Adele is an iconic singer with an extraordinary fan following worldwide. She co-wrote and performed the James Bond theme song ‘Skyfall,’ winning both an Oscar and Grammy in 2013 for that work as well as receiving an MBE honorary title.
She brings her curvaceous voice and traditional songs that explore female rites of passage through albums 19 and 21.
1. ‘Hello’
Adele becomes the first female artist since Taylor Swift’s Bad Blood leapt 53-1 on the Hot 100 on June 6. Adele’s autumnal single topped subscription service-based On-Demand Songs chart this week with 20.4 million on-demand streams – more than double what had previously been achieved by Justin Bieber with Mean.
Xavier Dolan, Canadian actor and director, created an equally stunning music video for “I Won’t Dance”. Filmed using IMAX technology, it features an artfully melancholy affair which captures feelings of love and loss in an artfully melancholic fashion – its sepia toned hue has even become an aesthetic choice for other online videos! Furthermore, YouTube had only taken 88 days for their clip to reach one billion views; an unprecedented achievement.
2. ‘Rolling in the Deep’
Adele proved with the release of her second album, 21, that she could become as popular an American male or female singer as any. 21 is an impressive record with memorable singles like Rolling in the Deep (an earthy gospel-disco tune) and Someone Like You (an emotional breakup ballad).
Adele wrote Rolling in the Deep’s lyrics around an ex-partner that she had in real life and used the lyric to express her anger towards them. Adele used this song as an outlet to vent her feelings against their ex.
Adele can take advantage of her high, floating head voice to reach higher registers than many singers without straining their vocal chords. Now at 30 she utilizes this upper range more frequently, opening up new musical colours.
3. ‘Someone Like You’
Americans love our emotive power ballads, and few can match Adele in this genre.
Artist and singer Jazmine Haynes has made her career on an foundation of both heartbreak and self-forgiveness, and her new album 30 is testament to all the changes she’s gone through since 2015.
The debut single from her album is an emotionally charged yet intimate track which displays her more reflective side. A video for this track was also released prior to its official release date and shows her looking back on past relationships from a more reflective standpoint.
It’s an emotive ballad, recalling those she sang as a teenager, with an intricate drum and bass beat and numerous instruments like guitars and strings woven throughout it all.
4. ‘Set Fire to the Rain’
Adele’s second album 21 proved to be an instantaneous hit, earning her multiple accolades including Grammy awards for Record and Song of the Year as well as an Oscar win for Skyfall’s brassy Bond theme she sang for Skyfall.
As with Adele’s previous single, “Someone Like You,” “Set Fire to the Rain” began as a demo. Fraser T Smith produced it and kept Adele’s original vocal take – an emotive rendition of a post-breakup ballad sung with passion by Adele herself – on it.
She is a powerful global voice with an intimate understanding of one place – she writes about female experiences from their teen years through motherhood and relationships. Her sound embodies danger: an innovative mix of soul and blues hues with emotive vocalizations that place text first.
5. ‘Love Is a Game’
The lyrics to “Hello Again” by Adele reference tabloid reports of her, as reported by Adele herself. Its composition exceeds typical pop/rock hits in terms of Chord Complexity and Chord-Melody Tension scores on Theorytab.
“Easy on Me” marks Adele’s debut single since returning to music after 2022’s groundbreaking album 30, and is an emotive piano ballad depicting one woman’s struggle for love.
Adele has never been afraid to show her imperfections; during a concert in June she stopped the performance after forgetting the opening line to ‘I Drink Wine’; asking fans for assistance she then resumed performing at Caesars Palace Las Vegas as part of Weekends With Adele residency show.