Adele is nobody’s sellout

Adele doesn't have to feign relatability. With her bold Cockney accent, deep-bellied laugh and unaffected manner, she truly feels like a regular person who just so happens to have reached astronomical levels of fame. And unlike many pop stars at her level, she is wholly committed to being known for her music alone.

Case in point: back in 2013, the singer turned down a reported $19 million contract to be the new face of cosmetic behemoth L'Oreal (and you know that's not the only offer she rebuffed). In a new interview with the New York Times to promote her upcoming album “25,” Adele addressed her reluctance to peddle products for giant corporations — a career decision that may not make her as wealthy as she could be, but that keeps her brand (Adele, Singing Superstar/Voice of a Million Ugly Cries) undiluted.

“If I wanted to just be famous, like be a celebrity, then I wouldn”t do music, because everything else I”ve been offered would probably make me more famous than I am just with my music,” she said. “Commercials, being the face of brands, nail varnishes, shoes, bags, fashion lines, beauty ranges, hair products, being in movies, being the face of a car, designing watches, food ranges, buildings, airlines, book deals. I”ve been offered everything. And I don”t want to water myself down. I want to do one thing. I want to make something. I don”t want to be the face of anything.

“Everyone thinks I just disappeared, and I didn”t,” she continued. “I just went back to real life, because I had to write an album about real life, because otherwise how can you be relatable? If I wrote about being famous – that”s [expletive] boring.”

Adele's stance isn't just indicative of big-picture thinking, it's also (intentionally or not) a socially-conscious one. When you lend your name to a giant corporation, you're also lending it to every bad thing that corporation stands for, from animal testing (despite L'Oreal's claims that it no longer tests its products or ingredients on cute little bunnies, PETA remains unconvinced) to childhood obesity (see: Beyonce and Pepsi).

×