Adele (singer)

Adele
Adele in 2007.
Background information
Birth name	Adele Laurie Blue Adkins
Born	May 5, 1988 (1988-05-05) (age 22)
Origin	Tottenham, London, England, United Kingdom
Genres	Pop, soul, jazz, blues, country
Occupations	Singer, songwriter
Years active	2006-present
Labels	XL, Columbia
Website	http://www.adele.tv

Adele Laurie Blue Adkins^[1] (born 5 May 1988), known professionally as Adele (pronounced /əˈdɛl/)^[2], is an English singer songwriter. She was the first recipient of the BRIT Awards Critics' Choice and was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2008 in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2008. She is a multi-Grammy Awards nominee who has won two awards, Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 2009.

Adele attracted the attention of XL Recordings with a three-song demo posted on MySpace and subsequently signed with the label. Since her debut, 19, Adele has received much recognition both commercially and critically. The album debuted at number one, and has been certified platinum in the UK. Her career in the US was boosted by a viewer record breaking Saturday Night Live episode in late 2008.

Adele is scheduled to release her second album in September 2010. The album will feature country music and is produced by Rick Rubin.^[3]

Life and career

Childhood and youth

Adele was born in Tottenham, London,^[4] she began singing at age four and asserts that she became obsessed with voices.^[5][6] Adele would impersonate the Spice Girls at dinner parties and, as a preteen, she sang Destiny's Child songs at her school.^[7] To make her look like the singer Gabrielle, her mother made an eye patch with sequins, which Adele said was embarrassing.^[8] Adele went through a phase where she wore Slipknot clothing and a studded dog collar.^[9] Adele then claimed she was influenced by the music of Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald in her teens by accident, as she stumbled on the artists' CDs at a local HMV store while looking for a new hairstyle. She only got to listen to those songs for the first time as she was clearing her room.^[10] Adele wrote her first record, "Hometown Glory" when she was 16 years old.^[11]

Career beginnings and 19: 2006-2009

Adele graduated from BRIT School in Croydon in May 2006,^[10][12] where she was classmates with Leona Lewis.^[1][13] Adele credits the school with nurturing her talent.^[14] In school, she was more interested in going into A&R, and hoped to launch other people's careers.^[1] Four months later, she published two songs on the fourth issue of the online arts publication PlatformsMagazine.com.^[15] She had recorded a three-song demo for a class project and gave it to a friend^[1] who posted it on MySpace where it became very successful and lead to a phone call from music label XL Recordings.^[13] She doubted if the offer was real because the only record company she knew was Virgin Records, and she took a friend with her to the meeting.^[13][16] She soon signed with XL.^[17] "Hometown Glory" was released in 2007. Adele provided vocals for Jack Peñate's song, "My Yvonne", from his debut album.^[18]

Adele became the first recipient of the BRIT Awards Critics' Choice and was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2008 in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2008. She released second single "Chasing Pavements" on 14 January 2008, two weeks ahead of her debut album, 19. "Chasing Pavements" reached number two on the UK Chart, and stayed there for four weeks, finally remaining in the Top 40 14 weeks after its release.^[17] The album itself entered the British charts at number one. The Times Encyclopedia of Modern Music would name 19 an "essential" Blue Eyed Soul recording.^[19]

On 19 March 2008 Adele signed a deal which involved a joint venture between Columbia Records and XL Recordings for her foray into the US.^[20] In March 2008, she embarked on a short North American tour,^[20] and the following month she played the Coachella Festival^[21] On 20 June, the album was released in the US.^[14][22] The album was certified as gold in February 2009 by the Recording Industry Association of America.^[23] By July 2009, the album had sold 2.2 million copies worldwide.^[24] Adele cancelled a 2008 US tour to be with a former boyfriend. She said in Nylon magazine in June 2009, "I was drinking far too much and that was kind of the basis of my relationship with this boy. I couldn't bear to be without him, so I was like, 'Well, OK, I'll just cancel my stuff then ... I can't believe I did that ... It seems so ungrateful". In November 2008 Adele moved to Notting Hill after leaving her mother's house, a move that prompted her to give up drinking.^[25]

By October 2008, Adele's attempt to break into America seemed to have failed.^[26][27] However, it was announced that she would be the musical guest on the 18 October episode of Saturday Night Live (SNL). The episode was hotly anticipated, because of an appearance by then US vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, SNL earned its best ratings in 14 years with a total of 17 million viewers. Adele performed "Chasing Pavements" and "Cold Shoulder",^[28] and the following day, 19 topped the iTunes charts and ranked at number five at Amazon.com while "Chasing Pavements" rose into the twenty-five.^[29] The week of 26 October the album reached number eleven on the Billboard 200, a jump of thirty-five places over the previous week.^[30] Several weeks later, she returned to the US for an 11-city tour.^[31] Adele was nominated for a 2008 Mercury Prize award for 19.^[32] She also won an Urban Music Award for "Best Jazz Act".^[33] She also received a Q Awards nomination in the category of Breakthrough Act^[34] and a Music of Black Origin nomination in the category of Best UK Female.^[35]

Adele in January 2009.

