Ok so the album's not bad and the two singles are pretty decent - but a few months ago, did anyone actually expect Adele to be breaking all kinds of chart records? Why do you think she is suddenly doing as well as she is? I know the last album did quite well and was critically acclaimed and everything, but this era for her has been nothing short of phenomenal, I think it's fair to say it's exceeded everyone's expectations. Do you think Make You Feel My Love being used on the X Factor was the catalyst? Or was this album just always destined to be huge? Can anyone explain?!

Because there is nothing new out there, all the music focus is on her at the moment, hopefully it start shifting when Lady Gaga releases her next single and album.

Despite being an amazing album i think that also 'right place right time' has come into play - There was a huge build up to release with MYFML and then Adele performing on selected shows rather than just anything really helped too.

She's "the fashion" at the moment and her sales are being stretched out. In the future she will probably get bigger initial sales but over a lesser time frame. As someone pointed out there is nothing new around both the singles and album charts are fairly stale and thats also helping her.

 

Personally, whilst I don't deny she has talent, I find her stuff boring.

There's no denying that 'Make You Feel My Love' helped raise Adele's profile in the last few months of 2010 thanks to the song being constantly performed by different contestants on The X Factor.

 

However, that wouldn't explain why the album has also become so popular all over the world. Even three weeks at #1 in America is excellent (although album sales in the US have been worse than in the UK apparantly).

 

For me, the turning point was when Adele performed 'Someone Like You' at the Brit Awards. You can tell by the weekly sales figures. The album sales were starting to tail off prior to the week of The Brit Awards. Then Adele did that performance, stole the show and her album sales have been boosted ever since. Then there's the added fact that 'Someone Like You' has been selling like hotcakes now for 6 weeks adds to just how phenomenal Adele's success has been so far in 2011.

Also the single release schedule looks a bit barren for the next few weeks, we know J-Lo has practically got the #1 sewn up this week, Adele could re-take it at some point, but I don't think she will now, SLY should start trailing off after this weekend. Looks like we are in for another long stayer at #1 from J-Lo, at the moment I give her 3 weeks max.

Will 21 have any competition this week, next week or the week after?

Edited March 28, 201114 yr by SKOB

The Foo Fighters are releasing on April 11... but I think she could hold them off seeing as she's still selling 160k after 9 weeks.

A number of factors:

 

1. Make You Feel My Love's revival set the new album up beautifully

2. The album itself has got fantastic reviews

3. Someone Like You's essential simplicity means it appeals to a huge audience

4. The singer-songwriter "genre" has been due a revival after a couple of years of the Gaga's and Rihanna's dominating... I think there was a real thirst for a no-frills artist who just has a good voice and good songs.

 

I hope Adele's enjoying this anyway because she will almost certainly never enjoy this level of success again!

She's also having great success in mainland Europe

I think it is a combinationof factors, as Danny said, in order of importance (illustrated by impact on album sales):-

 

1. Those who bought 19 actually liked it and it gave them a thirst to buy the subsequent release. Therefore large initial sales for 21, sustained into Week 2 and the first part of week 3;

2. Rolling In The Deep was a radio hit and similar to, but a progression from, her material on 19, therefore also contributing to Week 1 and 2 sales;

3. The BRITs performance of Someone Like You, caused a massive upward surge in sales in Weeks 3 and 4;

4. Radio's very quick take-up on Someone Like You (#1 after 3? weeks following BRITs performance; but top 10 on 2nd week) resulting in those who didn't watch the BRITs realising what a simplistic masterpiece the song is, continuing the impetus into weeks 5, 6 and 7

5. Comic Relief performance boosting the album back up on Week 8 and carrying into Week 9.

6. Mother's Day impact for Week 10.

 

Overlaying all of that of course is the X Factor and the benefit that had to the UK sales.

I think all the reasons above (and probably many more) have contributed to her success...but I'm still really, really surprised how consistently well she's doing.

 

If you look at other flavour of the month, young(ish) female singers who write their own material - Dido, Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, say - Adele isn't necessarily more popular but she's selling far more consistently.

