Adele is back!
Breaking records, dominating charts and being down to earth – this lady is owning life in more ways than one.
With her new album, 25, dropping on the 20th of November, the music industry is gearing up for another Adele frenzy. The first single – Hello – has sold 1.7 million copies in less than two weeks and is showing no indication of slowing down. She has finally hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 list. It was long overdue. With an official tour on the cards, Adele’s Hometown Glory is going to be celebrated across the world.
Leading on from seeing this success, one has to ask “why?”. “What does Adele have such a clear place in the market?” Aside from a distinctively poignant vocal and an unforced style, I believe there are a few factors that make Adele extremely successful.
- Character
Adele is highly respected in the music industry for her very simple, down to earth character. Celebrities have gushed over how awesome it is to meet her. Fans flock to her shows and even the worst quality interviews on YouTube have hundreds of thousands of likes. If you ever hear her speak, it is clear that Adele does not take herself too seriously. She is not flippant, nor does she try to be modest. But she is always honest. Watching her Royal Albert Hall concert, she makes everyone feel like they are in her kitchen, ‘catching up’. That sense of security is a huge breath of fresh air in an industry that is all about sales, image and typecasting. In fact, the day Adele’s music video released this month, the streams for female artists were flooded with videos. Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Ellie Goulding, Ariana Grande and a few other artists all released multiple tracks and remixes on the same day. Whether it was coincidence or actual marketing, it reveals an insecurity that can hardly be found attractive.
- A Timeless Grace
Don’t get me wrong. Adele is an extremely hard-working individual. But after touring over one hundred dates in 2012, she had to stop for vocal surgery. No doubt this must have been scary for her, but the pragmatism and air of grace in which she handled this rocky season is very respectful. Twitter is Adele’s main form of communication to her fans (it makes for some fun reading sometimes), and reading through some of her posts, you can hear an honest and simple perspective on life. Her private life is still her own. Obviously a whole lot of people want to know more about her son, her relationships and her weight is continually discussed, but that never touches the style and grace of her music. Adele’s previous album, 21, was all about a bad breakup. But not once did she expose who he was, and she even relayed how they had made peace. After four years of silence – interspersed by the singular Oscar-winning Skyfall track – everyone is still in love with her. What she does is credible, no matter what people say about who she is. That is a hard medium to nail in these media-obsessed times and she has navigated them well with poise and grace that frames her music.
- Clarity
Adele writes most of the content on her albums. Not only is it a good financial decision, but it also reveals how she wants to communicate through her music. A big factor that underlies everything she produces is that people can identify with her emotion. Adele evokes memories and stories through her songs. As much as it may be therapy for her, her writing has a euphoric quality that cuts through the silliness of chart numbers, promotions and gossip cycles and speaks to our souls. There is no one on the planet that can do this as well as Adele.
It is clear that Adele is a living, breathing music legend. I might be too much of a fan to be objective, but her music is timeless. Her character is refreshing. The simplicity of her style is masterful and she communicates so well through her music. Check out her new music video below.