What We All Love About Adele

There’s something about Adele’s down to earth nature and likability that sets her apart from most celebrities.

After more than 100 million record sales she is said to be worth a staggering £85 million – she earedt £35 million in 2016 alone – and has become Britain’s richest female performer. Yet there is an alluring charm and normality about Adele Adkins. Her mother Penny was just 18 when she had Adele, and her biological father left the scene two years later. Her childhood in Tottenham, where she remembers being the only white kid in the class, and then Brixton and West Norwood in south London has given her a distinctively London working-class accent, and that accent and her wild cackle of a laugh have not changed one iota since she began winning Grammys, Oscars and everything else.

Just as Adele’s song-writing is searingly honest and her singing voice a world away from the manufactured vacuity of so many other modern stars, there is an understated authenticity in the personality she presents to the public.

She is clearly nervous during many of her public appearances but still brave enough to express the insecurities and uncertainties of a normal person and to put up no pretence of being perfect. She smokes, drinks and has weight problems, and has often spoken of her battle with postnatal depression, even confessing that it has so far scared her off having a second child.

A wonderful example of Adele’s priorities came when she was asked to perform at the reception for the 2011 royal wedding of Catherine Middleton and Prince William. Most British artists would have killed for that gig but Adele had other commitments, opting to go ahead and cook a BBQ with her friends. She was replaced in the spotlight by Ellie Golding.

Adored by both men and women and fans of various ages, she has won over people far outside her typical fan base. Adele is the best friend you always wish you had, sharing with millions of strangers the rawness of heartbreak, falling in love and everything in between.

She has a way of making even her biggest shows feel welcoming. Her 2016 headline Glastonbury gig managed to feel intimate because instead of swanning about like a smooth pro she showed all the nerves that you would if you suddenly found yourself on a stage in front an enormous audience. In an industry where so many lightweights present themselves as legends, Adele is a once in a generation talent who carries herself like your flawed but big-hearted neighbour. Maybe that’s why we all love her.

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