The 59th Grammy Awards aired on February 12, and as usual, they were fascinating to watch. Music stars from all genres filled the Staples Center for a night of performances, award presentations, and surprises.
But what stood out to me throughout the night was Adele’s presence. The Grammy-dominating singer was up for five Grammys this year, and won all five. She made the world pause with phenomenal performances, and made acceptance speeches that have been quoted across the internet. But there was something different about this Grammys, something that made me think about how role models can affect our lives.
I first began thinking about it during her tribute performance to the late George Michael, who died of a drug overdose back in December. The performance, Adele’s second of the night, started as one of her own songs would normally start, with haunting chords and that voice everyone has grown to love. But then something happened that made her rendition of "Fastlove" stand out: She paused the performance after a seemingly rocky start made her swear.
“I can’t do it again like last year,” she said, a reference to her shaky performance at last year’s Grammys. She remained apologetic as she went on to explain her reasoning for stopping the performance. “Can we please start it again? I’m sorry, I can’t mess this up for him. I’m sorry. I can’t. I’m sorry for swearing. I’m really sorry.”
Normally when a performer has done this on, say, American Idol, I have been quick to judge their decision to start over. It shows insecurity on the singer’s behalf, which was clearly the case with Adele. Then I realized the weight of the situation. I can’t imagine getting the opportunity to honor someone who has inspired me, but if I ever got that chance, I’d want nothing but the best for them. That’s exactly what Adele wanted, and despite the early issues, she managed to deliver. If I was in the audience, I would be giving her a standing ovation with everyone else there. George would have been proud.
Adele later honored another role model that night, though in a different way. Her victory in the coveted Album of the Year award seemed to shock her, as she had gone head to head with Beyoncé’s album “Lemonade,” which also had a successful year in 2016. Tearfully, she talked about her struggle becoming a mother and how being back at the Grammys was coming full circle. Then she shocked the world once again that night: “I can’t possibly accept this award,” she said, “And I’m very humbled and I’m very grateful and gracious. But my artist of my life is Beyoncé. And this album to me, the “Lemonade” album, is just so monumental.”
She went on to thank Beyoncé for empowering her friends and for showing a side of herself that isn’t normally shown. While my parents were shocked that Adele was inspired by Beyoncé, I once again began thinking about the moment itself, and how the people in my own life inspire me. Whether it’s through a powerful song or album, through a piece of writing that shows strength, or through the actions those people do to make the world a better place, these people make me want to be a better person every day. They make me want to change the world, to write the story I dream of writing, or to be able to properly honor them when the time comes.
We saw that from Adele at the Grammys twice. We saw a raw side of her as she worked to honor a late singer that she adored, and we saw a selfless side of her as she used her speech to talk about how she was empowered by another singer’s album.
Thank you, Adele, for always being you.
