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Adele Is Building One Fancy Nursery

Posted 7/12/12 1:00 pm EST by in Adele

Adele

By Zachary Swickey

Adele is expecting her first child with boyfriend Simon Konecki and the pair are preparing in style. The British songbird has reportedly splashed out over $50,000 on a lighting and sound system for the baby’s nursery alone!

Despite Adele's reputation for being smart with her cash, her bundle of joy will enjoy a pretty luxurious upbringing. A source revealed: “Adele might have a reputation for being a bit of a spendthrift but when it comes to her baby she's sparing no expense.”

“She is building state-of-the-art nurseries in all her homes. She's having bespoke wallpaper made and it's costing a fortune with climate control and cameras so she can see everything on her laptop,” the source continued to Reveal Magazine.

Adele has been going all out on baby clothes and accessories as well. The source added, “She's pre-ordered Bon Point unisex baby clothes - and they don't come cheap. And she's already bought three Bugaboo pushchairs and a £600 Moses basket.” (For the record, that’s around $1,000 USD.)

“Not to mention the small fortune she's spent in Tiffany's on picture frames and trinkets. She even bought an antique bear for £5,000,” the source continued.

It sounds like Adele is taking a page out of the Jay-Z and Beyonce parenting guide as they allegedly built a 2,200 square foot (bigger than most three-bedroom homes) nursery for their daughter, Blue Ivy Carter.

Adele’s expected due date is sometime in September.

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Adele and Gotye Rule The Charts In The First Half of 2012

Posted 7/6/12 12:02 pm EST by in Adele, Charts

Adele

By Meredith Goldberg-Morse

As the first half of 2012 comes to a close (take a moment to let that sink in), Adele’s 21 and Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” reign supreme as the biggest selling album and digital song in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan (via Billboard). This should come as no surprise, given the ongoing ubiquity of Adele’s soul-baring album and Gotye’s can’t-get-it-out-of-your-head refrain.

This marks the second time 21 has topped the charts in the first half of the year—and at this rate, it could be the only full-year top-seller two-peat in SoundScan history. If Adele’s chart-busting pattern continues, her baby could be born into an untouchable musical monarchy. Lucky kid.

While no album can touch the success of 21 check out the ones that came closest:

2. Lionel Richie, “Tuskegee”
With 912,000 albums sold, Lionel Richie’s Tuskegee was his first #1 on the Billboard 200 since his 1986 hit Dancing on the Ceiling.

3. One Direction, Up All Night
The British boy band is first U.K. group to hit # 1 with a debut album, selling 899,000 records in the first half of 2012.

4. Whitney Houston, Whitney: The Greatest Hits
The diva posthumously spent three weeks at # 2 on the charts after her death on February 11, selling 818,000 records.

5. Various Artists, Now 41
Yes, they’re still making these. And apparently 714,000 people purchased one this year.

Following Gotye as the top-selling download song so far:

2. fun., “We Are Young” (featuring Janelle Monae)
This musical celebration of youth is the only other song to surpass 5 million purchases this year, with 5.09 million.

3. Carly Rae Jepsen, “Call Me Maybe”
The song that spawned a million and one YouTube parodies is in its fourth week at # 1 on the Hot 100 and clocks in with 4.06 million in sales at the mid-year mark.

4. Kelly Clarkson, “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”
Clarkson’s motivational tune is still going strong with 3.32 million sales in the first half of the year and is the top-selling song ever for an "American Idol" alum.

5. Nicki Minaj, “Starships”
Nicki rounds out the top five (and monopolizes our radios) with 3.16 year to date sales.

Do you think any albums from this year will be able to stop Adele's "21" from becoming the first two-year top-seller in history? Let us know in the comments below!

