Adele, then and now: see how she changed over time

As she turns 34 on May 5, 2022, Adele can look back on a fantastic year. She released a widely anticipated album and did not disappoint, she had a new boyfriend, and she seems happier than ever.

Having been on hold for about six years, Adele's musical career got a new boost from her album '30,' which she released in November 2021. One of the hit singles on the album is the ballad 'Easy on Me.' So far, Adele has won a Brit Award with '30' and she is also in the running for Juno and Billboard Awards.

(Image: Saturday Night Live, 2020)

Adele also had a new love in 2021. After her divorce from Simon Konecki, she started dating the successful sports agent Rich Paul. He's the manager of LeBron James, so it's not surprising that some of their dates involved basketball games.

Adele has come a long way since she released her first album in 2008. The singer has undergone a remarkable transformation. Let's have a look at the story of her career and changing appearance.

Adele showed an interest in music from a very young age. Proof of this was her decision to enter the BRIT School of Performing Arts.

(Image: Instagram, Adele)

Thanks to a good friend of hers, who posted some demos on 'My Space,' the singer's talent became widely known. Her first contract was with XL Recordings.

(Image: Adele playing at the 2007 Great Escape Festival in Brighton, England)

In 2008, Adele released her debut album: '19'. It was the beginning of her personal and professional success story.

This is the Adele the world got to know. Her music quickly rose to the top of the charts. Not only in her native UK, or in Europe, but around the world.

Adele consolidated her success in the United States during a visit to the popular show 'Saturday Night Live.' It was 2008, and the episode in which Adele performed became one of the best watched over a time span of fourteen years.

(Image: Saturday Night Live)

In her first Grammy Awards ceremony, Adele won the awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Her first album was certified double platinum in the US.

Little by little, Adele began to gain more confidence on stage and on the various red carpets.

At the age of 21, Adele released her second album '21.' It got excellent reviews.

At a high point in her career, Adele had to face one of her greatest fears. She suffered from a haemorrhage on her vocal chords, something that forced her to cancel several concerts during her 'Adele Live' tour.

The artist stated that she needed to take a break. She underwent laser microsurgery on her vocal cords to remove a benign polyp. After her recovery, Adele made a spectacular comeback at the Grammy Awards.

Her second album led to a record of six Grammy Awards. '21' was therefore even more highly praised and popular than '19'.

Like her music, Adele's appearance also changed. During her second walk down the Grammy red carpet, it was clear that her clothing, hair and make-up had changed a lot.

Adele performed live during the Grammy ceremony. She looked more confident on stage than ever. She also got a standing ovation from the celebrity audience.

The 54th edition of the Grammy was definitely Adele's night. She managed to win the most important awards, give a successful performance, and consolidate herself as one of the most successful artists of the moment.

In just ten months, Adele's album '21' managed to become one of the best-selling albums ever in the UK. With more than 3.4 million copies, it surpassed the album 'Back to Black' by the late Amy Winehouse. She also became the first woman in history to have three singles in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time.

Another record for Adele was her being the first European artist to exceed one million downloads on iTunes. And as if that weren't enough, Adele became the only artist along with the Beatles to place two tracks and two albums at the same time in the UK's top 5.

(In the image, Adele with Sir Paul McCartney at the 2012 Grammy Awards)

With the spectacular performances and hit albums also came the press coverage, interviews, and cover photos of Adele.

(Image: Rolling Stone)

At that point in her career, Adele received criticism like that of the late designer Karl Lagerfeld in the French 'Metro' newspaper: "She's a little too fat, but she has a beautiful face and sings very well." Adele responded in People Magazine: "I have never wanted to look like the models on the covers of magazines."

Adele's response was enough for Lagerfeld to step back and reply: "I'd like to tell Adele that I'm her biggest fan. ... I lost more than 30 kilos 10 years ago and I'm keeping the weight off. I know how it feels when the press is bad to you because of the way you look. Adele is a beautiful girl. She's the best and I can't wait for her next CD."

On a personal note, the singer gave birth to her son Angelo on 19 October 2012. The father of Angelo was businessman Simon Konecki.

Adele later revealed that she had suffered from postpartum depression after the birth of her son. "I felt inadequate," she told Vanity Fair. "I felt I had made the worst decision of my life." It took the singer some time to get out of the dip.

A positive event in this period of her life was Adele's success with the James Bond theme 'Skyfall.' Thanks to this track, Adele came to perform at the 2013 Oscar ceremony and also took home an Oscar for Best Song.

(Next to Adele at the Oscars, songwriter Paul Epworth)

After a four-year break, Adele released her third album in 2015. '25' quickly reached the top of most popular music charts. In fact, it was declared the best-selling album of 2015, by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.

The album marked Adele's return to the industry after four years of devoting herself to her family and wellbeing.

As a result, she showed a remarkable physical change which was highlighted by the international press and portrayed on front pages.

(Image: Rolling Stone)

Major publications such as Rolling Stone, Vogue, Vanity Fair and Elle praised the singer's new success and appearance.

(Image: Vogue)

The '25' album features her hit 'Hello', an enormous hit that won three awards in the 59th edition of the Grammys: Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Solo Pop Vocal Performance.

All in all, the star took home five Grammys that night.

With the batteries fully charged and the acclaim of her audience, Adele made an extended musical tour, 'Adele Live 2016.' It ended on July 1st, 2017, after no less than 118 shows.

In April 2019, Adele announced that she and Konecki separated after seven years of marriage.

Surprise! In May 2020, Adele celebrated her 32nd birthday and thanked her fans for their well-wishes on Instagram. To everyone's amazement, the singer added a photo in which she was nearly unrecognizable.

(Image: Instagram, Adele)

A similar thing had happened in the 2019-2020 Christmas holidays. She had published an image of herself on Instagram, and the fans had responded: "Unrecognizable."

(Photo: Instagram, Adele)

Her former coach Camila Goodis told Hollywood Life that it might have to do with Adele's divorce. "She's a happy person, for sure. She's divorced and I think that's a great motivation to feel good, even better about herself. I'm divorced and I remember after my divorce I said, 'You know what? I'm going to see the best version of myself, not for him or anyone else. For me."

In October 2020, a radiant Adele with long blondish hair appeared on 'Saturday Night Live.' She looked glamorous for the live comedy show.

(Image: Saturday Night Live)

Adele also demonstrated, as she had before, that she can be really funny.

(Image: Saturday Night Live)

In April 2021, she was spotted at an Oscar afterparty for award winner Daniel Kaluuya. Fans were amazed to see her cheerfully dancing and chatting with the other celebrities, such as Amber Chardae Robinson who took this selfie with the singer.

Then, in the summer of 2021, Rich Paul came along. Adele made their relationship official through an Instagram post in September.

This is Rich Paul, the millionaire sports agent dating Adele

With the release of '30' in November 2021, and a few successful public appearances (such as the 2022 BRIT Awards in this photo), it looks like the singer has found her musical mojo again. After taking a break, she now seems to have started a new phase in her life.