STACK #133 Nov 2016

MUSIC

FEATURE

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fascinating to listen to now: Adele was still honing her sound, and the influences of R’n’B and jazz (particularly the scat-singing towards the song’s conclusion) are identifiable between the swelling chorus and tender delivery for which she is known now. The song rippled through the industry’s awareness, and by early 2008, hype was burgeoning: Adele was tipped to be the next big thing. When her album 19 was released at the end of January, it went straight to number one on the UK charts. She was poised to break into America with an enormous US tour booked for the end of that year. But it wasn’t to be: the combination of a pernicious relationship and the singer’s struggle with alcoholism resulted in her cancelling the dates – a decision for which she has expressed regret and incredulity in subsequent interviews. Various singles from 19 charted in countries all over the world, and Hometown Glory was nominated for a Grammy for Best Female Pop Performance. Adele now set her sights on her second album, the inspiration for which came from the break-up of her relationship and her determination to overcome the crutch of alcohol which had propped her through the romance’s dissolution. 21 was released at the beginning of 2011 to almost instant worldwide ovation. It soared to number one in more than 26 countries, including the US, UK and of course Australia; we were responsible for more than a million of the eventual 30 million sales across the world, sending it platinum 15 times. Singles Rolling in the Deep , Someone Like You and Set Fire to the Rain were ubiquitous but there was no backlash to be seen, and the ‘Adele Live’ tour quickly sold out. Just before she was due to begin her US dates in October of 2011, without warning Adele suffered a laryngeal haemorrhage and underwent sudden microsurgery; convalescing back in Britain, she discovered that  21 was nominated for six Grammy Awards. She decided the 2012 Grammy ceremony would be her live comeback, and made it so in spectacular fashion: after performing Rolling in the Deep , Adele went on to win in every single category for which she had been nominated, including Album of the Year. Now, after a quiet hiatus (the singer did release the theme song for James Bond flick Skyfall in January 2014, for which she won her tenth Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media), this month we will be hearing Adele’s third album, entitled 25 . Lead single Hello immediately broke the Vevo record for single clip views in a day (previously held by Taylor Swift for Bad Blood ), and the song cannonballed way up the top of the charts worldwide. It’s a perfectly fitting beginning to what promises to be another gem in the singer’s crown; do not miss 25 , due in-store on November 20.

The singer-songwriter is solidifying her place in music history with her third album, 25 , out this month. By Zoë Radas HOLA, ADELE W hen you’re speaking about Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, you can’t get away with omitting the modifier ‘independent.’ She BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology (whose notable alumni include The Kooks, Imogen Heap, Jessie J, King Krule, Leona Lewis and Amy Winehouse) in 2006, with a vague but galvanised dream of performing her own music. A few months later, after a friend posted

might now be one of the brightest and most adored stars in the whole of the musical industry – with myriad awards, honours and critical glory in her hatband – but her story makes clear that without being born into any kind of musical family fanaticism or industry position, it’s possible to make it if you assert your independence. At 14, Adele Laurie Blue Adkins – a Tottenham gal with a single mother who was, although supportive of her child, not connected with music in any way – already loved singing. She replicated tunes by Destiny’s Child, The Spice Girls and Mary J Blige, putting on loungeroom shows for her mum’s friends. One day while flipping through the CD racks of a music store, Adele came across two artists who would launch her imagination: Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald. Until that point, Adele’s musical interest had been mostly focused on pursuing Artist Relations – that art of catapulting others’ careers – but now a new possibility had opened up: songwriting and singing. She applied for and graduated from the

a three-track demo of the vocalist’s songs on MySpace, Adele was receiving emails from

XL Recordings. She began by ignoring them, not completely believing they were serious or possibly even real, but eventually agreed to a meeting. She was signed immediately. The following year (2007) she released her break-out track Hometown Glory , which is One day ... Adele came across two artists who would launch her imagination

25 by Adele is out Nov 20 through XL Recordings/Remote Control.

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