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Is Olly Murs The Next Brit to Break? Four Other Pop Stars Who Paved the Way (Poll)

Posted 6/20/12 5:13 pm EST by in Adele, listicle, Music, Newsroom Poll

By Meredith Goldberg-Morse

Looks like the recent trend of British pop stars invading our radios, record stores and television screens won’t be ending any time soon — popular English singer-songwriter Olly Murs will release his debut album In Case You Didn’t Know in the U.S. on September 25. Murs’ has already won over our cousins across the pond with his catchy tunes (and perhaps a little assistance from his not-exactly-unappealing physical appearance), already boasting two platinum records and three #1 singles in the UK.

The former soccer player (or footballer, if you want to get sophisticated) had dreams of going pro, but a neck injury forced him to watch games from the pub rather than the field. A few successful Stevie Wonder covers on the pub’s karaoke machine led Murs to audition for the sixth season of the original UK "The X Factor." The runner-up is currently assisting One Direction on their North American tour.

Not bad for a second-choice career, huh?

Murs, who recently released his debut single “Heart Skips a Beat” (below) featuring Chiddy Bang in the U.S., isn’t the only Brit currently captivating American listeners. Check out the other British performers we’re most glad landed on American soil, and vote in our poll below for your favorite!

Read More...

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Ballad Master Celine Dion Slays Vegas With Cover Of Adele's 'Rolling in The Deep'

Posted 6/12/12 1:20 pm EST by in Adele, Covers

We already know Celine Dion can sing the pants off a ballad. The lady made bank, topped the charts and won a bunch of awards for one of the biggest ballads ever, "My Heart Will Go On" from "Titanic," and of all her top tens and chart-toppers, we'd say you can only really call one of them truly uptempo (that'd be "That's The Way It Is," which peaked at #6 in 2000).

(Who cares if "My Heart Will Go On" makes Kate Winslet sick!)

So it's no surprise that when she returned to the stage last night at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas to resume her long-standing, hugely successful residency there, she introduced a new cover of a very popular contemporary ballad to her set list – Adele's "Rolling In The Deep."

She nails it, of course. "I love Adele so much, she's amazing," Dion to the crowd (via The Hollywood Reporter).

So what do you think, Adele fans? Did she do justice to your favorite diva? (We think she did.) Check it out below:

After the jump, check out our other favorite "Rolling In The Deep" cover from soul man John Legend. Let us know what you think of Dion's tribute in the comments below. Read More...

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Want To Mortify Adele? Just Write A Song About Her

Posted 6/5/12 12:35 pm EST by in Adele

Adele

By Meredith Goldberg-Morse

Adele’s typical post-breakup catharsis seems to take on a unique form—rather than weeping into a pint of Ben & Jerry’s while watching "The Notebook," the eight-time Grammy winner consistently converts her heartbreak into multi-platinum records detailing the pain caused by her exes. The 21 singer acknowledges, however, that she’d be "mortified" if the tables were turned. So much so that she just might "f**king s**t" herself. (That's pretty mortified, yes?)

As part of her "Adele Live in London with Matt Lauer" special airing tonight, Adele admits to having regrets about how open she was about her personal life on her first two albums. When asked whether she’d like to take anything back, she confessed, "I do wish I’d kept a lot of things to myself, but I never knew the album was going to be so big."

Considering how she would feel if the situation were reversed and an ex-boyfriend wrote songs about her, Adele also points out a crucial difference: "I’ve never given any names ever, but everyone’s going to know this song’s about me. No one actually knows who my songs are about." Still, the singer intends to "be more wary" about exposing her past relationships going forward, recognizing that her fame "shouldn’t affect people who … it’s got nothing to do with."

But fear not—this change in attitude doesn’t mark the end of the soul-baring singles we’ve come to expect from Adele. "In interviews when I’m explaining my songs, I shouldn’t be so direct about who they’re about," the singer explained, though she concedes that "the songs…can still be really really direct."

So despite her new perspective, potential suitors be warned—you could still end up the hated subject of an Adele song.

Check out a preview of the interview below. Read More...

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Adele Turns Down Headlining Spot At Glastonbury As 21 Crosses The 9 Million Mark

Posted 5/18/12 12:35 pm EST by in Adele, Festivals

Adele

By Zachary Swickey

The head honcho of one of the world’s biggest music festivals – England's iconic Glastonbury Festival – has revealed that he offered the 2013 headlining to vocal powerhouse Adele, but the singer shockingly turned the dream gig down.

