What year was Adele born?

Adele was born in 1988.

Her full name is Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, and she was born on May 5, 1988, in Tottenham, London. She was raised primarily by her mother, Penny Adkins, after her Welsh father, Marc Evans, left when Adele was two years old. That London upbringing became an important part of her public identity and musical story.

Adele began singing at age four and later attended the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology. While developing as a performer, she drew inspiration from artists ranging from the Spice Girls and Lauryn Hill to Etta James, Aretha Franklin, and Dusty Springfield. Those influences helped shape the soulful, emotionally direct style that became her signature.

People sometimes confuse Adele's birth year with the numbers used for her album titles. Her debut album, 19, was named for her age when many of its songs were written, while later albums were titled 21, 25, and 30. Those numbers refer to stages of her life, not years of birth or release. Adele's debut album arrived in 2008, two decades after her birth.