Watch Adele’s Steely, Emotional ‘Hello’ at 2017 Grammys
Adele soared through her juggernaut single “Hello” on Sunday night at the Grammys, kicking off the evening with a graceful rendition of one of her biggest hits. Though sound issues troubled her performance of “All I Ask” at last year’s ceremony, she did not face any technical difficulties this time around.
Adele took the stage completely alone, singing from the middle of a glowing circle, and the band kept things simple, contributing a martial drum beat and lingering keyboard notes. The crowd cheered as she neared the first surging hook and roared after she completed it. As the song progressed, movement crept into Adele’s performance – she swayed from side to side and punctuated lines with pointed fingers.
Adele co-wrote “Hello” with Greg Kurstin, who has also worked with Sia and Taylor Swift. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Adele said the single is about “the other side of becoming an adult, making it out alive from your late teens, early twenties.” Listeners embraced the track, which spent 10 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. “Hello” won all three of the awards it was nominated for on Sunday: Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance.
“Hello” appeared on the album 25, which also picked up a pair of Grammys on Sunday for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album. The LP has sold more than 10 million copies to date in the U.S. and set numerous commercial records – most impressively, it was the first LP to sell more than 3 million copies in a week, and the first ever to enjoy three separate weeks where it shifted over 1 million units.
Unsurprisingly, Adele has a fearsome record at the Grammys. Her five wins tonight bring her career total to 15 wins.