While the festival is currently on its traditional break (it does so every five years to maintain the grounds), festival organizer Michel Eavis revealed that when he offered Adele the coveted headlining spot (something unheard of for an artist with just two albums under her belt), she politely declined.

Talking to Britain’s Metro, Eavis explained Adele felt the challenge was “too daunting” of a task, which is understandable since she’s mentioned on many occasion that she prefers intimate theaters over arenas.

"She knows that we want her anyway, but she doesn't want to do a thing our size. Going on the Pyramid Stage [the main stage] is a bit daunting in front of 80,000 people; it's a bit much really,” said Eavis.

He mentioned she always attends the festival as a fan and that the door is always open, continuing, "She comes every year usually, and has her own little party."

While Eavis made no mention of other possible 2013 headliners, he did confirm earlier this year that the main headliners were "already sorted."

In other not-so-shocking Adele news, the diva has just reached the 9x platinum mark with her chart-smashing hit album 21 – which is still selling 100,000 plus copies a week on the regular. To put that into perspective, it’s only the 29th album in SoundScan history (’91-present) to pull off such a feat.

The achievement is all the more impressive when you consider that albums just aren’t selling as well these days (it’s all about singles), and the singer axed both of her planned US tours due to vocal problems. We can only imagine how much more she could sell if she properly hit the road.

It shouldn’t be too long before we celebrate 21 going diamond with 10 million copies sold – a feat last achieved by Usher’s ’04 effort Confessions.

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Adele's Success Made Amy Winehouse Feel 'Competitive And Restless'

Posted 5/16/12 10:53 am EST by in Adele, Amy Winehouse

Adele and Amy

Adele's history-making success has reinvigorated the music industry in the best way possible. Sales of her acclaimed 21 helped the industry to its first year-over-year sales increase since 2004 and she's continued her chart dominance throughout 2012. The reception the acclaimed album has received is proof that people are still very much interested in powerful vocalists who are also the driving creative force behind their own music.

The last time we can remember an album receiving this kind of enormous and universal reception from both critics and music lovers was Amy Winehouse's modern classic Back to Black in 2006. It seems the late singer was as aware of that fact as anyone else … and it made her quite nervous.

At least according to Mark Ronson, a long-time Winehouse confidant and the producer behind Back to Black. In a new interview with the Village Voice, Ronson reveals that Adele's success made Winehouse feel "upset, competitive [and] restless," though she was herself a fan of the "Rolling in the Deep" belter.

Asked if he was planning to work with Winehouse again before her death in late-July of last year, Ronson admitted they had been talking about it, but the beehived British soul singer was nervous and tense about returning to the studio with him and speculated that Adele's success might have had something to do with it.

"Yes. We spent a little time together and talked about it. But, what little time we had, well, it was tense. She was in a bad state, God knows why," Ronson told the Voice. "I think that the Adele thing had Amy freaked out. She liked her, but Adele's success was making Amy feel upset, competitive, restless. Anyway, we lost touch briefly. And before she and I could really start the process of beginning a new album, it was too late."

We can understand where Amy was coming from – their styles certainly had some overlap and any singer trying to get some shine on the charts would be a fool to not be made nervous by Adele's current ubiquity – but we think that there is more than enough room for both. What we wouldn't give to have had these two talented and unique voices dominating the charts at the same time and showing so many lesser talents how it's done.

Read on to check out Adele and Amy taking the same stage (albeit separately) with Ronson during a show-stopping medley performance of "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face," "Stop Me" and "Valerie" at the 2008 Brit Awards. Read More...

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Adele Set For Hour-Long NBC Interview/Concert Special

Posted 5/10/12 1:33 pm EST by in Adele

Adele

Adele fans should start getting excited, the press shy singer is set for her very own hour-long NBC special called "Adele Live in London with Matt Lauer," which will air next month.

