Adele Moves The Audience Like Only She Can When She Sings 'One And Only' At Concert Hall Performance

Apr 14, 2020

As part of Adele’s 2011 live tour, the award-winning British singer performed her hit song One and Only at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England along with a piano accompaniment in front of a packed audience. The concert, which featured songs from her albums 19 and 21, both multi-platinum, was released as a live video album shortly after the performance.

As one of the most successful singers of the 2010s, almost everyone knows the name Adele. According to AllMusic, the singer made her first big splash in the music industry back in 2006 when she secured a record deal with XL Recordings on the strength of her demo. Quickly after partnering with XL, the London musician was making it on to BBC radio and performing on television with songs like Daydreamer. But Adele’s real pop breakthrough came in 2008 when she released her first album, 19, which led to two Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, according to AllMusic.

Of course, we can attribute Adele’s meteoric rise — at least partly — to her incredible voice known for its power and ability to convey a sense of drama. If you have any doubts or you’re not a fan, just watch Adele’s 2011 performance of One and Only. The soul track, which, like most great songs, is about love, really demonstrates the singer’s unparalleled vocal talent. From one note to the next, from one line to the other, the singer’s incredible power, vocal color and affinity for low notes, shines through. Not to mention that the song itself is well-written and just a joy to listen to — full of soul, longing and heartbreak.

The lyrics chronicle a story as old as time itself — the struggles of giving up on unrequited love. In the track’s first lines, Adele sings, “You've been on my mind / I grow fonder every day,” only to add, “I dare you to let me be your, your one and only / I promise I'm worthy.” With lyrics that anyone could relate to combined with Adele’s hauntingly emotive voice, it’s hard not to feel the genuine passion that went into writing the song. And in fact, Adele was inspired to write the album after a bad breakup, according to E Online.

"This record is inspired by something that is really normal and everyone's been through it—just a rubbish relationship," the British singer told E Online as she accept the Grammy for Album of the Year, one of six Grammys she won that night. "And it's gone on to do things that I can't tell you how I feel about it. It's been the most life-changing year."

It’s been nine years since Adele released that song as part of her album 21, and the song could not have aged any better. Even if you overplayed the track back in 2011 when it came out, Adele’s live performance still sounds fresh. Unfortunately, since the album release of 25 back in 2015, Adele has yet to release an album, leaving a what feels like a musical hole in all our lives. Luckily, NME reports that Adele fans should expect a new album in September after the pop star finally set a date for her fourth record. But until then, we’ll have to keep ourselves occupied with performances like the one below, though given Adele’s talent and replayability, that shouldn’t be a problem.

What do you like most about Adele's voice? Are you excited for her new album? Let us know and pass this on to your friends, family members and fellow Adele fans.