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Billboard’s Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century: No. 10 — Adele

Adele is one of our Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century thanks to her one-of-one voice and unparalleled commercial success.

But during a period of pop music that was quintessentially BIG – in sound, in scope, in ambition and in commercial returns – for the biggest artist by a near-exponential magnitude to turn out to be the British singer-songwriter with all the weepy breakup ballads was borderline-unthinkable, even as it was becoming an increasingly obvious reality. The album and its singles became such obvious shorthand for heartbreak music that it was featured in an SNL sketch where various cast members (and guests Emma Stone and Coldplay) play co-workers enjoying a cathartic cry together over various life sadnesses to “Someone Like You.” Meanwhile, countless other artists – contemporary hitmakers and legends alike, from all over the musical spectrum – were inspired to try their hands at Adele’s new entries to the all-time pop canon; in that year alone, “Deep” was covered or remixed by John Legend, Patti Smith, Linkin Park, the Glee Cast, Mike Posner, Jamie xx, a teenage Ariana Grande, Lil Wayne and dozens more. Luckily, the song that she returned with met all expectations: “Hello,” the yearning megaballad that was to serve as lead single for her then-upcoming third album, was not the artistic leap forward that “Deep” was, but it scratched the itch Adele had left her fans with: It was massive, it was cathartic, it was deeply satisfying and it was instantly unforgettable.

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