Christopher Barrett

sundaytelegraph 12.2.2012 SPOTLIGHT 111

Chart-topping Adele is ona roll not seen in 40 yearsAfter months off sick, she’s bigger than ever,writes Chris Barrett and Jonathon Moran

‘‘The first ideayou have ends

up being the best

Adele and new boyfriend Simon Konecki enjoy a quiet break in the US before the Grammys

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A dele is on top of the world.Literally. The megastar is setto sweep the Grammy Awards

tomorrow in LA (see p106).But in characteristic style for the

modest 23-year-old, she’s not letting itgo to her head, instead continuing herlow-key lifestyle away from the cameras.

Last month, this rare photo showedher looking happy and in love with boy-friend Simon Konecki in Miami (right).

Meanwhile, her second album — 21 —continues to break record after recordthe world over.

21 has become the UK’s longest-running chart-topping album in morethan 40 years. She’s also had thebiggest-selling single of last year in theUS and in Australia — although she hasnever been here because of her fear offlying — the album has registered 10times platinum and is poised to overtakeAussie star Delta Goodrem’s record of29 weeks at No. 1 on the ARIA charts.

Such is the extent of 21’s success thateven Adele’s manager Jonathan Dickinsadmits he is surprised.

‘‘There was no way we could havepredicted that level of success; but thenthe stars align, there are elements yousimply have no control over,’’ he says.

Among the elements that Adele andher management team did have controlover was the choice of songwritingcompanions and producers.

Recorded largely in London andCalifornia, 21 saw Adele assemble acrack team of collaborators led by RickRubin and including Paul Epworth,Ryan Tedder, Dan Wilson, Fraser T.Smith, Eg White, Greg Wells and JimAbbiss who have worked with artistsfrom Johnny Cash to Mika, so it’s notsurprising the influences on 21 wereequally eclectic — ranging from WandaJackson to Radiohead.

It is no secret the fuel that fired muchof 21’s passionate lyrical content stem-med from Adele’s split from a formerlover. Very often the first or second takeproved to be the best and the subsequentdemos ended up playing a significantpart in the finished album.

‘‘The first idea you have with Adeleoften ends up being the best,’’ says RyanTedder, who co-wrote Rumour Has Itand Turning Tables.

A stark, piano-led ballad, SomeoneLike You, co-written with Dan Wilson,kick-started 21’s phenomenal success

when Adele performed it at the 2011 BritAwards. Her rendition stunned thecrowd and has already received 92million views on YouTube.

‘‘Her performance was so powerful, itcame in the middle of a show full ofincredibly complicated machine musicthat sounded like a whole army ofpeople had created it — it really stoodout,’’ explains Wilson.

Behind the scenes Adele has enjoyeda turbulent ride.

In September she was forced to cancelseveral shows due to illness and under-went throat surgery, spending the pastfew months recovering.

‘‘I have absolutely no choice but torecuperate properly and fully, or I riskdamaging my voice forever,’’ she said.

Now back to health, Adele will make atriumphant return to the world stage attomorrow’s Grammys.

‘‘It’s an absolute honour to beincluded in such a night, and for it to bemy first performance in months is veryexciting and, of course, nerve-racking,but what a way to get back into it all,’’she said recently.

But her return is not without con-troversy, with Karl Lagerfeld last weeklabelling her ‘‘too fat’’.

‘‘She is a little too fat, but she has abeautiful face and a divine voice,’’Lagerfeld said in an interview.

Adele has said: ‘‘I’ve never wanted tolook like models on the cover ofmagazines. I represent the majority ofwomen and I’m very proud of that.

‘‘I enjoy being me; I always havedone,’’ she said.

‘‘I’ve seen people where it rules theirlives, you know, who want to be thinneror have bigger boobs, and how it wearsthem down. And I just don’t want that inmy life. I have insecurities, of course, butI don’t hang out with anyone who pointsthem out to me.’’

Her millions of fans worldwide wouldconcede that Adele is just about theperfect package.

Chris Pines to be seen as an edgy actor

Chris Pine says he’s ‘more than vanilla’

Pine with co-stars Tom Hardy and ReeseWitherspoon in This Means War

HE’S known as one of Hollywood’s nice guys butdon’t describe Chris Pine as ‘‘vanilla’’.

Having starred in a string of romantic comedies— The Princess Diaries, Just My Luck and BlindDating — Pine wants his fans to see an edgier sideto his personality.

Film site imdb.com references Pine’s trade-marks as ‘‘sparkling blue eyes’’ and describes himas an actor who ‘‘frequently plays charming andlikeable characters’’.

‘‘That’s just so boring, isn’t it?’’ Pine, 31, tellsInsider on the phone from Los Angeles when thedescription is put to him.

‘‘Someone described me as ‘vanilla’ the otherday. I think vanilla is very tasty, but it certainlyisn’t the most interesting of flavours, (yet) it’s notthe worst thing someone could say about you.’’

His latest film, This Means War, sees the actorspark things up a little, playing bachelor playboyCIA agent FDR Foster in the action spy comedy.

Edgy Brit actor Tom Hardy plays Foster’s bestmate, Tuck, who is unknowingly dating the samewoman — Lauren, played by Reese Witherspoon.When they find out they’re in love with the samewoman, it becomes a competition to win her over.

On set, Pine admits there was more than a littlefriendly rivalry with Hardy.

‘‘A natural competitiveness kind of seeps in justby virtue of the fact you are doing a movie about

winning over the heart of this girl,’’ he says. But inreal life, Pine believes Hardy could have the edge.

‘‘It’s stiff competition — the guy has an accentand the lips and the dangerous quality,’’ he laughs.‘‘I think I may lose out to Mr Hardy. I’m more ofa puffy-haired American type.’’

Witherspoon also plays a different role thanusual, upping her sexy side a few notches butkeeping the comical girl-next-door persona.

This Means War, which was shot in Vancouver,required Pine to do many of his own stunts.

‘‘I tried to do as many as I could and when itwas too dangerous, or the insurance companystepped in, obviously you stop,’’ he says.

Born in LA to actor parents Robert Pine andGwynne Gilford, Pine says he can see the positiveand negative sides to the entertainment city.

He has no interest in the celebrity game, is rarelysnapped by paparazzi and lives a low-key life.

‘‘It’s very easy, with what we do, to kind of loseyourself in this world,’’ he says.

— JONATHON MORAN

■ This Means War opens on Tuesday. Insiderreview, page 114