Sometimes, like when you’re Adele Laurie Adkins of Tottenham, North London, 19 plus 21 equals eight.
Eight — for the number of Grammy awards the 23-year-old contralto has already won. Two for her debut album, 19, named for her age at the time she started recording it, and six more for her second album, 21.
Born May 5, 1988, Adele has been on fire this winter, despite stormy weather late last year. A scary vocal cord hemorrhage that led to surgery forced her to take more than three months off to recover, but her performance during the Grammy Awards last weekend showed the world that she and her soulful, world-weary yet life-affirming voice are back.
Just two weeks ago, her single, Set Fire to the Rain (one of my favorite running songs!), became the third number one single on the Billboard Hot 100 from her album, 21, making her the first artist in history to have an album hold the number one spot on the Billboard 200 concurrently with three separate singles at number one.
It’s amazing to me that someone so young can sing country-flavored music and bluesy tunes with so much soul. Even more amazing when you consider that she didn’t grow up listening to country music at all.
She was introduced to contemporary Nashville music in 2008 by her bus driver while on tour in the South. “It was really exciting for me because I never grew up around [that music],” she says.
Adele counts artists from many genres, including country, among her musical influences, also citing the Spice Girls, Pink, Aaliyah, Destiny’s Child and Mary J. Blige.
About a live performance by Pink at Brixton Academy some years back, Adele says it was one of the most defining moments in her life. “It was the Missundaztood record,” she says, “so I was about 13 or 14. I had never heard, being in the room, someone sing like that live […] I remember sort of feeling like I was in a wind tunnel, her voice just hitting me. It was incredible.”
I’m really looking forward to her next album. 24, perhaps? 🙂
Loading ...Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
she is gorgeous and her voice has soul. i <3 her!
Oh gosh, the first time I heard Someone Like You I cried! I was sitting at a really stoplight in my car, and two minutes into the song I started bawling like a baby, LOL!
same here! the entire song – lyrics and voice – is just awesome. 🙂
There was an interesting article the other day in the WSJ about the technical reasons why that particular song makes people cry:
Anatomy of a Tear-Jerker: Why does Adele’s ‘Someone Like You’ make everyone cry? Science has found the formula
It’s fascinating!
thanks for a great read! i enjoyed that article!!!
You’re welcome! I was sort of relieved to know that crying like a baby happens to a LOT of people when they hear that song, LOL!
hahah we arent the only ones, after all!
omg this is too funny. i finally got her cd last night and listened to “someone like you” on my way to work. yup…crying like a BABY! geesh! beautiful song and the lyrics are like woah!
OMG, BE QUIET! Sorry, I’m yelling, but I sobbed and was actually singing along the first time I’d heard it. It was the strangest musical experience of my life. I just seemed to know the words. The Hubs thought I’d completely lost my mind, of course. He finds it whiny. I think Adele is fabulous! I’ve heard that this song has moved a lot of people, and I’m certainly one of them. 🙂
Oops, I should have read down the comments a bit. HAHA!
I wasn’t THAT excited about 19, but 21 totally blew me away. It’s one of the few albums I’ve cared to purchase in a while!
I have 21, but I haven’t heard 19 in its entirety… I’ll have to give it a listen sometime soon.
Seems most of us agree on #6 hairstyle lol :]
Hee hee! That’s the one I voted for. 🙂
I wish I had hairstyle #6! I love my hair color (naturally red), but it is pin straight, and doesn’t hold body like that!
ME TOO! Now I want to grow out my hair again, le sigh.
Lucky you have naturally red hair! I think it’s such a pretty hair color. 🙂
I didn’t like it as a young ginger kid, because I wanted to be like everyone else, but the ginger is a part of who I am.
Girlfriend makes singing seem super easy (I can’t sing in the right pitch to save my life) – I had NO clue she was the same age as I am! I’d never seen pictures of her until now and I always assumed an older person.
I couldn’t decide between 4 and 6 – it seems most readers agree! I wish my hair could look like that, I have a lot of hair but it’s fine textured and lacks volume 🙁
Hi Ines,
How are you? Are you still dancing? Hi to the kitties. 🙂
Still dancing, but competitions are out for a few months 🙂 Kitties are making biscuits for you.
Adele is ah-mazing! I think she had me with “Rolling in the Deep.” It’s been a while since there’s been a mainstream singer who can manipulate their voice (what we singers call “singing.” Real singing involves being able to get louder and softer without the need for a computer! Breath support does it!) The music video for “Rolling in the Deep” is amazing too!
I chose number 6 because I think she looks most natural in that one.
I took singing lessons a few years ago. It’s kind of amazing the change in the quality you get just from engaging your diaphragm!
See, I never noticed that difference. EVERYONE says that. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve always breathed the way your body is supposed to breathe (with your diaphragm and your lungs) or I’m missing something.
I’ve never took lessons; I’ve just sung most of my life. I do it for fun and lessons really are for people who plan to do it professionally (at least, that’s what I think.)
Love her! She was fabulous on the Grammys. I have both of her albums on my iPhone – I can listen to both of them with no breaks – you should definitely hear the whole first album!
I have her second album on my phone. 🙂 I like listening to it before going to bed, especially on rainy nights.
I will have to find a couple of songs on youtube from her first album. Do you have any to recommend?
all her looks look fab on her but my vote goes to #6! it makes her look uber gorgeous!
Love HER!!!……she was one of the reasons why I picked the name “Adelle” for my daughter’s middle name!!
love her, she is gorgeous and successfull without being stick thin and or a ho lol.
Adele is so beautiful and talented – I just love her! My fav look for her is between 4 and 6. I think she looks great with long, volume-rich hair.