Adele's Album '21' Celebrates 15 Years: Discover Its Record-Breaking Achievements

Will SayreSat, February 21, 2026 at 6:01 PM UTC

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Ever since a certain megahit entered our orbit, you can't really hear the expression, "we could have had it all" without thinking of Adele.

The Grammy-winning singer, 37, released her wildly successful album 21 back in 2011, which means it's currently celebrating a significant anniversary that fans might find hard to believe. Did Adele's remarkable LP — and arguably her best, given all the records it broke — really hit the masses a whopping 15 years ago?

Sure, 21 had already been released in Europe the month prior in 2011 — but when it descended on North America that February, it entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1, the music magazine reports.

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And that's when records began shattering courtesy of the English superstar, since 21 logged 24 weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 — marking the longest run by any album since Prince & the Revolution's Purple Rain completed a 24-week run in 1985.

Then, in the spring of 2017, 21 broke the record for the longest-charting album by a female artist on the Billboard 200, surpassing Carole King’s 1971 blockbuster Tapestry, Billboard also noted on Friday, Feb. 20.

And one other Billboard record of note among the numerous Adele broke with 21: Her 2011 LP was named the magazine's No. 1 album of the year for both 2011 and 2012, having become only the fourth to repeat, following:

the Broadway cast album from My Fair Lady (1957-58)

the film soundtrack to West Side Story (1962-63)

Michael Jackson's Thriller (1983-84)

Adele's name popped up in headlines recently courtesy of American Idol, whose current season features a contestant with vocals fans say are similar to the "Rolling in the Deep" singer's. The longtime talent show premiered its 24th season on Jan. 26 on ABC in search of the next star to take the music world by storm. See the viral clip of Chloe Lauren below.

This story was originally published by Parade on Feb 21, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”