Adele

Adele Laurie Blue Adkins emerged from Tottenham in 2008 with a voice that seemed to bypass contemporary trends entirely, landing somewhere between Etta James and Dusty Springfield. Her debut 19 announced a precocious talent, but 21 (2011) became a phenomenon, selling over 31 million copies worldwide and producing "Rolling in the Deep" and "Someone Like You", ballads that married gospel-inflected melancholy to radio-ready production. The album spent 24 weeks atop the Billboard 200, a commercial dominance rarely seen in the streaming era.

Her contralto timbre and technical control, her ability to sustain phrases with minimal vibrato before releasing into full-throated climax, made her an anomaly in an age of processed vocals. 25 (2015) sold 3.38 million copies in its first week in the US alone. She has won 16 Grammy Awards and an Oscar for "Skyfall" (2012). Her refusal to tour exhaustively or maintain constant visibility became its own statement. 30 (2021) addressed divorce with characteristic emotional directness, though its reception proved more muted. Adele remains pop's most successful traditionalist, proof that vocal craft and emotional authenticity still command mass audiences.