Adele, a legend in the making
ADELE performs in Seattle, WA in August 2011 ((CC BY 2.0) )
In the year 2008, Michael Phelps won eight gold medals, our nation voted the first black man into presidential office, and England gave us Adele.
With the release of Adele’s first album, “19,” the world was introduced to an array of soulful compositions and heartfelt lyrics, but that was just a scratch on the surface of what was to come.
Earlier this year, Adele released her most defining compilation of work to date, “21.”
Adele’s sophomore album has peaked at No. 1 in 20 countries across three continents, and is now one of the top selling albums of the year.
The album has sold more than 3 million copies in the United States alone, and has stayed in a top 5 spot on the Billboard 200 chart since its release more than 30 weeks ago.
The first single off the album, “Rolling in the Deep,” became a worldwide sensation, and spent seven weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
There is no question that through the release of “21,” Adele has cemented her voice in the world of music, and has made it known that she won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
The album is titled after the most defining year of her life so far, “21.”
A majority of the songs on the album are about the singer’s breakup with her boyfriend of two years. She shares her experiences, emotions, and thoughts about the breakup through her lyrics.
Unlike most popular female artists, Adele chooses to make her music about raw emotion and real situations. This is what sets her apart from all the rest.
The third track on the album, “Turning Tables,” consists of only Adele’s voice and the piano.
It is a truly emotional song about her heartbreak and vulnerability, “I won’t let you close enough to hurt me. I won’t rescue you to just desert me. I can’t give you the heart you think you gave me.”
Through pain, comes strength and knowledge, “Next time I’ll be braver. I’ll be my own savior. Stand on my own two feet,” Adele sings in the bridge of the song.
When listening to her songs, audiences feel a connection to the singer because of her brave choice to share her experiences with the world. This is the key to what makes great artists turn into music legends.
The compositions on the album is what I determine to be real music. There are no special sound effects or synthesizers, just the purity of Adele’s voice and the instruments.
“I wanted the songs not to have anything glittery or glamorous about them, like an organic tapestry rather than like a Gaga album…I mean, I love Gaga, but I didn’t want to get wrapped up in all that European dance music,” Adele said in a Rolling Stone interview about the direction of her album.
Adele’s latest single, “Someone Like You,” shot straight to No. 1 in the U.S. after she performed the ballad at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards. She became the first female British solo singer in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 to have two No. 1 singles from the same album.
After only three years since the release of her debut album, Adele has already achieved much more than people twice her age, not to mention a Grammy.
If “21” is any indicator of the future of Adele’s musical journey, I am sure that we won’t be disappointed.