Adele released her second studio album , '' 21 '' , in 2011 . The album was critically well received and surpassed the success of her debut , earning numerous awards in 2012 , among them a record-tying six Grammy Awards , including Album of the Year ; two Brit Awards , including British Album of the Year ; and three American Music Awards , including Favorite Pop/Rock Album . The album has been certified 17 times platinum in the UK , and is overall the fourth best-selling album in the nation . In the US , it has held the top position longer than any album since 1985 , and is certified diamond . The best-selling album worldwide of 2011 and 2012 , '' 21 '' has sold over 31 million copies . The success of '' 21 '' earned Adele numerous mentions in the '' Guinness Book of World Records . '' She was the first female artist to simultaneously have two albums in the top five of the '' Billboard '' 200 and two singles in the top five of the '' Billboard '' Hot 100 , as well as the first woman in the history of the '' Billboard '' Hot 100 to have three simultaneous top 10 singles as a lead artist , with " Rolling in the Deep " , " Someone Like You " , and " Set Fire to the Rain " , all of which also topped the chart . '' 21 '' is the longest-running number one album by a female solo artist in the history of the UK and US Album Charts
Grammy Awards
54th Annual Grammy Awards
Adele