19 (Adele album)

19
Studio album by
Adele
Released28 January 2008 (2008-01-28)
RecordedMay–October 2007
Studio
Genre
Length43:41
Label
Producer
Adele chronology
19
(2008) 		21
(2011)
Alternative cover
Expanded edition cover
Expanded edition cover
Singles from 19
  1. "Hometown Glory"
    Released: 22 October 2007
  2. "Chasing Pavements"
    Released: 14 January 2008
  3. "Cold Shoulder"
    Released: 21 April 2008
  4. "Make You Feel My Love"
    Released: 27 October 2008

19 is the debut studio album by the English singer-songwriter Adele, released on 28 January 2008 by XL Recordings. Following Adele's graduation from the BRIT School in April 2006, she began publishing songs and recorded a three-song demo for a class project and gave it to a friend. They posted the demo on MySpace, where it became very successful and led to interest from the record label. This led to Adele signing a recording contract at age 18 with the label and providing vocals for Jack Peñate. During this session for Peñate's song she met producer Jim Abbiss, who would go on to produce the majority of her debut album.

Four singles were released from the album, with "Chasing Pavements" and "Make You Feel My Love" reaching the top ten on the UK Singles Chart, while the former became Adele's first entry on the Billboard Hot 100. The album also contains her first song, "Hometown Glory", written when she was 16, which is based on her home suburb of West Norwood in London.

Named after the age of the singer during its release and production, 19 is a blue-eyed soul album with folk rock, indie pop, and jazz influences and lyrics describing heartbreak, nostalgia and relationships.[2] 19 received positive reviews from music critics, who praised Adele's vocal prowess and songwriting talent at such a young age and noted her as having the "potential to become among the most respected and inspiring international artists of her generation."[3] 19 was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize.[4] At the 51st Annual Grammy Awards, Adele won Best New Artist alongside Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Chasing Pavements".[5]

19 became a global success, reaching number one in the United Kingdom, while also reaching the top 10 in fifteen other countries, including the United States.[6][7] The album has sold over 8.5 million copies worldwide[8][9] and has also sold over 2.5 million copies in the UK to become one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century. The album was listed in the top 20 best-selling debut albums of all time in the UK.[10] In support of 19, Adele embarked on concert tour An Evening with Adele across North America and United Kingdom which received critical acclaim.

  1. ^ Cairns, Dan (1 February 2009). "Blue-eyed soul: Encyclopedia of Modern Music". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 16 June 2011.
  2. ^ "Interview: Adele—Singer and Songwriter—Blogcritics Music". Blogcritics.org. Archived from the original on 4 April 2009. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Billboard2008 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Swash, Rosie (22 July 2008). "Mercury Music Prize 2008 nominations announced". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 May 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
  5. ^ Donahue, Ann (9 February 2009). "Plant/Krauss, Lil Wayne Win Big At 51st Grammys". Billboard. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2009.
  6. ^ "Adele's album debuts at chart top". BBC News. 3 February 2008. Archived from the original on 5 February 2008. Retrieved 4 February 2008.
  7. ^ "Certified Awards Search". bpi.co.uk. British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  8. ^ "World Music Awards :: Adele's new Masterpiece, '30', lands at #1 on the United World Chart with massive sales and the biggest debut for an Album this year, selling 1,586.000 equivalent sales units in its 1st week globally!".
  9. ^ "19: Revisiting Adele's debut album 15 years on | Virgin Radio UK". virginradio.co.uk. 27 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  10. ^ "After 37 weeks, Ed Sheeran's = moves ahead of Adele's 30 to top 2020s sales rankings". www.musicweek.com. Retrieved 6 January 2023.