Why Adele?

[evgenigerm2 4,056]

Her voice is just...

 

[Demon Of Razgriz 57]

Personally I'm not a fan. But I know she has her own style and that's cool. If I had to guess the reason about her being so popular, It would have to be that people really like love & heartbreak songs.

[Coulorcraft 168]

cuz shes talented as ****. lol but whats more is that shes completely genuine. Better than any factory made musician.

[StrawberryBlond 13,938]

11 hours ago, ARTPOPdidntflop said:

I still think her success is to do with the fact that we have a very misogynistic view on woman, the fact that she only uses her voice and covers up / is feminine draws a lot of people who have traditionalist views towards her aka most of the population

First time I've agreed with something you've said. Despite what you said to me regarding Miley's s-xual photoshoot, believe it or not, I do have liberal views about s-xuality, as long as no one's being hurt. I have no problem with female artists being s-xual, provided it's not gratuitious and has artistic merit behind it. I think indeed that the world still views women as having to be ladylike and classy (yet they praise provocativity too, we're sent mixed messages that way) and that it's seen as the "best" way to put forward your artistic vision. Madonna once said that she was so angry during her Erotica era because she was sick of the way people thought that because she was s-xual, she wasn't intelligent or talented and was just doing this stuff for attention and sales. And it's clear that attitude prevails over 20 years later. We still seem to think that the only reason why a female artist would be s-xual is because they're attention seekers, it's an easy way to get sales and it covers up their lack of talent. In reality, a lot of them simply want to do this because they genuinely feel it and they're extremely talented, but the public can't seem to see it when its presented in such a s-xual way. It's like Gaga said way back with that quote about how when men act s-xual, they're called rockstars, but when a woman's s-xual, her image is "distracting." It's not the artist's fault that the public have low attention spans and are distracted by shiny things like a toddler would. Granted, there are plenty of female "artists" out there who are s-xual because they are untalented and it's the only way they can sell but to paint them all that way and to act like standing still while singing a ballad is the only right way of doing music, then man, you are really snobby.

Just now, NCgaga said:

If you don't think Adele has a good voice, then you have no music credibility. It's your opinion to not like her. You own that. But to say things as if they are fact or correct, is wrong. Why compare Adele to Beyonce or anyone? Her voice is incredible, not because she has an extremely large range, or that she over does it with Melizmas and runs... Her voice has a deep and sensual tone that evokes emotions. She has thethick and colorful voice that Etta James, patsy Cline, Karen carpenter, etc have. They are none for the tone and tecture of their voices, not their range. Adele is extremely talented vocalist. Her phrasing is brilliant, her tone is executed effortlessly. To even compare her to most of her contemporaries like Beyoncé, Katy, Riganna, Taylor, etc is beyond ignorant. She is simply in a different league. It's your right to not view her as your cup of tea, but to say she is not a trained vocalist and to compare her voice to someone like Beyonce's is absurd. Please get an education on vocal performance, technique before you try to odd your opinion off as fact. 

We all process music and sound differently. It's the reason why some people headbang like crazy to a metal song but another person will cover their ears in pain. It's the reason why some people twerk to a dirty rap beat while another person will look on in disgust. It's the reason why some people get all teary eyed over a ballad but another person will think they're being too soppy. We all take it in differently and the same sounds won't work for everyone. I'm an audio fetishist, I respond well to ASMR, I know about how different sounds will cause different reactions in different people. To say that someone has no musical credibility because they don't like one particular singer is being a music snob. I never said my opinion was a fact (this is a misinterpretation a lot of people do around here, I've noticed) and I don't think anyone else did either. We just don't feel the need to put an opinion disclaimer before everything. Maybe you find her tone deep and sensual and evokes emotions with good phrasing and tone and good for you. But not everyone hears that. I think her voice sounds thick and affected, like she's got a cold or a curtain's being pulled across it (her previous years of smoking could account for this). Her tone sounds like she's bored or is falling asleep. She strains on high notes and can sound off-key on certain ones. It's not even the most distinct of voices. But all that is just my opinion, just the way my ears pick it up. Even a music professional couldn't be "right" when it comes to defining a good singer. Because music is all about what it makes you feel, so a good singer means something different for everyone.

