Features
Adele In ‘Vogue’
The 23-year-old star had quite a year in 2011. In January she released her sophomore album, 21, which went on sell more than 17 million copies worldwide and nearly 6 million in the U.S. as 2011’s best-selling album. Health issues, including a case of laryngitis, a hemorrhage on her vocal cord, and a respiratory and chest infection, forced her to postpone and cancel numerous shows. In early November a spokesman for Massachusetts General Hospital announced Adele had undergone throat surgery to stop recurrent bleeding from a benign polyp.
Adele ended the year by snagging six Grammy nominations – and on Sunday she took home all six trophies including album of the year.
The songstress talked to Vogue’s Jonathan Van Meter six weeks after her surgery.
Although Meter noted that Adele still had a few cigarettes over the few days he spent with her, the writer pointed out that she gave up alcohol cold turkey last June.
“Don’t like drinking anymore. I think I got it out of my system. D’yaknowhaImean?”
Photo: AP Photo
Posing backstage with her six new friends at the 54th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.
Several singers contacted Adele about their own experiences with surgery.
“John Mayer had it done at the same time as I did, and he really helped me be chilled out about it. Roger Daltrey’s had loads of stuff done; Steven Tyler reached out; Elton John. Lots of artists have had problems with their voices, but you don’t know about it. And they are still singing incredibly well in their 50s and 60s.”
How has her voice changed since the surgery?
“It’s not as husky as it used to be, but that’s because I was singing with a polyp,” Adele said a few days before Christmas. “And it’s higher than it used to be. Which is a bit weird. I really thought if my voice changed an octave it would go lower. But it still sounds like me. It’s really easy to sing. It’s a pleasure. And I haven’t felt like that for quite a while.”
And how did she feel about her comeback performance at the Grammys?
“I’m nervous whenever I perform. But seeing that it will be the first time opening my mouth again onstage in front of my peers? I’m shittin’ myself.”
Adele’s new boyfriend is Simon Konecki, a 37-year-old former investment banker and the CEO of Drop4Drop charity.
“He’s wonderful. And he’s proud of me, but he don’t care about what I do or what other people think. He looks after me. I don’t think I would have gotten through the recovery for my surgery if it hadn’t been for him.”
As for her future plans, Adele says she’ll wait four or five years to make another record because she won’t put out new music until it’s better than her award-winning 21.
“I am fucking off for four or five years. If I am constantly working, my relationships fail. So at least now I can have enough time to write a happy record. And be in love and be happy. And then I don’t know what I’ll do. Get married. Have some kids. Plant a nice vegetable patch.”
Click here to read Adele’s Vogue cover story.