Defining Adele

It was about January of 2012 when I had the first realization, but it wasn't something that I'd be able to completely put my finger on until this past November. It was almost four years ago when it was as much a fad or just what was popular or the talk of the town for that particular time. But on October 23rd, 2015, what was once just popular became a phenomenon. "Hello" was released as the first single off of the much-anticipated third studio album from 10-time Grammy Aware winner Adele.

     In 2011 and 2012, Adele's 2nd album 21 certainly made her a star. She was nominated for a plethora of awards for songs like "Someone Like You", "Rolling in the Deep", "and "Set Fire To The Rain". But there have been plenty of artists to come and go who rack up a few #1 hits and sometimes even an award or two the way the depth of the music industry has declined in recent years. But on that January 2012 day, I began to understand that their MIGHT be something a little different about this particular flavor of the week. 

     As a result of my parents blessed me with the ability to appreciate ANY type of musical talent, I even found myself listening to the album regularly throughout a weekend trip north for a hockey tournament. But then I walked into the rink before one of our games and see a kid, no more than 12 years old, rocking out in the corner of the glass with his headphones on. Sure enough, when I walked buy I could unmistakably hear him mouthing the words from "Set Fire To The Rain". It is extremely rare for any artist in the industry to have fans that range from 12 year old boys to 30 year old men, but when you combine that with the fact that this music seemed to be crossing the gender line as well, something was starting to feel uncommon about it. So it shouldn't have been as surprising when my 26 year old friend that spends all of his time playing baseball, working on cars, and raising his seven year old son was also raving about the music. There was something about Adele's album that was transcending demographics and it was just hard to pin-point exactly why. Or maybe more aptly, why her?

     And then there was the record-breaking, or more accurately, record-shattering 25 that was released on November 20, 2015. And so my suspicions of there being a special nature to this specific artist and the universal appreciation for her music all began to resurface. I began to wonder all over again how she is able to transcend genders and demographics better than anyone I could think of. As I listened to the new songs that most people hadn't heard yet, there was something about this voice, something in this music, something about just her. Her voice has a unique purity and sharpness to it that just hits a person. There was a haunting and piercing feeling. It's hard to ignore and it certainly has an over-powering emotion to it. And now, it has resonated with all types of listeners in all types of ways, something that is very different than almost anything we've seen before.

     So just to solidify my theory one last time, I saw an opportunity at a lunch with a healthy sample of different demographics, including my Director who is the first person to pick on someone for having "cheesy" interests. I mentioned that I read that Adele tickets were selling for 10 times their face value online (which by the way is epic in an of itself). Surely enough, on cue, our Director proceeds to rant about how amazing she is and how it's not a surprise to him in the least. And yes, of course he will be getting tickets for him and his wife.

     It is definitely too early to make the inevitable comparisons to the Barbaras, Celines, Whitneys, Mariahs, and such from recent years, however the demand for her albums and concert tickets is undeniable. Right now she is still just a hot topic and the subject of the water cooler chatter. The phenomenon, the excitement, and what lies ahead is all perfect for her right now. Everything is Adele right now and one day she may be one of the greatest female artists to come along, but the reason that one day may happen is because she reaches almost every demographic in our society. Jimmy Fallon may have set it best so far, we can at least call her "a once in a generation artist".