HELLO FROM THE OTHER SIDE!!!!!!!

For this year’s holiday, I’d like to give thanks for Adele. It’s remarkable in this day and age when an old-fashioned singer with an incredible voice is actually appreciated to this level. The level where she’s on the cover of People Magazine… and not because she broke up some marriage, or she’s a messy trainwreck or she twerked all over some children. No. Adele is on the cover of People just for fun, to promote her album and to talk about music. Here are some stories/videos going around this week:

Adele smashes records (again). Adele broke *NSYNC’s one-week record sales record. *NSYNC sold 2,416,000 albums in one week back in March 2000. Adele’s 25 sold 2,433,000 albums… in three days. Some of the guys from *NSYNC even made statements about it – as it turns out, Joey Fatone LOVES Adele (which is sweet).

Damon Albarn is pissed. Damon Albarn (from Blur) had briefly worked with Adele on this album, but no of his stuff was used, probably because he bad-mouthed her in the press, on the record, calling her “very insecure” and “middle of the road.” Adele then name-checked Albarn in some interviews. Now Albarn says:. “I was Number Five on Twitter… I mean, how pathetic is that? It’s not even true: it’s amazing how people will run with stuff that has no credence whatsoever and turn it into something and then watch the reaction… People were not kind, it was… enlightening. I’m used to it. Listen, I’m here because I love writing music and it’s a privilege.” Um… you said that sh-t on the record. Adele has every right to talk sh-t about you right back. PATHETIC is the word that comes to mind, but not the way he’s using it.

Adele performed with Jimmy Fallon & The Roots. I love this bit, when Fallon gets artists to perform with kids’ instruments. “Hello” sounds amazing this way and you can tell that Adele is enjoying herself too.

Adele can’t wait for Rihanna’s new album. When Adele announced that 25 would be coming out this month, a lot of artists hit pause on their own record releases. Very few people want to compete head-to-head with Adele, lest they end up like Drake and Justin Bieber (who are both selling, but nowhere near as much as Adele). It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Rihanna had decided to spend more time on her new album once she heard that Adele was releasing new music too, but Adele is still a huge Rihanna fan-girl, so Adele name-checked Rihanna and Frank Ocean as two artists whose albums she can’t wait to hear.

Here are some photos of Adele out and about in NYC yesterday. HER COAT. OMG.

Cover courtesy of People Magazine, Fame/Flynet.