his American Recordings imprint as an arm of Republic Records. The new venture worked with a typically diverse group of artists, including blues-rock veterans ZZ Top, folk rockers the Avett Brothers, indie artists Band of Horses, and rapper…
Read More