Why Adele?

[ARTPOPNick 3,486]

15 hours ago, Nino said:

I just don't understand this woman's success. I think it's wonderful that in 2015 people are ready to celebrate good art so much. I'm also very happy for her and her fans over the success, but I just really don't undestand why Adele of all artists is receiving this previously unseen level of praise by the people. Adele's career to me feels like some global inside joke that I'm just not in on.

I like her 3 albums, they are good listens for sure but she just feels dull and lazy in comparison to her contemporaries. Her voice is very obviously not properly trained, she makes so many mistakes that it's unacceptable for somebody marketed as an all-time great vocalist. Beyonce, for example has worked tirelessly all her life to achieve some degree of mastery over her voice and does so much to take care of it so that it won't degrade. Adele by comparison just screams until she can't scream anymore. Her visuals, including how she presents herself feels lazy. The others have to sweat for their incredible bodies and pay attention to fashion to a nearly unhealthy degree. They also have entire teams dedicated to making sure their visuals are consistent and polished. Adele by comparison doesn't feel like she cares. Her songs are excellent, but she hasn't shown any artistic growth throughout her career. The others have to always innovate and grow otherwise they become walking jokes(Focus comes to mind as an example). Adele has made it clear that she doesn't feel the need to, or that she can't. It feels to me like celebrating Adele and how she's going against the grain of the industry and breaking norms is celebrating a lack of effort. Even the least talented or the biggest sellouts of the pop landscape dedicate their lives and often sacrifice their own happiness for the sake of entertaining the masses. Adele has not. Adele never will. This brings me to my question: Why? Why does everyone love this woman so much when she's so clearly done so much less for her art and career?

I agree with you, but Gaga did the same thing with the screeming  but I also love Adele but I agree, her succes is just overrated

[Riot Poof 2,236]

I am happy to see Adele being so successful, tho. I can't help but admire someone who's breaking all sorts of records.

[ARTPOPNick 3,486]

+ she is really ruining the live performances of "Hello" , sorry but if I heard that @theVoice, i don't think I would be happy with it.. But she can sing beautiful, but this album her live performances are a bit awkward, just like the 'million years ago" version of the today show..

[arthurhmangum 4,408]

Well, she's one of the most if not the most talented artist in this industry right now. 

And some of her music is good. 

She's just as overrated at Bey, but that doesn't make me like her any less.

 

 

 

[arthurhmangum 4,408]

22 minutes ago, ARTPOPNick said:

I agree with you, but Gaga did the same thing with the screeming  but I also love Adele but I agree, her succes is just overrated

Hold on, sis.

Her success isn't overrated because she IS successful. 

I think that maybe her talent is overrated. 

But when we are talking about Bey, her success IS overrated because she hasn't done well the past few years. ( I still love her).

But she has undeniable talent to back it up... 

 

[djBuffoon 12,005]

There's a lot of reasons.

She's certainly attractive, but not intimidatingly beautiful or physically perfect.

The songs. Many of them are top-quality. "Rolling in the Deep", "Chasing Pavements", "Turning Tables", "Someone Like You", "Hello" are the ones that tend to be noted as her best. Her discography thrives on being relatable which, for me, too often flirts with generalization and inspecificity. Yes, many listeners can relate to her songs, but it is arguable that detail is what her songwriting is missing at times. Anyone could have written it and it could be about anyone. (This is not necessarily a bad thing.) With Gaga, by comparison, there is never any question who is behind the lyrics.

Her aesthetic is very predictable and cozy at this time. Listeners know what to expect from an Adele album, and she delivers just that every time. Again, this can also be looked at as a good thing, but it is a little frustrating that she still has made no effort to push herself as a writer or vocalist.

Her most indelible contribution is her voice, which is beautiful, but her songs tend to stick within the alto register, so they're easy for just about anyone to sing-along to. A major factor in pop music that gets overlooked at times. See also: Taylor Swift.

[jezze0410 393]

I find the OP's comparison of Adele with Beyoncé fascinating, as I consider both to be among the greatest pop (by which I mean popular contemporary music rather than the genre) vocalists of our time.

As others have pointed out, Adele comes across to the general public as being more genuine and less manufactured than Queen B. While I shan't comment on whether they really ARE as the public perceives them, I shall venture a guess that their respective images of emotive soul and polished pop perfection are actively enforced by their management teams. Each image appeals to vastly different markets, and generates different revenue streams.

That by which I am much more fascinated, however, is how their vocal styles contrast. Queen B has no rival--not Ariana, not Christina Aguilera, not even Kelly Clarkson--when it comes to vocal technique. When it comes to accuracy of intonation, clarity of tone, agility of runs, variety of vocal colour, she is miles ahead of Adele. Listen to Adele's recent live performances; intonation (while several standard deviations above the mean) is questionable, high notes (e.g. the E-flat in When We Were Young) sound strained, runs somewhat muddy (in All I Want). And all without having to dance (another area in which B dominates).