Just now, Whispering said:

Yes, I know and the fact that Adele isn't primarily an instrumentalist, but a vocalist and songwriter still stands. They...meaning the listening public and the music buyers, prefer Adele's vocals and her lyrics to others who are doing the same "style". Simple as that. 

Like I stated in the comment you quoted, there were more ballads that Pop radio was willing to give a chance to and to play....and yes, some of the ballads I listed went to number one on CHR and sold just as much of close to what SLY sold. 

Again, you've said this before. But is it too much to ask that she can play one song on guitar all the way through, if she has the ability? It's like, why bother showcasing any instrumental talent to begin with if you're rarely going to use it or ditch it after one verse? Well, what about those singers who can sing just like her or better and have lyrics just as good or better? Where's their sales? Adele got to where she is because she had a very supportive team who invested a lot of money, promotion and faith in her (just like almost every act that makes it). A lot of these artists who are better than her don't have that. People picked up on Adele because they were spoon fed her. No different to picking up on any other generic top 40 artist who the media feeds us.

What's CHR? Contemporary Hit Radio? Whatever, if it isn't the main chart, it doesn't count. And radio airplay means next to nothing outside the US, it's all in the sales. I don't know why America still puts radio on such a pedestal - it's an outdated way of listening to music and has 0% accuracy in judging a song's true popularity.

[Whispering 18,865]

8 hours ago, StrawberryBlond said:

 

Again, you've said this before. But is it too much to ask that she can play one song on guitar all the way through, if she has the ability? It's like, why bother showcasing any instrumental talent to begin with if you're rarely going to use it or ditch it after one verse? Well, what about those singers who can sing just like her or better and have lyrics just as good or better? Where's their sales? Adele got to where she is because she had a very supportive team who invested a lot of money, promotion and faith in her (just like almost every act that makes it). A lot of these artists who are better than her don't have that. People picked up on Adele because they were spoon fed her. No different to picking up on any other generic top 40 artist who the media feeds us.

What's CHR? Contemporary Hit Radio? Whatever, if it isn't the main chart, it doesn't count. And radio airplay means next to nothing outside the US, it's all in the sales. I don't know why America still puts radio on such a pedestal - it's an outdated way of listening to music and has 0% accuracy in judging a song's true popularity.

Again, you've said the same thing about Adele playing instruments as she performs. Yes, it is too much to ask. To ask an artist to present themselves in a way that is not how they want to present their art is trying to dictate artistic vision and performances for another person...and that is not the role of a music consumer. 

Obviously, music listeners and consumers aren't interested in purchasing these other artist's music. They like what they are hearing with Adele's vocals, lyrics and melodies. Adele got to where she was at because people loved her singles and albums. There are many artists who have just as much and even more promotion and appearances than Adele has had and you don't see them selling 30 million albums for a single release. There are many artists with major labels, both past and present who have supportive teams, money, promotion, etc. why aren't they selling like Adele is? People picked up on her songs because they liked them and then word of mouth from satisfied album purchasers kept 21 selling hundreds of thousands of copies every week for months and months. The best marketing is satisfied customers that tell friends and family what they like! Anyone in business will tell you that...word of mouth is better than any marketing or promotion available. 

CHR is pop radio, which gives songs the highest amount of audience impressions and spins...which DOES count significantly towards Billboard. It is the most important radio format for pop songs and the most important radio play component of the Billboard 100. Radio is still important, as the majority of music listeners and purchasers still listen to some radio daily. Also, radio takes iTunes chart position, Streaming numbers and call out scores in account when deciding what to play and how often to play it...the same that Billboard does. The ballads I listed went to the Billboard top five or ten, with many of them being number one songs. They also sold just as much, or close to, what SLY sold. Adult contemporary type formats have always played ballads, but lately pop radio has been giving ballads a chance. That's why we have seen higher BB 100 placements and higher sales numbers for those songs.