At the 51st Grammy Awards in 2009, Adele won awards in the categories of Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance^[36] She was also nominated for in the categories of Record of the Year and Song of the Year.^[37] Adele launched a 15-city North American tour that started 9 March.^[38] Adele was also nominated for three Brit Awards in the categories of Best British Female, Best British Single and Best British Breakthrough Act.^[39] British Prime Minister Gordon Brown sent a thank you letter to Adele that stated "with the troubles that the country's in financially, you're a light at the end of the tunnel."^[40] Adele relaunched the MTV Unplugged series with a six song acoustic set in June.^[41] On 28 June, Adele headlined a three-act bill at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California. Etta James, originally slated to perform but suddenly taken ill, was replaced by Chaka Kahn.^[42] Adele dueted with Daniel Merriweather on a track called "Water and a Flame" from his debut album Love & War.^[43]

2010-present

Adele was nominated for a 2010 Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Hometown Glory".^[44]

Adele's songs have been sampled in several hip-hop songs. Big K.R.I.T. samples the song "Hometown Glory" on the song "Hometown Hero" off of his K.R.I.T. Wuz Here mixtape and Childish Gambino (aka Donald Glover) samples Adele's version of "Melt My Heart to Stone" on "Do Ya Like" off of his Culdesac album.

Philanthropy

Adele supported Will Young at the 2007 MENCAP Little Noise Sessions a charity concert at London's Union Chapel. In 2008 she was the headliner and performed a stripped down acoustic that was supported by Damien Rice.^[45][46] In July 2008, Adele paid £8,000 for a commissioned painting by Stella Vine in a charity auction in aid of Keep a Child Alive--a charity that helps African children and their families living with HIV/AIDS. Adele said she planned to ask Vine to paint a portrait of "my mum and me".^[47] On 17 September 2009, Adele performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, for the VH1 "Divas" event, a concert to raise money for the Save The Music Foundation charity.^[48][49] On 6 December, Adele opened with a 40-minute set at John Mayer's 2nd Annual Holiday Charity Revue held at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California.^[50]

Artistry

She has described her musical style as "heartbroken soul."^[14] Adele agrees with critics that have suggested that her vocals are more developed and intriguing than her songwriting.^[51] She also received praises from Paul Rees, editor of Q magazine, who said it was "refreshing to hear something different" after a thousand years of "identikit bands who want to sound like The Libertines".^[52] Her music was described by the Richmond Times Dispatch music critic as "a perfect backdrop to a lazy afternoon in the coffee shop".^[26]

Adele's success occurred simultaneously with several other British female soul singers. The British press has dubbed her a new Amy Winehouse.^[1] Also was linked to a third British Musical Invasion of the US.^[13] Adele commented that while this phenomenon was unexpected she was "proud to be a part of it. I'm very pleased to be riding the wave". In December she said that Duffy was The Sound of 2008 and called the comparisons with other females lazy noting "we're a gender, not a genre".^[14][26][53] Adele, comparing herself to Amy Winehouse and Duffy, said "I think Amy is hardcore," "I think Duffy is really soft – she's got the pin-up look going on. She's a proper lady. I think I'm really contemporary. And I'm just really mouthy!"^[54]

By the beginning of 2009 listeners and critics started to describe Adele as unique. AllMusic wrote that "Adele is simply too magical to compare her to anyone".^[11] Venus Zine recognized Adele on its 25 under 25 list of women for her “distinctive, unusual voice” that “blends the bubbly clarity of pop with the sophisticated phrasings of jazz and blues.”^[55]

Discography

• 2008: 19

Awards

References

External links

• Official Adele Site
• Adele interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' July 2008
• Sylvia Patterson, Mad about the girl, Adele Adkins interview, The Observer, 27 January 2008
• Article in The Independent
• Soulful and Adventurous, on Either Side of the Atlantic Interview by Winter Miller for The New York Times 24 December 2008
• Analysis of Columbia Records decision to break Adele in slowly Phil Gallo for Variety 5 January 2009
• Adele: The singer has moved into the fashion spotlight Zoë Wolffor The Los Angeles Times 21 June 2009