Where Adele is absolutely peerless is the emotive, yearning quality in her voice. It conveys vulnerability and melancholy at a level unheard of since Billie Holiday/Ella Fitzgerald/Nina Simone. What's more, all her technical flaws amplify this quality. When Beyoncé tries to convey these same emotions, she inevitably fails, precisely because of her perfect technique. Her voice sounds too pure, too clean, to celestial to convey the dark, dirty, human emotions.

We turn to music when we feel vulnerable, mortal, human, and it is in Adele's colloquial lyrics and flawed voice that we find solace. And THAT is why I think Adele has a transcendent appeal that Beyoncé can never attain.

tl;dr Adele, Queen B different, more empathy with Adele's flaws than B's perfection.

[EssenceOfPop 215]

I don't really understand the "vocal jabs" lmao - every single one of her performances she put's her heart and soul into, and her vibrato is top notch, recently of which, her performances have all been praised, her vocal delivery, especially ethereal. And strictly bringing up the vocal surgery... Okay? Uhm, she needed some treatment done as they were ruptured. That's it. What the hell does that have to do with vocal training? And her rasp and smoky delivery isn't a bad thing either in my opinion, Gaga does this too, so.

Anyway, I am not going to be bitter in regards to her impeccable success she is having, I don't know why some monsters feel so threatened and disturbed by it. Gaga will have her soaring day soon, don't worry lol. Adele's has a gift, her empathic lyrics and presence are what has everyone clung.

[Javier Gallo 199]

She makes music for people who are heartbroken or have been dumped.

[CannaeDrive 3,412]

17 minutes ago, Javier Gallo said:

She makes music for people who are heartbroken or have been dumped.

That's what I thought, music for losers  

I obviously cannot relate to that 

[Nino 12]

37 minutes ago, EssenceOfPop said:

I don't really understand the "vocal jabs" lmao - every single one of her performances she put's her heart and soul into, and her vibrato is top notch, recently of which, her performances have all been praised, her vocal delivery, especially ethereal. And strictly bringing up the vocal surgery... Okay? Uhm, she needed some treatment done as they were ruptured. That's it. What the hell does that have to do with vocal training? And her rasp and smoky delivery isn't a bad thing either in my opinion, Gaga does this too, so.

Anyway, I am not going to be bitter in regards to her impeccable success she is having, I don't know why some monsters feel so threatened and disturbed by it. Gaga will have her soaring day soon, don't worry lol. Adele's has a gift, her empathic lyrics and presence are what has everyone clung.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that the constant misuse had something to do with damage to her voice. It will likely eventually take it's toll on LG too 

 

In general though people accusing the op being based in jealousy as a LG fan need to re-read. I was speaking about Adele, specifically how she gets away with so many things that all other pop stars couldn't ever even dream of. Not about Lady Gaga. I could have made this thread on Madonna Nation and the question posed in the op would be equally as valid.

I'm happy for Adele's success, I just don't understand it. 

[Paper Gangsta 6,693]

She targets all kind of audiences and her music is very relatable. Also her image is very safe and her music doesn't take a risks so people don't think they would be judged for liking her like they would be with for example Gaga or some other artist

[Electric Phire 98]

Totally agree. It baffles me to this day

[PartySick 145,000]

17 hours ago, Mark said:

Here's why, she doesn't come off to the public as a manufactured pop star who's selling s-x nor the 'pop culture'. She's basically showing herself, which is really rare nowadays.

This. Also, she's average looking, funny, nice, just average all around aside from her voice and ability to write love songs. She not only appeals to the GP, she's the same as most people in the GP and that's a nice relief from the crazy artsy ladies with meat dresses, the naked younguns on wrecking balls, and the rappers with plastic butts.

Pop culture is a lot to take in and Adele is just so easy on the eyes compared to pretty much everyone else in the minds of the GP.

(say GP some more )

[gagaisitalian 3,573]

I'm getting so tired of these threads. Everyone was DYING for new Adele music, and as soon as she makes the biggest album of all time, people are going straight into their "why her" mindsets. Same **** happened with Taylor Swift. Everyone on this site was excited and interested in her new pop sound, most people loved the album the first week, and then she just became a huge target of ridicule because her album was the record-breaking album that year.

it's so sickening that you people can't pipe down and let an artist be successful. You sitting here typing up your essay on how Adele doesn't deserve her success isn't going to convince 2.5 million people to return her albums.

Adele is a beautiful singer with a lovely personality. She deserves the success and I'm glad the world is giving it to her. She's not problematic, over-the-top, or too boring. And that's that.