[Lady Palutena 3,140]

I've asked myself the same question...

I've tried to listen to her music and give her a chance, but at the end of it (And this is my personal opinion on her) I find her subject material bland, her lyrics are average, and I don't find her relatable in any way.

That's not to say I'm heartless; I've been moved by songs before from Gaga to Video Game pieces. I've related to Gaga, to Selena Quintanilla to Mariah Carey to Britney.

For me, Adele lacks something, and what that is exactly, I'm not sure.

But hey, we all have our tastes. It doesn't make her any less talented anyway, it's just one person's opinion.

But I will give her the props she deserves for being a non-conformist artist in todays manufactured Pop society and I do think she is a talented woman.

Is she talented? Of course.

Is she relatable? To most people, yes.

Is she overrated? Well, that's an opinion until at least 99.9% of the world think so and we know that isn't happening any time soon...

[brizoda 3,316]

People think she's classy but i found her average like her music

[Yanko 9,860]

because talent always wins 

[StrawberryBlond 13,938]

7 hours ago, Born To Slay said:

Same with Miley, Madonna, partially Britney and others. My dad even does it, he has no problem with male rock stars wearing racy outfits but when I'm watching a Gaga or Britney performance, he's like "the only reason they like her is because she takes her clothes". As if that's all a women is worth. It's infuriating.

I notice how it never seems to occur to these people to think: "If they're only liked because they take their clothes off, then why are almost all their fans straight females and gay males?" Now, of course, not every straight woman is averse to seeing female s-xuality (women just don't see it as a big deal like men do when men are s-xual), gay men tend to love s-xual women and straight men can like female popstars, but it still doesn't give a solid answer to this question. I think women like them because they see themselves in them and they sing about being girls and gay men like them because they sing about being in love with boys. It's really that simple. But the public don't seem to think about it that way, they make it all about the s-xuality, which is ironic, given the orientation of the majority of the fans. If people only truly liked them because they took their clothes off, the majority of the fans would be straight males. But this is the thing - even if a straight male finds a female artist hot, that alone is not enough for him to buy her music or pay to see her live. He'll buy a poster or watch her music videos on mute, but that's as far as it goes. He'll only buy her music or see her live if he genuinely likes her work too. I only wish females thought like this more. A guy just has to be good looking and that's all it takes for girls to buy his album. That's why I always say that pop males and boybands rely far more on s-x to sell than any pop female or girl band.

When someone like Adele comes along, she's the biggest contrast to every other pop female and the constrast alone makes people go "Oh, this is real talent." Some might even think an artist is automatically talented purely because they aren't s-xual. It's the 21st century and we still think a woman can't be talented if she's s-xual. Yes, there are a lot who do use it to cover up a lack of talent but those are actually pretty few and far between. Yet, if a man wants to be s-xual or not, he's always considered talented. Drives me mad too. Women are always being conditioned to go into either s-xy or non s-xy camp but whichever they choose, they're going to get critised for it eventually.

Just now, Whispering said:

Again, you've said the same thing about Adele playing instruments as she performs. Yes, it is too much to ask. To ask an artist to present themselves in a way that is not how they want to present their art is trying to dictate artistic vision and performances for another person...and that is not the role of a music consumer. 

Obviously, music listeners and consumers aren't interested in purchasing these other artist's music. They like what they are hearing with Adele's vocals, lyrics and melodies. Adele got to where she was at because people loved her singles and albums. There are many artists who have just as much and even more promotion and appearances than Adele has had and you don't see them selling 30 million albums for a single release. There are many artists with major labels, both past and present who have supportive teams, money, promotion, etc. why aren't they selling like Adele is? People picked up on her songs because they liked them and then word of mouth from satisfied album purchasers kept 21 selling hundreds of thousands of copies every week for months and months. The best marketing is satisfied customers that tell friends and family what they like! Anyone in business will tell you that...word of mouth is better than any marketing or promotion available. 

