Watch: Adele & Jennifer Hudson perform at ‘85th Academy Awards’…
Posted by Toya | Filed under Adele, Jennifer Hudson, Performances
Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson and Brit sensation Adele both performed at last night’s 85th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
J. Hud belted out ‘And I Am Telling You’ from Dreamgirls, the very film that won her an Oscar back in 2007. A standing-o well deserved as she took us to church! Adele took home her first Oscar for Best Original Song, and gave us a very powerful performance of her winning track ‘Skyfall’, the ‘James Bond 007: Skyfall’ theme. The Oscars really did give me ALL of my musical feels and more! Check it all out below!
Adele to perform ‘Skyfall’ at the 85th Academy Awards…
Posted by Toya | Filed under Adele
One things for certain. Adele is back!!!!! After winning a Golden Globe earlier this month for James Bond theme ‘Skyfall’, the vocal juggernaut has announced that she will perform the tune at this year’s Oscars! “It’s an honour to be nominated and terrifyingly wonderful to be singing in front of people who have captured my imagination over and over again,” Adele said. “It’s something I’ve never experienced and probably only ever will once!”
This truly serves as a big moment for her being that it would mark her very first performance since giving birth to her first child in October. The 85th Academy Awards will take place on February 24th!
Watch: Adele’s elated Golden Globe acceptance speech for ‘Skyfall’…
Posted by Toya | Filed under Adele
In case you missed it, you can now check out Adele‘s rather endearing acceptance speech for ‘Skyfall’, her theme to the James Bond film of the same name. The 77-piece orchestra-tune won big at last night’s Golden Globe Awards, with the new mom snatching the award for ‘Best Original Song – Motion Picture’. The prestigious gong was presented to her by a stunning Jennifer Lopez.
Adele’s giddy speech at the Golden Globes was hilarious simply because all the Americans looked so confused! She was doing it big in her own inimitable style but it was an award that was well deserved! And of course you’ve got to love that accent, as well!
Adele’s ‘21’ sells 10 million units in the States, officially certified Diamond…
Posted by Toya | Filed under Adele, Billboard charts
With 28,000 copies sold this week, Adele‘s mega-selling album ‘21’ has now amassed an outstanding 10,020,000 copies in the States!
Such a feat has earned the songbird a place in the history books. She is among the best-selling artists of the last 20 years, being one of only eight albums to sell that much units, after 24 weeks topping the Billboard 200. The die-hard project has not departed the Billboard 200 since debuting at #1 with 352k units sold in its opening week 92 weeks ago. It is the first album to accomplish this feat in such a short time period since ‘N Sync’s ‘No Strings Attached’ in 2000.
On top of that, Adele has become the first British solo female artist to achieve a diamond-certified album in the States. She is also the first British act to accomplish this in less than two years. She now joins Celine Dion, The Dixie Chicks, Whitney Houston, Alanis Morissette, Britney Spears, TLC and Shania Twain as the only female artists to score a diamond certification for their projects within a two year time span.
‘21’ is also the only album to sell over 4 million units in the States this year. The album topped the Billboard 200 for 24 non-consecutive weeks and managed to stay in the top 10 of that chart for 80 weeks. Amazingly, 78 of those were achieved consecutively rendering it a record among female artists. The album spawned four singles, which all peaked within the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100. Three of them – ‘Rolling in the Deep’, ‘Someone like You’ and ‘Set Fire to the Rain’ all topped the chart. The RIAA has also officially certified the album Diamond. Amazingballs.
Billboard charts: Miguel surpasses expectations, Adele debuts big…
Posted by Toya | Filed under Adele, Billboard charts, Miguel
Miguel celebrates a triumphant return to this week’s Billboard 200. The R&B singer scores his best week ever after second album ‘Kaleidoscope Dream’ charted at #3 with 71,000 units. His debut set, 2010?s ‘All I Want Is You’ peaked at #37 selling 11,000 units in its first week.
