February 13, 2017
(AFP) - Adele on Sunday won the top two Grammys of Album and Record of the Year for her blockbuster hit "Hello" and the album "25."
The tearful English balladeer took the stage and paid tribute to her main award rival Beyonce, heaping praise on her album "Lemonade" and calling it an inspiration.
"All us artists adore you. You are our light," Adele said to a visibly moved Beyonce.
"25" is the best-selling album of the past decade -- with the exception of Adele's last album, "21," which won Album of the Year in 2012.
Adele, who has named her albums after her ages at the time of recording, kept the same formula for "25" of emotional, often tear-jerking songs of heartache and nostalgia.
"25" was led by the ubiquitous single "Hello," which returns to Adele's theme of separation and the haunting feeling that ensues. Elsewhere on the album, Adele reminisces of her childhood in north London.
With a global fan base that crosses demographics, Adele adopted an unusual commercial strategy of not streaming "25" for more than six months after its release in November 2015.
But even with only CDs, vinyl and downloads, the success of "25" in the final weeks of 2015 made it the top-selling album of the whole year and it remained a chart success in 2016.
Adele recruited an impressive cast to help on "25" including a diverse team of producers and songwriters such as fellow pop star Bruno Mars and indie rocker Tobias Jesso Jr.