CHR is pop radio, which gives songs the highest amount of audience impressions and spins...which DOES count significantly towards Billboard. It is the most important radio format for pop songs and the most important radio play component of the Billboard 100. Radio is still important, as the majority of music listeners and purchasers still listen to some radio daily. Also, radio takes iTunes chart position, Streaming numbers and call out scores in account when deciding what to play and how often to play it...the same that Billboard does. The ballads I listed went to the Billboard top five or ten, with many of them being number one songs. They also sold just as much, or close to, what SLY sold. Adult contemporary type formats have always played ballads, but lately pop radio has been giving ballads a chance. That's why we have seen higher BB 100 placements and higher sales numbers for those songs.

If she never wanted to present herself as an instrumentalist, she shouldn't have ever played instruments live. If she never does it, no one will ever expect it. But playing them live once but not doing it anymore or playing it live occasionally but ditching it after one verse gives the impression that you just don't want to try anymore. If Gaga stopped playing piano from here on out or abandoned it after one verse, I'd call her lazy too. And actually, I'd say we do partly dictate an artist as consumers. We buy their music, so they'd better produce stuff we like. We pay for their lifestyle, the least they can do is try hard for us.

Yeah, they're happy with what the media feed them. There could be better out there, they're just not interested in finding it. Yes, not every artist can succeed even with a big push, but they're fairly rare. Promo and hype sells, it's just a fact. I'm not affected by it, but a lot of people are. I don't get how simply having someone perform one song can make people buy an entire album (surprised there's still people like this out there) or telling us that an artist is good will make us interested. But that's how most of the public work. They buy into who the media present to them - simple.

But this is just it - I think including airplay stats on a song's position is ludicrous. Just because it's playing on radio doesn't mean anybody likes it and most of the biggest stars get a monopoly with radio deals anyway. And some radios just have an agenda to push. In the UK, it's all about sales and streaming, the way it should be. There are some radio stations that apparently have millions of radio listeners but I don't get it. No one I know listens to radio on purpose on any particular station, usually they switch it off as soon as it comes on.

[Blueskye 1,087]

On November 26, 2015 at 00:48:06, zexion_armando said:

She could sneeze and it would sell millions.

"I sneezed on the beat and the beat got sicker" 

[Whispering 18,865]

@StrawberryBlond Many artists, especially early in their careers, play an instrument out of necessity. Many of those artists don't have the intention of being presented as a instrumentalist for the entirety of their career. Gaga was trained as a classical pianist for years and years. Adele did not devote years to playing classical music on the guitar and then evolve into a vocalist, like what Gaga did. Gaga presented herself as an artist who was also an excellent intrumentalist, which is different than Adele presented herself. Being an excellent instrumentalist was a part of what made Gaga who she was as an artist. The same can not be said for Adele. Playing the piano was part of what made Gaga unique. Strumming a guitar was not part of what made Adele stand out and made her unique. Two different artists, two different situations. In the end, it is the artist's decision, as to how they want to present themselves and communicate with their intended audience. 

You can lead a horse to water, but you can not make them drink. All the promo in the world isn't going to make any other artist sell 30 million copies of one album.

Radio is still important in the US and that's why Billboard uses radio play as part of their rankings. Traditional AM/FM radio continues to reach the overwhelming majority of the American public – 91% of Americans ages 12 and older had listened in the week before they were surveyed in 2014, according to a Pew Research Center a--lysis of Nielsen Media Research data, essentially unchanged from 2013. 

Radio stations rely on indicators of public perception to decide what songs get more spins. The stations want listeners to tune in and stay on their channel, because that will get them more advertising dollars. That's the bottom line....income from advertising. Stations don't want to play songs that make people switch to other stations, therefore they rely on iTunes placements, streaming charts and call-out scores to tell them which songs the listening public wants to hear. 