In more Billboard 200 news, X Factor UK graduate Cher Lloyd notches up her very first top 10 album with ‘Sticks & Stones’ selling 31,000 units. Over on the Billboard Hot 100, Adele’s ‘Skyfall’ peaks at #8, selling an impressive 261k digital copies, and earning the 24-year-old her first top 10 debut. Check out who is ruling the Billboard 200 and the Hot 100 charts below.
Billboard 200
1. Mumford & Sons – ‘Babel’ – 169K (total: 769K)
2. muse – ‘The 2nd Law’ – 101K (debut)
3. Miguel – ‘Kaleidoscope Dream’ – 71K (debut)
4. Pink – ‘The Truth About Love’ – 52K (total: 427K)
5. Three Days Grace – ‘Transit of Venus’ – 48K (debut)
6. DianaKrall – ‘Glad Rag Doll’ – ’46K (debut)
7. Jackie Evancho – ‘Songs From the Silver Screen’ – 41K (debut)
8. Little Big Town – ‘Tornado’ – 31K (total: 228K)
9. Cher Lloyd – ‘Sticks & Stones’ – 31K (debut)
10. Van Morrison – ‘Born to Sing: No Plan B’ – 29K
Billboard Hot 100
1. Maroon 5 – ‘One More Night’
2. PSY – ‘Gangnam Style’
3. One Direction – ‘Live While We’re Young’
4. fun. – ‘Some Nights’
5. Taylor Swift – ‘We Are Never Getting Back Together’
6. Taylor Swift – ‘Red’
7. Justin Bieber – ‘As Long As You Love Me (Ft. Big Sean)’
8. Adele – ‘Skyfall’
9. Pink – ‘Blow Me (One Last Kiss)’
10. Alex Clare – ‘Too Close’
New Music: Adele – ‘Skyfall’ (CDQ)…
Posted by Toya | Filed under Adele, New Music, New Song
Ahead of its premiere later tonight, Adele’s new single ‘Skyfall’ has already made its way to the internet, courtesy of a French radio station that played the song early. ETA: Now updated with high quality. Fans that have been counting down the hours to hear Adele’s theme tune for the upcoming Bond flick can now get a premature listen. The cut is lifted from the ‘James Bond 007: Skyfall’ soundtrack, and co-written and produced by her ‘Rolling In The Deep’ collaborator Paul Epworth.
The tune will be distributed to iTunes globally later tonight, to coincide with the song officially impacting radio. The new ‘James Bond’ movie will hit theaters on October 26th in the UK. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, ‘Skyfall’ features the accompaniment of a 77-piece orchestra. Are you ready to get some serious goosebumps? Without further adieu…
‘Skyfall’ is dark, brooding and sultry and Adele does not fail it. Her vocals overflow with soul, power and evoking an emotion where she is totally within her absolute element. What are the odds of this becoming the first James Bond theme to ever top the UK singles chart? In fact, her fanbase is so loyal, are there even any odds?
New Music: Adele – ‘Skyfall’ (snippet)…
Posted by Toya | Filed under Adele, New Music, New Song
Before Adele goes into career hibernation, she releases a snippet for the new Bond theme. The cut is lifted from the upcoming ‘James Bond 007: Skyfall’ movie. ‘Skyfall’ will premiere in full on Adele’s official website on October 5th at 0.07am UK time. October 5th marks the 50th anniversary since the release of the first Bond film ‘Dr No’ and has been marked as global James Bond Day. ‘Skyfall’ is also her first new single since the world-conquering ’21? era and co-written by Adele and Paul Epworth (they also wrote the monster smash ‘Rolling In The Deep’ together). Listen to a snippet below.
Recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, ‘Skyfall’ features the accompaniment of a 77-piece orchestra:
Adele sounds fantastic on ‘Skyfall’. It ties in nicely with the typical “bond” theme, due to it being so dark and brooding. The track sounds exactly how you’d expect a James Bond theme tune to sound like. The cut will only have just two days of sales in its first week, so who knows where it will end up debuting. Rihanna is expected to debut big with ‘Diamonds’, so a #1 might not be guaranteed but this is Adele we’re talking about. That chick is practically chart voodoo.