According to a statement from Sony Music Entertainment, Adele will sit down for an exclusive interview with the newscaster to talk about the incredible success of her record-breaking album, 21, and how it has changed her life. The pop star is famously press shy and has had a difficult time adjusting to the level of public attention she has received since the release of the Grammy-winning, mega-selling second album.

The special will air on June 5 at 8 p.m. EST and will be punctuated by several performances from her successful "Adele Live At The Royal Albert Hall" DVD, including "Set Fire to the Rain," "Chasing Pavements," "Someone Like You" and "Rolling in the Deep." After just one week of release, "Live at Royal Albert Hall" became the best-selling music DVD of 2011, giving Adele the honor of being the first artist in Nielsen SoundScan history to have the year's number one album, the year's number one single and the year's number one music DVD.

"We are thrilled to partner with Adele on her first-ever network special and are excited to give our viewers an opportunity to see this truly influential artist perform live, in her hometown, from the historic Royal Albert Hall in London," Doug Vaughan, senior vice president of Special Programs and Late Night Programming for NBC, said in the statement.

Check out "Set Fire to the Rain" from "Adele Live At The Royal Albert Hall":

Get More: Adele, Set Fire To The Rain (Live At The Royal Albert Hall), Music, More Music Videos

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Adele Denies Receiving Naked Lady Birthday Cake From Rihanna

Posted 5/8/12 2:28 pm EST by in Adele, Rihanna, Tweet Beat

Rihanna loves Adele. Adele loves Rihanna. But the 21 belter did not get a pair of boobies from the Talk That Talk pop star for her birthday. Got it?

Adele took to Twitter this morning to put an end to a widespread rumor that known lover of the erotic arts Rihanna sent her a birthday cake on May 5, her 24th birthday, in the shape of, um, a bare female bust.

The story goes something like this: Sometime Saturday, Adele was milling about her north London flat (bear with our attempt at British-ness here), as she's wont to do, when she received a caller. Much to her surprise, the mystery visitor came bearing gifts – specifically a cake in the shape of nude female breasts from Rihanna. But wait! There was a card too, which read, " Happy Birthday to my lover, Adele, the baddest b**ch around. Have the best freaking Bday. Cake cake cake xxx."

The story seemed plausible enough. After all, if you were going to get a boob cake from any pop star, it would almost certainly be Rihanna, who is known for her naughty sense of humor and occasionally risqué behavior. But alas, it wasn't meant to be…

While Rihanna did wish the "Rolling in the Deep" Grammy winner a very happy birthday on Twitter, Adele shot down the rumor, tweeting, "Had a lovely birthday, thanks for all the messages. I got a blossom tree! I didn't get a cake from Rih Rih & I'm not engaged, blah blah x"

Oh well. Maybe next year.

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Adele's 21 Overtakes Michael Jackson's Thriller On U.K. All-Time Bestseller List

Posted 5/3/12 8:47 am EST by in Adele, Michael Jackson

Adele

Adele's unstoppable 21, which is closing in on 9 million in sales in the U.S. (making our prediction that it will likely become the first diamond record in the states since Usher's 2004 Confessions set on the nose), just blasted past Michael Jackson's 1982 classic Thriller on the U.K. all-time bestseller list, according to NME.

21 is now the fifth best-selling album in the U.K. with staggering sales of 4,274,300 copies since its release in January 2011, besting Thriller's sales by about 500 units.

Her sales are not that far off the next two albums – Oasis's What's the Story Morning Glory and ABBA's Gold: Greatest Hits – on the list either, though she's got a ways to go before she reaches the list's top two spots, which are owned by The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band at #2 (5.04 million) and Queen's Greatest Hits at #1 (5.83 million records sold).

In the 15 months since its release, 21 has spent 65 non-consecutive weeks at #1 in the U.K. and, having outsold Amy Winehouse's Back To Black, is the top selling album of the 21st Century in the country.

Check out some behind-the-scenes footage (set to the album's banner single "Rolling in the Deep," for added awesomeness) of the making of 21 after the jump! Read More...

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