[StrawberryBlond 13,938]

Just now, Whispering said:

@StrawberryBlond Many artists, especially early in their careers, play an instrument out of necessity. Many of those artists don't have the intention of being presented as a instrumentalist for the entirety of their career. Gaga was trained as a classical pianist for years and years. Adele did not devote years to playing classical music on the guitar and then evolve into a vocalist, like what Gaga did. Gaga presented herself as an artist who was also an excellent intrumentalist, which is different than Adele presented herself. Being an excellent instrumentalist was a part of what made Gaga who she was as an artist. The same can not be said for Adele. Playing the piano was part of what made Gaga unique. Strumming a guitar was not part of what made Adele stand out and made her unique. Two different artists, two different situations. In the end, it is the artist's decision, as to how they want to present themselves and communicate with their intended audience. 

You can lead a horse to water, but you can not make them drink. All the promo in the world isn't going to make any other artist sell 30 million copies of one album.

Radio is still important in the US and that's why Billboard uses radio play as part of their rankings. Traditional AM/FM radio continues to reach the overwhelming majority of the American public – 91% of Americans ages 12 and older had listened in the week before they were surveyed in 2014, according to a Pew Research Center a--lysis of Nielsen Media Research data, essentially unchanged from 2013. 

Radio stations rely on indicators of public perception to decide what songs get more spins. The stations want listeners to tune in and stay on their channel, because that will get them more advertising dollars. That's the bottom line....income from advertising. Stations don't want to play songs that make people switch to other stations, therefore they rely on iTunes placements, streaming charts and call-out scores to tell them which songs the listening public wants to hear. 

It's clear we just look for different qualities in our favourite artists, then. I like them to work as hard as they can and if they have multiple talents to use them. Oh, yeah, and not borderline give up on their career just because they've had kids.

You'd be surprised how much promo can help. All the bestselling artists of the year are always the ones who were promo'ing all over the place. I think lots of them get unfair levels of it, to be honest. What makes people buy 30 million copies of one album is down to timing and sheer luck. Every so often, about 2-5 years, an album comes along that sells mega millions, then we get another drought, then there's another one. The public just become massively fixated on one thing every now and again. There's nothing more to it. The fact these artists go on a downfall afterwards tell you it was just a one off and nothing to do with genuinely loving the artist and everything they stood for.

Do this many people in America really listen to radio, though? All the way through? Regular listeners? Do they listen in the car or at home? It's so weird because in the rest of the world, as soon as radios went out of fashion, they were OUT. The only time I hear the radio is in a cafe or when the car starts up. And I tune it out most of the time. Not since the 70's have people eagerly crowded around a radio to listen to every word. Seeing as YouTube and streaming is the two most popular ways people listen to the music they like now, what use does radio have? It doesn't even play the exact songs you like and its got talking in between! I've noticed that a lot of Americans tend to hate all their #1's at the end of the year because they were overplayed. I think that tells you a lot and how radio has too much power there.

[Whispering 18,865]

@StrawberryBlond Then you must not care for that artist in your avatar anymore, then. She's too lazy to promote or even properly tour...even though the demand is there. Adele had and has a baby/toddler to take care of. What's Lana's excuse? Her boyfriend?Adele hasn't given up on her career, she took time off for vocal surgery-recovery and for her pregnancy and raising a baby. She didn't want a nanny doing that job for her. She had enough material for an album two years ago, but want satisfied with the final product, so she went back to the drawing board. That's commendable, not lazy or "giving up".

(By the way, I support Lana, just like I support Adele on her choices. It is up to the artist and their team, as to how often releases are sent out and the amount of promo they want to do. It is also fully up to the artist, as far as if they want to tour or not, and the extent they want to go to with their tour schedule. It is their life and their career, after all.)

Of course promo helps, but there are under promoted projects that do very well and over promoted projects that do poorly. Either way, there is no amount of promotion that can give any other current artist the sales numbers Adele has had with her last two album releases. 

