Adele on Her Dream Hollywood Gig, Her Big Emotions and Volunteering at Her Son’s School: “The Kids Don’t Give a Flying F*** Who I Am”
The megastar spills tears and tea over being a class mom, why her Oscar still makes her giggle and which celebrity audience member made her freak out: “I shat myself the whole show.”
By Mesfin Fekadu
Even on her day off, Adele, the regular person, can’t escape Adele, the superstar singer.
It’s Monday, and she rolls into one of her favorite Beverly Hills restaurants for lunch, makeup-free with her hair pulled back. She’s in an oversized, comfy, long black coat, and the only real giveaway are her long sharp black nails. And, of course, her screeching laugh.
But then her song, the sweeping ballad “One and Only,” from her 21 era, comes on.
She laughs. “Every time Rich travels,” she says of her partner, sports superagent Rich Paul, with whom she lives in Beverly Hills, “the airplanes always play my music, and we can’t work out if it’s because they know that we are together, or if it’s just what they do.”
Later, the power pop ballad “Set Fire to the Rain,” plays in the background.
“You know what it is? It’s because the clientele here love me,” Adele says of the baby boomer diners who have packed the restaurant. “The people that come here — it’s my perfect audience.”
That’s part of Adele’s appeal: She’s the contemporary pop star who has locked in fans of all ages, from your grandparents who still buy physical albums at Target, to the cool kids who have helped vinyl make a comeback, to the rest of us who stream on Spotify. She is easily one of the best-selling recording artists of all time — with 120 million records sold worldwide — though her first album dropped as recently as 2008.
Her musical prowess is just one of the reasons she’s receiving the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award at The Hollywood Reporter’s annual Women in Entertainment event on Dec. 7. The singer, a longtime supporter of LGBTQ and women’s rights, is more of a silent philanthropist and has been associated with organizations including Grenfell Foundation; Sands, which supports people who have lost a baby; and Drop4Drop, which provides clean water to countries in need and was founded by her ex-husband, Simon Konecki. The mother of 11-year-old Angelo is also being highlighted for her work ethic: Just days before this interview, the 35-year-old was sick as a dog, powering through a cold to finish the final two nights of Weekends With Adele in Las Vegas. A third leg of the residency will launch in January.
“My chest was on fire,” admits Adele, still recovering. “My voice sounded all right when I sang. When I was talking, I sounded sick. I was really surprised. I was so sick. And luckily I was able to push through.” On her (sort of) day off — “they tried to put a meeting in tomorrow and I was like, ‘No. I need time’ ” — Adele is working on feeling better, with the help of comfort food.
“They do the best chicken pot pie here, but I can’t work out if that’s too indulgent for lunch on a Monday,” she says. “Fuck it, can I have it for lunch? They’re delicious.” In between bites of buttery, flaky crust and soaked vegetables, Adele dishes on being honored by THR, fighting sadness, possibly dipping her toe in acting and her love for SZA. Oh, and as with her songs, there were a few tears.