- "The fame I hate" Adele and the new superstar era
A few years ago, Adele once disguised herself with facial prosthetics for a performance. At first glance, unrecognizable as the superstar she was, she called herself Jenny and performed at an Adele-lookalike event. The other lookalikes only realized who they were dealing with when Jenny started singing and Adele's unmistakable powerful voice echoed through the room.
This 2016 episode is illustrative of how Adele used to present herself: she seemed approachable and spontaneous, funny, smoked between songs at concerts, drank, and cracked jokes. Today, her staging looks different. For a 10-show concert series, Adele is having a lavish stage set up in Munich. She's not performing elsewhere in Europe - fans have to come to her. The press is not allowed to photograph her performances.
Superstars set their own rules
Adele's concert series shows: Superstars stage themselves differently today. With rules they set themselves and clear boundaries for the public. This also applies to Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, and Selena Gomez. Swift is currently on a world tour, but she hasn't given interviews in a long time. She dictates the terms of her global fame herself.
Cyrus initially caused displeasure when she said she wasn't going on tour anymore because she found it too strenuous. Instead, she's giving concerts with selected guests at the "Chateau Marmont Hotel" in Hollywood, Los Angeles. "Singing in front of hundreds of thousands of people is not really what I love," Cyrus told British Vogue.
Adele also doesn't like everything about her job. "I hate the fame," she said in an interview with the TV magazine "Kulturzeit" on 3sat. "My storage is quite empty because I'm so sensitive, and because I'm constantly on stage," she explained. And added, "I don't even sing at home, how strange is that?"
"No record company can force Adele to do anything"
Media and pop culture scientist Jörn Glasenapp describes it this way: "I believe that with the really big ones, you can say that they are no longer dependent on classic media and therefore do not have to play by their rules." At the same time, he emphasizes that the superstars each proceed very differently. She says she doesn't "need to dance to the industry's tune."
His assessment is that the industry has also changed in this regard - and that the big pop stars suffer less from gag contracts. "They are so big, these artists, Adele, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, etc. They can decide whether to go on tour or not. No record company can force Adele to do anything."
If you look at the big artists, you see very different approaches. "And that proves - especially if we think of Miley Cyrus's total refusal - that it seems to work and that it's individual decisions by the artists who say: 'I'm doing this because I want to.'"
Social media lead to less privacy than before
At the same time, superstars live in a world where there is much less privacy. When Adele, Swift, or Cyrus became big, social media was not as omnipresent as it is today. It's understandable that the stars want more privacy and control the conditions of their performances - if they can afford to. Smaller celebrities are often dependent on concert revenues and usually also on interviews.
Between Album Releases, Adele Often Retreats from the Public Eye
Adele is frequently not seen in public during the years between her album releases, choosing to retreat and stay away from social media, as she told "Time" magazine in an interview. "Privacy is key to writing a genuine album," she said. "How can I write a real record if I'm waiting for half a million likes on a damn photo?"
Mental Health Takes Center Stage
Some musicians also retreat to protect their mental health. For instance, Selena Gomez, who said in an interview that she hasn't been on the internet for over four years. "It's changed my life completely," she described on "Good Morning America". "I'm happier, I'm more present."
She hasn't been on tour for a while. "Nothing makes me happier than being on stage for 90 minutes with my fans and celebrating together," Gomez said in another interview. But: "It's emotionally very taxing for me. And then you realize you're just surrounded by a bunch of people you pay."
Mental health is now treated with much greater sensitivity and understanding. In the past, it was different: A memorable scene from the Netflix documentary about Robbie Williams stands out, where he recounts performing an entire show during a panic attack. Today, stars are more open about their mental health struggles. Adele, for example, once said she suffers from seasonal depression.
At her concerts in Munich, fans are sure to have a great time. Adele's live performances are known for two things: plenty of interaction with the audience - and a powerful musical force.
Adele's concert in Munich will undoubtedly be an incredible spectacle, with the stars shining both on stage and among the audience, as the spotlight often falls on the 'The stars' in her powerful performances. Furthermore, Superstars like Adele are increasingly setting their own stage rules, ensuring that their concert experiences remain unique and personal, much like how the superstar artist carefully guards her mental health between album releases, retreating from the public eye when necessary.
