The key to Adele’s success that few American pop stars have

Getty ImagesLast weekend, millions of people heard the latest single from Adele, “Hello.” The aptly named track is the first release from the star after a nearly four-year hiatus, and it might very well be her most powerful piece yet.

The song’s debut caused a frenzy on Facebook and Twitter, with people all over the globe excitedly discussing the return of their beloved star. On the Billboard charts, “Hello” immediately soared to the top slot.

Over on YouTube, the accompanying music video smashed a world record for the number of views (23 million) in a 24-hour period. (Taylor Swift held the previous record for her “Bad Blood” video, which garnered 20.1 million views; but the Swift team heavily promoted “Bad Blood” for weeks in advance, while Adele gave about 24 hours’ notice before releasing “Hello.”)

Breaking records is nothing new for Adele. She’s been doing just that for years, beating Whitney Houston for having the longest-reigning No. 1 album by a woman in history. She’s received more recognition and awards than you could count, and even a personal thank-you note from then-British Prime Minister Gordon Brown for being “a light at the end of the tunnel” amidst the country’s struggles.

So what’s at the root of Adele’s success? What has she done to elicit such love and adoration across the world? And could American pop stars please start paying closer attention?

It’s partly Adele’s voice, with its unique sound and incredible range. Her vocal talent is undeniable, especially compared to many of her pop-star peers.

It’s partly the quality of her music and lyrics, which she writes herself. Most music on rotation on the radio has a pre-packaged sound that comes off as predictably sugar-sweet and empty, with vapid lyrics to go along with it.

By contrast, Adele’s music has maturity and depth, despite the fact that it comes from someone who is still in her 20s. And she has an uncanny ability to make you feel what she’s feeling. “This sense of everywoman emotion is what people always responded to in Adele,” one music critic observed. “She is a pop diarist, sharing the simple secrets of her heart with no pretense.”

But when trying to answer the riddle of Adele’s success, there’s more than meets the ear. She has something the vast majority of American pop stars lack: Class. She exudes grace, taste, elegance and self-respect.

She recalls Whitney Houston in the early years of her career, both in vocal talent and dignity, before the darker side of celebrity claimed her. In fact, Adele’s career is in many ways following the trajectory of earlier decades of pop music, before the Internet and social media drove celebrity. She plays by those older rules.

When you do an online image search for Adele, you’ll find some headshots, some award-show pictures, and some live-show shots. When you do an image search of just about any American pop star, you will find soft porn — women trying desperately to convey sex appeal and little else. Compared to Adele, they look sad and embarrassing.

And speaking of her body, though she’s been criticized for her weight and appearance, Adele seems to have enough personal confidence to brush off the haters, saying, “I’m not going to lose weight because somebody tells me to. I make music to be a musician, not to be on the cover of Playboy.”

Adele has the increasingly rare combination of both talent and taste, two areas where the vast majority of pop artists could use some serious help. She has become an influential and beloved musician by making her own rules and staying true to her values. Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus et al. could learn something from her example.

Chelsea Samelson is a freelance writer living in Colorado Springs, Colo.