Snapshot: Adele covers ‘Rolling Stone’, readies new single…
Posted by Toya | Filed under Adele
Pregnancy is not stopping Adele from snagging those high profile magazine covers. After her latest album ’21? sold over 9.8 million copies in the States, Adele has become Queen of chart reign. And now, the 24-year-old has bagged herself the coveted cover of Rolling Stone magazine’s ‘Women Who Rock’ issue, which came out today.
The publication could have at least chosen a better photo, but it won’t be a big deal to her with all that money in the bank from album royalties, a wedding to plan and a baby to nurture to during her couple of years away from the music scene. And just before she goes into musical hibernation, we can at least enjoy one more single from her. ‘Let the Sky Fall’ serves as the title track for the new Bond film, ‘Skyfall’. The cut, deemed as an “ominous, dramatic ballad” will reportedly premiere in the first week of October.
Billboard 200: Adele beats Alanis Morissette’s chart record…
Posted by Toya | Filed under Adele
Adele stays winning!!!!! Who else can remain in the top 10, and still push 35k copies on the Billboard 200 after an astonishing 73-week run? Adele’s ’21? has done just that. The project sits comfortably at #8, after achieving a 9x platinum certification. Such a feat also means Adele has surpassed Alanis Morissette‘s 72-week run. Morissette’s ‘Jagged Little Pill’ previously held the record for being the longest-running top 10 album by a female artist in the history of the chart. To date, ’21? has sold 9.57 million in total. Slayage!
Adele announces her pregnancy…
Posted by Toya | Filed under Adele
Today has been very depressive for celebrity news. Lauryn Hill is going to jail, Tom and Katie are divorcing and then we can smother all that with some icing – Adele‘s pregnant! The talented singer just announced on her blog that she and boyfriend and fiancé Simon Konecki are expecting their first child. “I’m delighted to announce that Simon and I are expecting our first child together” she wrote. “I wanted you to hear the news direct from me, obviously we’re over the moon and very excited but please respect our privacy at this precious time”.
I’m very happy for Adele. I’m quite surprised that she would choose to have a baby at the peak of her career especially at the tender age of just 24. Her third studio album will probably be called ’30?, but at least she’s happy, young, rich, successful and in love. You could not bring in a baby in a better position than that! Massive congrats to them both! A baby is a blessing and I hope she has a healthy pregnancy throughout.
Rolling Stone: 50 Greatest Female Albums…
Posted by Toya | Filed under Adele, Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Janet Jackson, Lady Gaga, Lauryn Hill, Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott
I hate polls. I never take them seriously because they never represent my tastes. Sans Mary J. Blige‘s ‘My Life’ and Lauryn Hill‘s ‘The Miseducation’, none of my favourite albums from a female artist made this list. Where’s Mariah Carey? Yet Beyonce‘s ’4? and Lady Gaga‘s ‘Born This Way’ makes it and Mariah doesn’t? LMAO. The artists on here are really talented but the wrong albums in the wrong ranking have been selected rendering this list a damn travesty.