 

Dido and Amy Winehouse sold 2-3m copies of an album, of course, but they were either far more spread out or (Life For Rent) with a huge opening sales week.

 

Adele hasn't actually sold THAT much - it's just the time of year and the fact that she's basically doing it off talent/hype rather than reality TV that make it more amazing.

 

I think another factor in her popularity is her ordinariness. She hasn't exactly had any massive news stories like Amy Winehouse or Lily Allen - she seems to me to be a relatively down-to-earth person who has a very good voice. She doesn't come across as stroppy or petulant most of the time (apart from some reports). I think people can identify with her more than some singers because of this, and can relate to her music too. Plus - she's obviously not a size 6 fake Barbie - she's a (ugh horrible cliche time) 'real woman' - a bigger girl who's pretty and talented, and presumably inspirational too?

 

Plus, her songs have the potential to be liked by a wide variety of people, from grandmas to ten-year-olds - the voice/the music & influences/the subjects of her songs. They are often quite simple lyrically/inoffensive musically, which isn't usually a bad thing (although it could be why people find her bland).

Ok so the album's not bad and the two singles are pretty decent. Do you think Make You Feel My Love being used on the X Factor was the catalyst? Or was this album just always destined to be huge? Can anyone explain?!

 

Ithink you're underestimating how truly great the album is and how jaw-droppingly excellent the 2 singles have been - it's music with no frills.... people are tiring of the 'all image - no songs' style of GaGa, are tired of lip syncing Britney clones..... and of the perfect body brigade who look great but sound pants. Adele is pure, honest to goodness talent. A stellar voice with no fancy gimmicks - it's long overdue that talent actually took back the airwaves.

 

The first Adele album was incredibly patchy and all over the place..... '21' is phenomenal, a full, rounded album, destined to be remembered like Back To Black, Hounds of Love, Diamond Life, Alf, Little Earthquakes, Debut - everlasting albums by iconic female artists.

 

As for saying her success is down to the usage of one of her songs in XFactor...err... absolutely not. The majority of Adele's audience wouldn't lower themselves to watch something tainted by Cowell - it's the absolute opposite end of what much of her audience appreciates. Me included.

Lack of competition and X Factor playing her version of MYFML to death!

 

 

Lack of competition doesn't provide sales of 1,5 million.

As for saying her success is down to the usage of one of her songs in XFactor...err... absolutely not. The majority of Adele's audience wouldn't lower themselves to watch something tainted by Cowell - it's the absolute opposite end of what much of her audience appreciates. Me included.

Oh come on, you can't honestly be saying that none of the 1.6 million sales have a thing to do with the revival of Make You Feel My Love - it isn't a sole factor, but it was certainly a contributing one which paved the way for 21's success. Without the X Factor feature you wouldn't have had it absolutely dominating radio in the lead-up to its release, and Adele's success is certainly capitalising on the casual music listener audience which has been brought around by the likes of Make You Feel My Love and her performance at the BRITs.

 

(On another topic, I thought you were a fan of Gaga? :lol:)

I definitely think MYFML's revival was a big factor over here- obviously that doesn't explain her worldwide success though

 

21 got really good reviews as well, and Rolling in the Deep was a big hit- that could've been the end of the chapter, but then she performed SLY on the BRITs, which caused that to shoot to number 1, helped the album even more and nothing could touch her- the combination of nothing else out and everyone talking about her led to this tremendous level of success- she's at her peak, as Danny said, she will never be this successful again and she will have a hell of a hard time following it up :lol:

 

the album is still selling 150k+ every week, so it will take something big to hold it off - Foo Fighters could, but she'd have needed to have dropped off quickly

Edited March 28, 201114 yr by chart wizard

lol Easy answer, because many people like her music. Someone who can sing really well, no autotune or thrusting pelvis in sight. She's a proper singer, and getting the rewards for it.

 

 

 

Lack of competition doesn't provide sales of 1,5 million.

 

Probably the most valid point in this discussion! If lack of competition was the reason then every Jan/Feb we would have someone selling 1.5 million albums in 10 weeks!

Lack of competition doesn't provide sales of 1,5 million.