Perdita
16-07-2008, 07:35
Adele's been through a lot during the last nine months. The young Londoner was tipped for the top by just about everyone at the end of 2007, even winning a Brit Award before her first proper single had come out. Thankfully, Adele managed to weather the hype and the inevitable backlash, and has now sold an impressive half a million copies of her debut album. We gave her a call to find out how she's dealing with her rapid rise to stardom.
How are you today Adele?
"Hungover. I've been on a four-day bender because I just got back from America and I've been catching up with my mates in the pub. I don't get too drunk when I'm on tour because I don't want to cancel anything, so I have to make up for it afterwards."
How did it go in the States?
"Amazing - and it's all so unexpected. I was a bit scared when my American agent said he was going to put me on a 15-date tour over there, but thanks to the power of the internet people showed up at my gigs and knew all the words and it all went amazing."
Did you find it gruelling? You've said in the past that you get quite homesick when you're on tour.
"I do. I love my friends so much that I do get quite moody when I'm away from them. It was five weeks this time which is quite a long time, but the shows were so good that it made up for missing them."
You did a few of the really big US TV shows while you were out there.
"Yeah, I did Letterman and The Today Show. I had no idea what they were the equivalent to because obviously we don't have them here. I was like, 'What's The Today Show?' and they were like, 'Imagine GMTV but on a much bigger scale'. It was live and there were like 50 million people watching so I literally just s**t myself! Letterman was pre-recorded so I wasn't quite as nervous, but I forgot that during my performance. I got half-way through the song and couldn't remember whether it was live or not. Look it up on YouTube - you'll see my face just drop!"
What's the new single, 'Hometown Glory', about?
"It's about my love for London, but it's not me being all 'Wahey, I'm a Londoner'. It's about cherishing where you're from and being comforted by where you're from because of all the memories you have there. It was a bit of a protest against my mum, because she wanted me to go away to university and I was like, 'Noooo, I wanna stay!'"
She must be quite pleased you didn't go now.
"She's over the moon! She was like 'Get a job, get a job' for so long and I was like, 'Nooo, I can't be bothered'. Then I went and got a record deal and all this happened and now I'm definitely allowed to stay in London."
Has everything that's happened to you over the last nine months sunk in?
"No, not at all. I don't think it ever will. It's all gone so fast that it's impossible to notice everything that's happened, let alone take it all in. I tried to develop a tough skin for a while and kept ignoring everything that was going on, which made me come across a bit confrontational and cocky I think. But in fact I'm the complete opposite: I couldn't be happier with what's happening, but I'm trying not to think about it in case I s**t myself."
Do you think the hype went a little crazy at the start of the year?
"Oh yeah, definitely. I was really hyped and then the downfall started even quicker. People had an opinion on me before they'd really given me a chance. It's a very British thing to do, and I know I do it myself, that when someone's doing well you're like, 'No no no! Come back down!' The hype and the Brit Award will always be something I'm asked about, but at the same time I probably wouldn't have my success without the hype."
What did you think when Estelle said you "weren't soul" a few months back?
"I don't really care. I don't read my press, so I only heard about it, I didn't read it. It's an opinion and I like people with an opinion, so if that's what she thinks then fine. She doesn't listen to me like Aretha, but you know I didn't ask her to, so whatever."
She's back-pedalled a bit since then, anyway.
"I'm sure it was a bit misquoted - people always misquote people and I know that, but whatever, I don't care. I'm doing her thing and she's doing hers."
Adele releases 'Hometown Glory' on July 21. Her album, 19, is out now.
How are you today Adele?
"Hungover. I've been on a four-day bender because I just got back from America and I've been catching up with my mates in the pub. I don't get too drunk when I'm on tour because I don't want to cancel anything, so I have to make up for it afterwards."
How did it go in the States?
"Amazing - and it's all so unexpected. I was a bit scared when my American agent said he was going to put me on a 15-date tour over there, but thanks to the power of the internet people showed up at my gigs and knew all the words and it all went amazing."
Did you find it gruelling? You've said in the past that you get quite homesick when you're on tour.
"I do. I love my friends so much that I do get quite moody when I'm away from them. It was five weeks this time which is quite a long time, but the shows were so good that it made up for missing them."
You did a few of the really big US TV shows while you were out there.
"Yeah, I did Letterman and The Today Show. I had no idea what they were the equivalent to because obviously we don't have them here. I was like, 'What's The Today Show?' and they were like, 'Imagine GMTV but on a much bigger scale'. It was live and there were like 50 million people watching so I literally just s**t myself! Letterman was pre-recorded so I wasn't quite as nervous, but I forgot that during my performance. I got half-way through the song and couldn't remember whether it was live or not. Look it up on YouTube - you'll see my face just drop!"
What's the new single, 'Hometown Glory', about?
"It's about my love for London, but it's not me being all 'Wahey, I'm a Londoner'. It's about cherishing where you're from and being comforted by where you're from because of all the memories you have there. It was a bit of a protest against my mum, because she wanted me to go away to university and I was like, 'Noooo, I wanna stay!'"
She must be quite pleased you didn't go now.
"She's over the moon! She was like 'Get a job, get a job' for so long and I was like, 'Nooo, I can't be bothered'. Then I went and got a record deal and all this happened and now I'm definitely allowed to stay in London."
Has everything that's happened to you over the last nine months sunk in?
"No, not at all. I don't think it ever will. It's all gone so fast that it's impossible to notice everything that's happened, let alone take it all in. I tried to develop a tough skin for a while and kept ignoring everything that was going on, which made me come across a bit confrontational and cocky I think. But in fact I'm the complete opposite: I couldn't be happier with what's happening, but I'm trying not to think about it in case I s**t myself."
Do you think the hype went a little crazy at the start of the year?
"Oh yeah, definitely. I was really hyped and then the downfall started even quicker. People had an opinion on me before they'd really given me a chance. It's a very British thing to do, and I know I do it myself, that when someone's doing well you're like, 'No no no! Come back down!' The hype and the Brit Award will always be something I'm asked about, but at the same time I probably wouldn't have my success without the hype."
What did you think when Estelle said you "weren't soul" a few months back?
"I don't really care. I don't read my press, so I only heard about it, I didn't read it. It's an opinion and I like people with an opinion, so if that's what she thinks then fine. She doesn't listen to me like Aretha, but you know I didn't ask her to, so whatever."
She's back-pedalled a bit since then, anyway.
"I'm sure it was a bit misquoted - people always misquote people and I know that, but whatever, I don't care. I'm doing her thing and she's doing hers."
Adele releases 'Hometown Glory' on July 21. Her album, 19, is out now.