50. Alanis Morissette: Jagged Little Pill
49. The Breeders: Last Splash
48. Bonnie Raitt: Give It Up
47. Lucinda Williams: Car Wheels On A Gravel Road
46. Salt N Peppa: Hot, Cool and Vicious
45. Taylor Swift: Speak Now
44. Siouxsie and the Banshees: Once Upon A Time
43. Lauryn Hill: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
42. Linda Ronstadt: Heart Like a Wheel
41. Cyndi Lauper: She’s So Unusual
40. Yoko Ono: Walking on Thin Ice
39. Fiona Apple: Extraordinary Machine
38. Bjork: Post
37. Beyonce: 4
36. X-Ray Spex: Germ Free Adolescents
35. The Ronnettes: The Best of the Ronnettes
34. Go-Go’s: Beauty and the Beat
33. Irma Thomas: Soul Queen of New Orleans
32. Dolly Parton: Best of Dolly Parton
31. PJ Harvey: Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea
30. Alicia Keys: As I Am
29. M.I.A.: Kala
28. Yeah Yeah Yeahs: It’s Blitz!
27. Dionne Warwick: Presenting…
26. Janet Jackson: Rythym Nation
25. Heart: Little Queen
24. Hole: Live Through This
23. Donna Summers: Bad Girls
22. Liz Phair: Exile in Guyville
21. Carole King: Tapestry
20. Etta James: At Last
19. Joan Jett: Bad Reputation
18. Madonna: Like A Prayer
17. Sleater-Kinney: The Hot Rock
16. Labelle: Nightbirds
15. Patsy Cline: The Patsy Cline Collection
14. The Pretenders: The Pretenders
13. Mary J Blige: My Life
12. Janis Joplin: Pearl
11. Lady Gaga: Born This Way
10. Bikini Kill: The Singles
9. The Supremes: Anthology
8. Blondie: Parallel Lines
7. Missy Elliott: Under Construction
6. Adele: 21
5. Patti Smith: Horses
4. Fleetwood Mac: Rumours
3. Dusty Springfield: Dusty in Memphis
2. Joni Mitchell: Blue
1. Aretha Franklin: I Never Loved A Man The Way I Loved You
Adele’s ‘Vogue’ cover is one of the worst sellers EVER, says editor…
Posted by Toya | Filed under Adele
Adele, who surpassed 9 million U.S. sales with latest album ’21? this week, may be able to push albums, but when it comes to Vogue covers, nobody would even spit on it.
Despite her mega popularity with the record buying public, Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman says that the October issue of UK Vogue which featured Adele as the cover girl was “one of the worst sellers” they’ve ever had. If it serves me correctly, isn’t Vogue a fashion magazine? Adele, to my knowledge is not seen as a style icon and with that frumpy colourless wardrobe of hers, she never will be. If people wanted to read about her, they’d have brought Rollingstone, NME or Billboard, which caters to a completely different market.
Adele fans more than likely do not read Vogue anyway. It’s no wonder the editor is turning her ambitious interests to Kate Middleton who would serve as more than a perfect match for their publication.
Watch: Adele’s NBC special with Matt Lauer (preview)…
Posted by Toya | Filed under Adele
A preview of Adele‘s latest new interview with Matt Lauer surfaced last night. Get charmed by the powerhouse’s larger than life personality below.
Hilariously, she admits to wearing four pairs of Spanx at the Grammys, only reducing the amount just so that she can belt out her tune. Other light-hearted chuckle-worthy banter sees the 24-year-old admitting that she once walked through Trafalgar Square in her pyjamas. She then rounds it all off with the admission of only ever wanting to pursue her passion, a passion that millions of fans have come to enjoy. “I just want to make music, I don’t want people to talk about me. All I’ve ever wanted to do was sing” she says.
The video serves as a teaser for the full hour-long interview, which Adele recorded with the Today show recently. The segment, titled ‘Adele Live in London with Matt Lauer’ will air June 5th on NBC. In related news, Adele’s smash album ’21? is closing in on the 9 million sales mark in the States and has not left the top ten on the Billboard charts in its 63-week run so far. Amazing.
Adele’s ‘21’ album outsells Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ in the UK…
Posted by Toya | Filed under Adele, Michael Jackson
Adele‘s Grammy-winning album ‘21’ has now outsold Michael Jackson‘s ‘Thriller’ in the list of the best-selling UK albums. Gasp!
When addressing such major achievement, Martin Talbot from the Official Charts Company says:
“To add to her many landmark records, Adele’s achievement in overtaking ‘Thriller’ in the all-time sales list is truly remarkable. ‘Thriller’ has long been recognised as one of the most iconic albums of all-time. There is now no doubt that ‘21’ can be spoken of in the same breath.”
