A sympathetic portrayal of a young girl’s descent into crack addiction and prostitution didn’t sound like the recipe for a global hit.

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Adele's album has spent 23 weeks at number one since its release

Adele's album 21 overtakes sales of Michael Jackson's Thriller

Adele has sent more records tumbling after her album 21 outsold Michael Jackson's Thriller, becoming the fifth biggest-selling album of all time in the UK.

Adele's 21 becomes UK's fifth biggest-selling album of all time

Adele has sent more records tumbling after her album 21 outsold Michael Jackson's Thriller, becoming the fifth biggest-selling album of all time in the UK.

Adele's wealth soared from £6m to £20m in 2011

Adele leads Ivor Novello nominations

Adele's success looks set to continue as the singer-songwriter picked up a string of nominations for the Ivor Novello Awards.

Emeli Sandé, O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire, London

After spending many years in the background, writing the lyrics for artists as diverse as Tinie Tempah and Cheryl Cole, tonight, on the final date of her UK tour, Emeli Sandé is basking in the limelight.

How jazz secretly invaded pop

Radiohead's live drummer and Adele's pianist are jazz stars. They tell Nick Hasted how go-to players are restoring the genre's links to the mainstream

No. 6 - Sade: $16.4m

She's still a smooth operator ... Sade in at No 6 on 2012 US money list

Tour and greatest hits album sees Eighties star earn more than even golden girl Adele

Michael Kiwanuka says he feels lucky to have 'got his foot in the door' of the industry

Michael Kiwanuka: Britain's Otis Redding is ready for the big time

Voted the BBC's Sound of 2012, his breakthrough came with supporting Adele on tour. But the release of his first album is the real litmus test

Brit School music students rehearsing their latest project

Inside Britain's talent factory: 'Shows like The X Factor delude the young'

So says the charismatic principal of the Brit School which, over the past decade, has created countless stars. He gives Ian Burrell a backstage tour.

Thomas Truax

Exclusive interview: Thomas Truax

Thomas Truax has a love-hate relationship with the rulebook.

Florence Welch took the Best Solo Artist award

Florence Welch beats Adele in double NME award triumph

Adele’s run of award-winning success has finally been brought to an end after Florence + The Machine triumphed with a double win at the NME awards.

Sir Philip with daughter Chloe and Kate Moss

His daughter in tow and not a toga in sight: is Sir Philip Green slowing down for his 60th?

Retail tycoon's party plans are a far cry from his half century

Critic's View: The Brit Awards, O2 Arena, London

It was crying out for Cocker, Ross... even Gervais

Brit Awards nominees in pictures

Tonight sees the biggest names in pop go head-to-head in one of the most anticipated nights of the British musical calendar.

Adele performs at the Grammys on Sunday

Six Grammys, five years off: Adele puts love before career

Singer stuns music industry by saying she wants to give romance a chance

Career Services

Day In a Page

Grace Dent: If you were on your first foreign trip for 24 years, would you want Bono to be a part of the package?

Grace Dent

If you were on your first foreign trip for 24 years, would you want Bono to be a part of the package?
Ireland's austerity D-Day: How much pain can it take?

Ireland's austerity D-Day: How much pain can it take?

After years of savage cuts, the Irish now face a stark choice: do they hand over control of their economy to Europe – or go it alone without the safety net of future bailouts?
Is doctors' fixation on treatment making us ill?

Is doctors' fixation on treatment making us ill?

Advances in medicine have made the impossible, possible. But an over-reliance on healthcare threatens to bankrupt the world – and make all of us sick
The most complained-about advertisements of all time

The most complained-about advertisements of all time

The ASA has received 430,000 complaints during its existence, with a record 31,548 in 2011
Olympians: They're fit and don't we just know it

Olympians: They're fit and don't we just know it

From Tom Daley's six-pack to scantily clad volleyball players, Olympic athletes are being sold on their sex appeal. Why can't we appreciate talent, not totty?
Return of the unacceptable face of capitalism?

Return of the unacceptable face of capitalism?

Sir Richard Needham's resignation from the board of Lonrho brings back bad memories of the group's controversial past
Off the rails in Bermuda

Off the rails in Bermuda

Best known for beaches, it's also home to a stunning hiking trail that follows the route of an old railway line
Get ready for a royal good time

Get ready for a royal good time

There are plenty of events to help you fly the flag during the Diamond Jubilee long weekend and half term
Spain: World football's marathon men

Marathon men: Are Spain running out of puff?

They have every right to be exhausted after four taxing years of almost non-stop action but the chance to claim a unique treble is spurring them on
Usain Bolt: The Bolt show runs on

Usain Bolt: The Bolt show runs on

Friday's 'slow' 100m has done nothing to dent Jamaican's supreme confidence he will triumph in London
The weirdest and most wonderful Diamond Jubilee memorabilia

Weird and wonderful Jubilee memorabilia

Coronation Chicken ice cream and Jubilee jelly moulds
'I may be deaf, but you can still talk to me'

'I may be deaf, but you can still talk to me'

Being a teenager is hard enough – for those with hearing loss, it can be even more complicated
A right royal trip down the river

A right royal trip down the river

A new exhibition celebrates the glory days of London's mighty Thames
The 10 Best lawn mowers

The 10 Best lawn mowers

From petrol-fuelled to self-propelled
Every second counts

Why does life appear to speed up as we get older?

Matilda Battersby finds out how the clock plays tricks with our minds