The powerhouse singer of When We Were Young, Adele, has been credited with playing guitar and piano on some of her past tracks. Has she ever played the drums though and does she even know how?
Yes, Adele does play drums. The singer actually has a pretty diversified portfolio when it comes to musical instruments. On her albums, she has been credited with not only playing the drums, but with playing guitar, piano, celesta, bass, and even cowbell.
You can read more about which one of her songs Adele has played the drums on, other instruments she has played, and about other famed female drummers.
What Songs Has Adele Played Drums on?
From 2011 until 2015, Adele had a long hiatus from her music career. In that period, she took a painstakingly long time to write new music. She was dealing with writer’s block and the music just was not coming to her.
When she started working with Greg Kurstin, a famous recording producer, she was finally able to find her voice and write a song. That song took about six months to write. When it was finally released in late 2015, the song was a smash hit. As is common with Adele’s music, the song begins with the somber piano playing and more instruments gradually entering. By the third round of the chorus, the drums enter and the person playing those drums is Adele herself.
The song in question is Adele’s chart topping platinum hit Hello. To date, Hello is arguably one of Adele’s most successful songs and she is playing drums on it.
Click on the below YouTube link to listen to the exact time that Adele starts playing the drums in Hello.
The Other Instruments Adele Plays
As was mentioned above, Adele plays a lot more than just drums. After all, she did attend the famous BRIT School where she studied music for four years.It makes sense that she picked up a little more than really awesome vocals. Before attending the school, she reportedly played the clarinet, but gave it up when she started smoking. While at the BRIT school, she learned how to play the saxophone.
On her album 19, Adele is credited with playing the guitar, bass, celesta, and cowbell. A strange combination of instruments there to say the least. In case you were wondering, a celesta is an instrument that looks like a piano, but sounds more like bells chiming. It is very clearly heard right from the beginning of the song that Adele is credited with playing the instrument, First Love.
In stark comparison to 19, on her second album, 21, Adele is only credited with singing. However, on the album 25, Adele comes back to play guitar again. She also diversifies her instrument portfolio with playing drums and piano.
Are There Other Famous Female Singers Who Play Drums?
Adele is clearly a very talented singer with a repertoire of instrumental knowledge up her sleeve, but are there any other famous female singers who play drums? There are actually a lot.
Another famous British pop artist who can hold her own on drums is Ellie Goulding. She has actually rocked out on drums while singing at the same time during her concerts. That is not an easy feat. The fashion icon popstar, Lady Gaga, is another famous female singer who can rock out on drums. She has played at her concerts before and was also credited with percussion on her album Joanne.
One of the all time most famous female drummers is, without a doubt, Karen Carpenter of The Carpenter’s. She was not only a drummer, but the lead singer of the brother-sister duo that rocked the 1970’s. Karen Carpenter is highly regarded as not only an amazing female drummer, but an amazing drummer in general.
Adele may not live up to the likes of Karen Carpenter, but she can still hold her own on drums. It’s no shock that the extremely talented singer has some instrumental tricks up her sleeve.