’21? has sold over 4,274,300 copies; just 500 copies ahead of ‘Thriller’, which has generated over 4,273,800 in sales since 1982. Adele’s album has spent 65 non-consecutive weeks on the UK Albums Chart since its release 15 months ago, outselling Amy Winehouse’s ‘Back To Black’ and becoming the biggest-selling album of the 21st Century. I can’t say I’m mad at her. Records are made to be broken and at least it was done by an extraodinary talent. I’d rather this than basic Katy Perry besting MJ’s record for having the most #1 singles from one album.
The top 10 biggest-selling albums in the UK are:
1. Queen – Greatest Hits
2. The Beatles – Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
3. ABBA – Gold: Greatest Hits
4. Oasis – (What’s The Story) Morning Glory?
5. Adele – 21
6. Michael Jackson – Thriller
7. Dire Straits – Brothers In Arms
8. Pink Floyd – The Dark Side Of The Moon
9. Michael Jackson – Bad
10. Queen – Greatest Hits II
Madonna wants to collaborate with Adele…
Posted by Toya | Filed under Adele, Madonna
In an interview to be aired Friday, April 20th on ITV1’s Daybreak and Lorraine Kelly, Madonna reveals her hopes to collaborate with Adele one day.
What neither of us had banked on was that Madonna wanted Adele to perform with her at the Superbowl. “I would love to meet her” Madonna says. “I think she’s brilliant, I love her. I wanted her to be in the Super Bowl with me, but I think she was having her throat problem or throat operation or something”. Madge is set to play a one off date at Hyde Park this summer and remains hopeful that a stage performance between them could still take place. Madonna remains the marketing opportunist and will ride any trend no matter how contrasting. Simply put, Adele would eat her for breakfast. In related news, Adele was also named as one of 2012?s Top 100 Most Influential People. A feat that is very well deserved.
Adele plots new single for years end & aspires to duet with Beyonce…
Posted by Toya | Filed under Adele
Adele aspires to duet with Beyonce and plots next studio album, to be released in two years.
A new single is being scheduled by the end of the year, but speculation points to it being the new James Bond theme. Her next studio album will take at least “a good two years” to complete. “There will be a new song, probably coming out at the end of the year. But then it depends how quickly I write some other new songs” she reveals to French radio station NRJ. She also speaks on her desire to work with Beyonce. Would you love them to duet? I’m not totally sold on whether that would work. Their vocals are so… contrasting. But then again, this is what would make the collaboration so endearing. Check out a video of the interview below and see what else she had to say about Beyonce.
“I adore Beyonce, I’ve been listening to her since I was about 11. I think her work as an artist and a singer is enviable in terms of the length of her career and how she’s grown and grown, but most of my inspirations are [from] old music and sadly they have all died”.
Rant: The-Dream says black artists “can’t do soul music anymore”…
Posted by Toya | Filed under Adele, Beyonce
In an interview with the UK’s The Guardian, producer The-Dream says that soul music is now impossible to sell for black artists.
His argument is that previously straight R&B acts such as Usher and Beyonce, are now being “pigeonholed” into doing pop records only. I definetely see where he’s coming from as the US have been suffering from the R&B slump for quite a while now. He’s pretty much saying R&B music is out and Dance/Pop music is in, which is why blacks have latched onto it. Even R&B veterans like Toni Braxton has now opted to go the dance route. R&B music was definitely a force to be reckoned with throughout the 90s, but the appreciation for it has dwindled in recent times.
Interestingly, The-Dream compares Adele‘s selling power to that of Beyonce’s, adding that Adele’s race is what served as an advantage. Beyonce’s latest album ’4? underperformed compared to previous projects, and Adele’s latest album ’21? stays killing the competition. “What’s crazy is that blacks can’t do soul records any more. We love Adele singing it, but Beyoncé singing it? No, the tempo’s too slow, gimme the club hit. Now the blacks in America are responsible for the pop records, and everybody else is singing soulful records. It’s weird to me. We’re pigeonholed over there” he says.
The-Dream is also basing his views on the fact that Beyoncé’s soulful number ’1+1? (which he produced) was scrapped as a potential single in favour of the mainstream pop ballad ‘Best Thing I Never Had’. I don’t really think it’s right to compare ’4? and ’21? because they are completely different albums. The only thing those projects have in common is the numeric album titles. I believe Adele has soul and so does Beyonce but neither of their albums represented that deep-rooted soul in my opinion. On the other hand, what defines a ‘soul album’ is pretty much subjective these days anyway.
