ADELE - PERSONAL LIFE (GROUP A)

Adele Laurie Blue Adkins was born on 5 May 1988 in Tottenham, London, the
daughter of an English mother, Penny Adkins (born c.1970), and a Welsh father,
Mark Evans. Evans left when Adele was two, leaving her 20-year-old mother to raise
her.
Adele developed a passion for music at a young age.  She began singing at age four
and asserts that she became obsessed with voices. She was influenced by the Spice
Girls and enjoyed the works of Lauryn Hill, Destiny's Child and Mary J. Blige.
 In 1997, at the age of nine, Adele and her mother, who by then had found work as a
furniture maker and an adult-learning activities organiser, relocated to Brighton in the
south coast of England.
In 1999, two years later, she and her mother moved back to London; first to Brixton,
and then to neighbouring district West Norwood, in south London. West Norwood is
the subject for Adele's first record, "Hometown Glory", which she wrote and
composed in 2004, when she was 16 .
At the age of 14, Adele discovered the collection of Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald at
her local music store and was fascinated by their music. As Adele didn’t only sing but
also wrote and composed songs, initially, critics suggested that her vocals were more
developed and intriguing than her songwriting, a sentiment with which Adele agreed.
Adele has stated: "I taught myself how to sing by listening to Ella Fitzgerald for
acrobatics and scales, Etta James for passion and Roberta Flack for control."
She was enrolled at the BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology in Croydon
where she was a classmate of Leona Lewis and Jessie J. While studying, she wrote
and composed many songs, later posting them on her MySpace page.
She is known for taking a strong stance on body shape, telling British Vogue in
October 2011: "I enjoy being me; I always have done. I've seen people where it rules
their lives, you know, who want to be thinner, and it wears them down. And I don't
want that in my life. It's never been an issue - at least, I've never hung out with the
sort of horrible people who would make it an issue. I have insecurities, of course, but
I don't hang out with anyone who points them out to me."  
She and her partner, Simon Konecki, welcomed their first child - a baby boy called
Angelo - in October 2012. 
Adele has performed in numerous charity concerts throughout her career. In July and
November 2008, Adele performed at the Keep a Child Alive Black Ball in London and
New York City respectively. Adele has been a major contributor to MusiCares, a
charity organization founded by the Grammys for musicians in need. In February
2009, Adele performed at the 2009 MusiCares charity concert in Los Angeles. In
2011 and 2012, Adele donated autographed items for auctions to support
MusiCares. 
 VOCABULARY BANK

 Assert=claim/ confirm/ to say
 Obsessed=be preoccupied
 Relocated=moved
 District=area, part of town
 Enroll=register
 Intriguing=interesting
 Sentiment=thought/ feel
something
 Stance=viewpoint/body
posture/ opinion
 Wear down=exhaust
 Hang out with=wander, go out
with
 Insecurities=thoughts which
indicate low self-esteem

TASK A : In groups, complete the table with the information required.

1. Place of birth, parents, family

life

2. First expressed interest for

music

3. Singers who influenced her

work/ other singers who
fascinated her/ in what way

4. A record which refers to a

place she lived

5. Studies

6. Her stance on body shape

and people she doesn’t like to
associate with

7. Partner in life/children

8. Charity action
 TASK B
a) Pair-work. In order to learn more about Adele’s life get into pairs with a
member of group B .Ask him/her the following questions (based on the text
group B read) and write down the answers he/she gives you. If you have any
unknown words ask your partner to answer based on the vocabulary bank.

1. When did her career launch?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………..
2. Which was her breakthrough single?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
3. What was the title of her debut album? What is the music genre of it?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
4. What fashion style does she stick to?
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
5. Which is her second album? What does number ‘21’ stand for? What is
the music genre of it? Which are the top hits of the album?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
6. What awards has she received?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
7. Which is her latest album? What kind of songs does it include? What is
impressive about it?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
8. Which is the top single of her latest album? Have you listened to it? If yes,
do you like it?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………..
b) Now swap roles and answer your partner’s questions based on the notes you kept
in task A.
TASK C: In pairs, with your partner from group B, create a TIMELINE of Adele’s life.
One of you will present it to the class.
TIMELINE
1988: Adele was born.
………… : ………………
 ………… : ………………

