2015 simply swell for Adele as limelight shifts from Swift

Bruno Mars (left) and Mark Ronson were winners at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards. The single “Uptown Funk” was No. 1 for 14 weeks.
Bruno Mars (left) and Mark Ronson were winners at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards. The single “Uptown Funk” was No. 1 for 14 weeks.

2015 was shaping into being another Taylor Swift year until Adele said "Hello" on Oct. 23.

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Janet Jackson's "Unbreakable" album cover.

"Hello" debuted at No. 1 and became the first song to sell more than 1 million digital downloads in a week. Adele's new album, 25, was released Nov. 20. In its first week, 25 became the best-selling album of 2015 and has now passed the 5 million mark. Adele broke sales records in the United States, selling 3.38 million copies in its first week, topping previous Nielsen Soundscan record-holder NSYNC. That group's No Strings Attached sold 2.42 million when it was released in 2000.

But don't feel too bad for Swift. Her 1989 album, which came out last year, had strong sales. When it was released, it was her third consecutive album to sell more than 1 million copies its first week. She was named Billboard's top artist of 2015, led a sold-out stadium tour and racked up chart-topping hits such as "Blank Space" and "Bad Blood."

Here are a few others who had a memorable year:

• Chris Stapleton. To most of the public, the shaggy-bearded Stapleton shot out of nowhere to capture three Country Music Association Awards, including album of the year for Traveller. His appearance on the CMA's TV awards show, where he sang a killer duet with Justin Timberlake, electrified music fans.

His album, which had dropped off the charts, shot to No. 1 on Billboard's main chart and its country albums chart. The veteran songwriter did that without a radio hit. Traveller has been nominated for album of the year at the Grammys. Don't be surprised if it wins.

• Rapper Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly is up for nine Grammy Awards, including album of the year. The album, with its themes of social conflict and black identity, was one of the year's biggest and best-reviewed releases.

• Mark Ronson went retro, tapping early Prince, hints of Sly Stone and the Gap Band for his hit "Uptown Funk!," featuring Bruno Mars. It was No. 1 for 14 weeks.

• Drake. Diss songs are a part of hip-hop, and Drake's "Ghosts of Writers Past" was one of the best. The target: rapper Meek Mill, who accused Drake of using ghostwriters. His album If You're Reading This It's Too Late was one of the year's best-sellers.

• The Weeknd hit his stride with massive crossover hits "Can't Feel My Face" and "The Hills."

• Luke Bryan won his second entertainer of the year honor at the Country Music Association Awards. Bryan's hits this year included "Kick the Dust Up" and "Strip It Down." He had three albums on the charts this year, Kill the Lights, Crash My Party and Spring Break ... Checkin' Out.

• Sleater-Kinney's reunion yielded the wonderful No Cities to Love, the band's first album in a decade. Nothing nostalgic here. The women rocked.

• Comebacks: D'Angelo ended a 15-year absence with Black Messiah, while Janet Jackson scored with Unbreakable, her first since 2008.

Style on 12/20/2015

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