I would not go as far as to say blacks selling soul music successfully are completely numbered. Maxwell and Sade had a fantastic comeback in more recent times. Jill Scott‘s latest album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart last year. In the same year, Marsha Ambrosious‘ latest album debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. I can’t really say for sure why some artists do better than others. Maybe it’s because they know who they are as artists, stayed true to themselves and were rewarded with having their audiences stick by them. But to say blacks can’t sell soul albums any more? Reaching.
Thoughts?
Adele’s ‘21’ returns to #1 on Official UK Albums Chart…
Posted by Toya | Filed under Adele
In the same way that Adele recieved a sales and chart boost following her explosive Grammy Awards victory and performance, history repeats itself over in the UK. This week, she performed at the Brit Awards (equivalent to the Grammys) and recieved a sales/chart boost from winning ‘British Album of the Year’. Her album ’21? has returned to the top of the Official UK Albums Chart for its 21st non-consecutive week and never left the Top 10 since its release. The album has now spent 57 weeks on the chart and has hit 4 million in UK sales. Congrats Ms Adkins!
Adele’s unstoppable album ‘21’ is now officially the one to beat…
Posted by Toya | Filed under Adele
Adele is slaughtering everyone in her wake with latest album ’21?. The unprecedented success of this album is so great, I think it could take several years before another artist comes along and matches her achievements. It’s THAT serious. She has truly set the standard with all the records she has set and broken in a span of less than a year. So, what other outstanding developments has Adele achieved since her clean sweep at the Grammy Awards a fortnight ago?
As well as tying with Beyonce for achieving the most Grammy wins in a single night, she has now bested Whitney Houston‘s record for having the longest running #1 album on the Billboard Top 200 Chart (21 weeks). She has now become the only female, and overall artist to achieve this.
Adele has encountered the biggest sales surge in Grammy Award history after selling a staggering 730k copies following her amazing Grammy sweep. She is also predicted to push another 300k by the end of the sales week next week. That would mean ’21? would have sold ONE MILLION copies in the States within a 2-week period. A feat achieved almost one year after the album dropped in stores.
Adele has also become the first artist ever to go double platinum on iTunes in the States. ’21? has now sold over 7 million copies in the United States and over 20 million sales worldwide. The album is now on the verge of 4 million UK sales.
And last but not least, ’21? is expected to reclaim the UK album #1 spot this week (February 26th), after the Brits where she picked up two awards and gave ITV the middle finger for cutting off her speech. ’21? has been in the top 10 throughout its 52-week stay on the chart. I would not even be surprised if this album is still in the top 10 when 2013 arrives.
Absolutely remarkable.
Performance: Adele’s ‘Rolling In The Deep’ at 2012 BRIT Awards…
Posted by Toya | Filed under Adele, Brit Awards, Performances
With Adele finding happiness and enjoying some peen at last, you’d think she’d now add a speck of colour to her wardrobe. But she stays dressed like she’s still in mourning. Perhaps she was attending the funeral for crushing everyone elses record sales. As she took to the stage at tonight’s Brit Awards, she enlightened London’s O2 Arena by performing her smash single ‘Rolling In The Deep’. During the ceremony, she picked up awards for Best British Female and Best British Album for ’21?. Yet again, this was just another awards show for her to sweep!
Surgery has definetely changed Adele’s voice. It sounds like she changed the key for ‘Rolling In The Deep’, which would explain why it sounds so different. All that grit and rawness seems to have disappeared, and she can’t seem to get the same range back. At least I can say it was a stronger performance than what she delivered at the Grammys.
Hopefully one day, she will surprise everybody by wearing something other than a black dress and singing something other than the same two songs. The singer reacted angrily when ITV bosses made host James Coden run onstage and rudely interrupt her speech due to time constraints.
