Adele is #1 on U.S. Charts With Over 350,000 Units Sold Debut Week

SOPHOMORE ALBUM 21 IS A GLOBAL SUCCESS SOLD OUT NORTH AMERICAN TOUR KICKS OFF IN MAY

NEW YORK, March 2, 2011 -- Adele's sophomore album 21 soars to the #1 position on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart with over 350,000 copies sold this week. To date, Adele's 21 is the biggest selling album of 2011. This amazing U.S. debut comes hot on the heels of Adele's massive international success where 21 entered charts at #1 in the U.K., Ireland,Austria, New Zealand, Germany, Holland, Switzerland, Belgium and Canada. After delivering a jaw dropping performance of her song "Someone Like You" at The Brit Awards on February 15, that live performance immediately shot to the top of the U.K. singles chart. Also that week Adele's single "Rolling In The Deep" was at #4 with her two albums both occupying the #1 (21) and #4 (19) positions on the UK album chart. This feat has earned Adele the distinction of being the only living artist to tie the Beatles 1964 record of having two entries in the top 5 on both U.K. singles and album charts. Released in Europe on January 24, Adele's 21 has dominated the UK album chart in the #1 position for five weeks straight. This week Adele occupies the #1 and #2 positions on the UK album chart with 21 and 19 respectively.

Praised for her incredible vocal ability and sincere songwriting, the critics cannot stop raving about Adele and 21. Associated Press declared "Adele, who is now 22, has created more than just an album with good songs: she's crafted a masterpiece." Entertainment Weekly's assessment of the new music affirms that "21 is that rarest pop commodity: timeless," while the Los Angeles Times suggests that Adele "is towering in the same landscape where some of her contemporaries have lost their bearings."

Adele is set to kick off a sold-out tour of North America on May 12 in Washington, DC. Most dates sold out in minutes with venue upgrades needed in Seattle and Los Angeles as well as an additional date added in New York(see below for full list of tour dates).The tour will route through cities like Toronto, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Atlanta and culminate with a final show in Nashville, TN on June 20.

Adele Spring 2011 Tour Dates