ADELE - CAREER and STYLE (GROUP B)

In 2006, her career launched when she was signed to XL Recordings. Her breakthrough
single, Hometown Glory, was released in October 2007.   
In 2008, Adele's debut album titled ‘19’—named for the singer's age when she began
recording it—was released. The album entered the British charts at number one. Adele's
first album is of the soul genre, with lyrics describing heartbreak and relationship.
In March 2008, she signed a deal with Columbia Records and XL Recordings for her
foray into the United States. Later that year, her world tour ‘An Evening with Adele’
began which lasted till June 2009.
At the 2009 Grammys, she won Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal
Performance. It was also a fashion moment as Anna Wintour had dressed her in a
custom-made black satin Barbara Tfank dress. The singer said "I felt a bit awkward at
first... but after a while, the more Barbara and I kept working together, I started to enjoy
fashion. Once I'd discovered what I like and what suits me, I've kept that look up to an
extent."
In January 2011, she released her second and the much-anticipated studio album titled
‘21’, again named for her age when she recorded it. The album was a success and she
received much appreciation for its classic American R&B and jazz style. Anchored by
hits like “Rolling in the Deep” and ‘Someone Like You” the record was a monster hit.
She won six Grammy Awards in 2012 including Album of the Year, Song of the Year,
and Best Pop Solo Performance. She also won two Brit Awards in 2012: Album of the
Year and Best British Female. Also, In 2012, she composed and recorded the theme
song titled “Skyfall’ for the eponymous James Bond film and in 2013 she won an Oscar
for it.
On October 22, 2015, Adele announced that she would release her third album, 25, in
November. She said about it: “I would call it a make-up record. Making up for lost time.
Making up for everything I ever did and never did. 25 is about getting to know who I've
become without realizing. And I'm sorry it took so long but, you know, life happened." 
"Hello" debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's pop charts, thus becoming Adele's fourth chart-
topper and making history as the first single to receive more than one million downloads
in a week's time. The song has remained at No. 1 for multiple weeks in the U.K. as well.  
25, released on Nov. 20, is a collection of emotional, sometimes plaintive songs looking
at the ins and outs of relationships, owing much of its sound to traditional pop craft. The
album is an international sales juggernaut as well, reaching No. 1 on iTunes in 110
countries. In the U.S., 25 sold 3.38 million copies in seven days. 25 is also the fastest
album to reach a million copies sold in the U.K., doing so in 10 days.
 o VOCABULARY BANK
 Launch= introduce, present for the
first time
 Sign=agree to contract
 Breakthrough= major advance
 Release=make public
 Debut=first appearance
 Foray=attack
 Vocal=of the voice
 Awkward=uncomfortable
 Up to an extent=to a certain
degree
 Anticipate=wait for/ expect
 Anchor=fix in ground
 Receive=take
 Plaintive=mournful
 Craft=art
 Juggernaut=huge, powerful force
 Custom-made=made to order

TASK A : In groups, complete the table with the information required.

9. How her career launched

10. Her breakthrough single

11. Her debut album title

12. Fashion style she sticks to

13. Her 2nd album/ what number

‘21’ stand for/ the music genre
of it/top hits of the album

14. Awards she received

15. Her latest album/ kinds of

songs in it / what is impressive
about it

16. Top single

TASK B a) Pair-work. In order to learn more about Adele’s life get into pairs with a
member of group A .Ask him/her the following questions (based on the text group A
read) and write down the answers he/she gives you. If you have any unknown words
ask your partner to answer based on the vocabulary bank.
9. Which is her place of birth? Who are her parents? What was her family life
like?...........................................................................................................................
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
10. When did she first express an interest for music?.........................................

11. Which singers influenced her work? Which ones fascinated her? In what way?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
12. Which record refers to a place she lived?.....................................................
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
13. Where did she study?...................................................................................
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
14. What is her stance on body shape? What kind of people doesn’t she like?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
15. Who is her partner? How many children has she got?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
16. What kind of charity action has she taken?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………..
b) Now swap roles and answer your partner’s questions based on the notes you kept
in task A.

TASK C: In pairs, with your partner from group A, create a TIMELINE of Adele’s life.
One of you will present it to the class.
TIMELINE 1988: Adele was born.
………… : ………………
………… : ………………