Adele has gained immense acclaim with her soulful voice and catchy pop songs, earning her tremendous renown. But what is the story behind Adele’s turbulent life that has inspired so many heartbreaking tracks?
She writes and sings female rites of passage: 19 the teen experience, 21 transition into adulthood and 25 relationships – while simultaneously breaking sales records.
How She Got Started
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins knows her way around a pub and how to control the press, with Carl Fysh (known for looking after Beyonce) serving as her PR agent, while an entire team works tirelessly around her protecting her from all the pressures of celebrity culture.
Adele was ahead of her time when it came to using the Internet as a publicity tool. A three-track demo she recorded at BRIT school went viral on MySpace and caught the attention of XL Records music producer Tom Dunning who decided to attend one of Adele’s performances and later signed her; her first album 19 was released later that same year and went to number one in 26 countries!
Her Debut Album
Taken as inspiration by Portishead and Lauryn Hill, Adele’s debut album explores female rites of passage with her voice at its center. Moving away from pop structures towards jazz and soul sounds, Adele takes us through her personal experiences on her journey towards independence.
Her voice, from its deep lower register to long held notes in the soprano range, is truly extraordinary. Her singing envelops audiences in emotion.
On songs such as “Chasing Pavements” and “Cry Me A River”, she sings of the agony of relationships gone bad; at other times, though, her album explores young lustful gratification with songs such as “Hometown Glory” and “Daydreamer”.
Her Second Album
Adele stands out among contemporary pop stars as an anomaly who successfully channels her grand scale into relatability. Her ability to connect as an emotional individual is just as vital to her sublimity, giving songs like “Hold on, you are strong, love will come” an air of spontaneity.
Adele released her sophomore album 21, just one year after 19 was an outstanding success, while still in a long-term relationship with Simon Konecki and having given birth to their son Angelo. Adele channelled this journey of pain into songs for 21.
Neil McCormick of The Telegraph gave it five stars, noting how she’d avoided the sophomore slump: “[She] draws every last drop of emotion from tearjerker ballads and triumphant pop songs without showing any pretension, jumping onto trends or engaging in streamer collaborations for streaming numbers.”
Her Third Album
Adele is an astounding singer with the ability to convey emotion through her music. Additionally, she’s extremely intelligent and isn’t afraid of taking risks in order to express herself artistically.
Her third album, 25, is an intimate portrait of heartbreak and motherhood that showcases more about herself than ever before; her fans certainly seem to appreciate it!
Hello from 25’s lead single is designed to evoke an immediate emotional response in listeners, making an immediate emotional connection and sending shockwaves around the globe. Hello quickly rose up the charts around the globe and created anticipation for Adele’s full-length album which would follow. But wait no more – 30 is an exquisite work that showcases Adele’s vocal range while painting an emotive portrait of love, loss and resilience that makes every moment count.
Her Final Album
Adele set new sales records with her emotionally vulnerable third album 25 in 2015. Its single “Easy on Me” earned her a Grammy for best pop solo performance.
At this point she had established herself as an international star with her own retinue of professional helpers, an impressive paycheque, a multi-million pound brand name, and the power that comes with being her own boss.
A producer at XL informed Adele of Jonathan Dickins, an enthusiastic talent manager with strong potential. Dickins recognized something in Adele that could propel her to greatness; taking her under his wing, Dickins knew how best to support and nurture Adele as she journeyed toward superstardom – seeing in her what could make her global megastardom!