How To Have Success Like Adele

You could say there’s nothing fabricated about Adele…she’s the anti-pop star. We all love to cheer for her because she doesn’t look like pop stars are supposed to look, and her music isn’t pre-packaged or au courant. It really does seem to be a true underdog story—Great Talent wins out over the Big Label System. And she truly seems to be amazed at how people are responding.

The truth is, Adele is signed to a major label and none of us would know about her if she wasn’t. Still, there are plenty of artists signed to major labels that have never seen the light of day, or sold anywhere near the amount of records Adele has.

But that voice. People hear her sing, and then can’t help but tell others, “Have you hear of this girl, Adele? Her voice…” I know I have. She has a voice that can barely be restrained within the confines of a compact disc. I can only imagine that hearing her live would be astonishing.

People also resonate with her authenticity. The way she sings makes it easy to believe that she really means it. And in interviews, she is nothing short of charming and self-effacing. But even after hearing her huge smash, “Rolling in the Deep” dozens of times, I’m not sure what it means, beyond obvious heartbreak.

“We could’ve had it all, rolling in the deep.
You had my heart inside your hand, and you played it to the beat.”

Perhaps it’s a kind of Brit slang that would say, “Hey baby, you and me got it so good…we really are rolling in the deep.” I dunno. But it doesn’t matter—because people are feeling something. It’s hard not to feel something when you hear Adele, regardless of what she’s singing.

Now she’s singing “I set fire to the rain…” Cool. Again, not sure what it means, but she sounds heartbroken, again. But this time, she’s sounding more empowered. And she’s selling millions of records, and winning GRAMMYs left and right.

To all the writers, artists, poets, dreamers, creators reading… The lesson I can take from all this is that people want to feel something. It might be what you say. It might be how you say it. But when you’re trying to find a target to aim for with your creative efforts, aim for the heart. And shoot your arrow with excellence and creativity that makes people notice, and over time (it may be a long time), you will have the audience you’ve been waiting for.

I believe this also applies to leaders who want to take their tribe somewhere. To salespeople who want to make a deal. And even to a person who simply wants to be a good friend.

When I write a song, I usually aim for my own heart. What am I really feeling? What do I need to hear? What form of encouragement do I need right now? And how can I honestly communicate that in a way that will speak truth to me? Sometimes I aim for someone else’s heart, speaking passionately a message I would like a person to soak in…hopefully steering them in the direction of feeling something. Success, to me, is when it works.

Adele’s first record, 19, came out in 2008. And the general public barely noticed. The record company was about to consider her attempt to break the US market a flop. Then lightning struck. She was scheduled to be the musical guest on SNL on October 18th, the same night Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin made her guest appearance. That show earned SNL its highest ratings in 14 years with 17 million viewers. That’s 17 million people who heard Adele sing, most likely for the first time. The following day 19 topped the iTunes album sales charts. You can’t predict, or manufacture that kind of magic.

But she was ready. Her label got her the gig. She delivered, and we responded. And we’re still responding. Because we love how she makes us feel.

How are you making people feel?

At last week’s GRAMMY show, Adele performed for the first time since last fall’s vocal cord surgery. She sang “Rolling in the Deep” and it was amazing. The crowd rose to their feet in admiration. And I couldn’t help but notice how the show’s director let their ovation continue an extended length of time before running the pre-commercial bumper. Because I believe he knew something. That while everyone agrees Adele is awesome, we need an opportunity to let her know. And that there’d be great value in letting the live audience and the millions of viewers join together to express their gratitude to Adele for all she’s given us.

Do the same. Give it all you’ve got. Let your audience feel something genuine. And they’ll respond in ways you’ve never dreamed.

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