Yes, this many people actually listen to the radio. There are statistics from Pew Research and Nielsen that show that these are facts. Remember that the majority of people in the US over the age of 16 have a car to get to work, school, run errands, etc. Many, many families have a car per every person over the age of 15. People are in their cars for long periods of time for work, school, practices, shopping, errands, etc. and during that time most people listen to the radio at least part of the time. It's especially important in the morning for adults, as you will get road and travel condition updates four times an hour. The DJs will also talk about local news, current events and celebrity news during that time, so people like to hear this mixed in with their music. 

[PlasticHo 697]

I don't see how anyone can be AGAINST Adele for taking a break for a new baby. Are you kidding me? Music is not THAT important. We're talking about her life, family, future... 

[StrawberryBlond 13,938]

Just now, Whispering said:

@StrawberryBlond Then you must not care for that artist in your avatar anymore, then. She's too lazy to promote or even properly tour...even though the demand is there. Adele had and has a baby/toddler to take care of. What's Lana's excuse? Her boyfriend? Adele hasn't given up on her career, she took time off for vocal surgery-recovery and for her pregnancy and raising a baby. She didn't want a nanny doing that job for her. She had material enough for an album two years ago, but want satisfied with the final product, so she went back to the drawing board. That's commendable, not lazy or giving up. 

(By the way, I support Lana, just like I support Adele on her choices. It is up to the artist and their team, as to how often releases are sent out and the amount of promo they want to do. It is also fully up to the artist, as far as if they want to tour or not, and the extent they want to go to with their tour schedule. It is their life and their career, after all.)

Of course promo helps, but there are under promoted projects that do very well and over promoted projects that do poorly. Either way, there is no amount of promotion that can give any other current artist the sales numbers Adele has had with her last two album releases. 

Yes, this many people actually listen to the radio. There are statistics from Pew Research and Nielsen that show that these are facts. Remember that the majority of people in the US over the age of 16 have a car to get to work, school, run errands, etc. Many, many families have a car per every person over the age of 15. People are in their cars for long periods of time for work, school, practices, shopping, errands, etc. and during that time most people listen to the radio at least part of the time. It's especially important in the morning for adults, as you will get road and travel condition updates four times an hour. The DJs will also talk about local news, current events and celebrity news during that time, so people like to hear this mixed in with their music. 

I am annoyed at Lana for not touring when the demand is there. So glad I went to see her way back because I knew it could be the first and last time. I was also really annoyed back when she'd released her debut and then talked about how she might quit music and how her real dream was to write for film. Then she released her re-release and another album was in the works, and phew, she wasn't leaving at all. But I never liked how she said what she did back then. You don't just enter a career like music, build a fanbase and then leave after one album. It's not like quitting a regular job. If you've built fans, they'll remember you forever and be left wanting. Adele had more than enough time for recovery (it was in 2012 or something it happened, right?) She has a studio in her home, so she could sing with her baby right next to her, all home comforts. I hate how celebrities take a break for a few years to have a baby when civilian women are still working their asses off. Single mothers raise 3 kids and have to work 2 jobs. I was practically raised by my gran growing up because both my parents worked. That's considered perfectly normal but when it's a celebrity, we mollycoddle them. We say they need that time to bond with their children and be good parents. So, anyone who isn't with their kid 24/7 for the first 5 years of their lives is a monster? Gimme a break. They just can't be bothered and use children as an excuse. Kate Bush has been using that excuse for the past 17 years since she gave birth to her only child.

There's selling and then there's SELLING. Every album that got onto the all time bestsellers list (20 million or more) had a big push behind it. 21 was made for that kind of success. Her label even said their aim was for Skyfall to be the most downloaded track of all time (it wasn't). Her label have been all about the money for her since 21 took off. No surprise release as rumoured (you'll get more sales if preorders and expectation is involved), a November release to cash in on Christmas/New Year/BRITS sales, all the best promo slots, no Spotify streams. When you've got that kind of support, who needs genuinely good music?

Well, it's clearly very different in the States, then. Over here, we just view radio as an irritant unless a song we know and like comes on. Most people I know don't even play it in their cars and turn it down to talk if they do. We switch it off given the chance and plug in an album from the glove compartment. Radio has no power here and thank God for that.