It was good to see the British singer Adele with her arms full of Grammy Awards the other night. Still better to see her performance of Rolling in the Deep, a song that sets my spine tingling. There was a massive spike in Twitter comments the moment Adele took the stage, then a sudden dip as everyone stopped tweeting to watch her perform.
The affection inspired by Adele contrasts with the storm of bitchiness surrounding Lana Del Rey. Personally I have nothing against Lana: she's pretty in a cinematic way and sings pretty, cinematic pop songs. But I understand what irks people about her. There's a feeling that she's somehow manufactured; more a product of branding than of talent and determination. To some, Lana is the supernatural waif who manipulates the media, while Adele is the girl next door.
But if authenticity is so important, how to explain the popularity of Lady Gaga, who conceals her true nature beneath layers of theatricality? I suppose it's because the whole point of Lady Gaga is her artifice; she's a pop culture construct, a Warhol's artwork. Lana, her critics feel, wants us to believe that she is real. In fact that's not true: in an interview with British Vogue, Lana described her persona as «an art project». And maybe that's the difference: Adele isn't complicated. She just gets up there and sings. In today's world, such simplicity is a rare treat.
