Lana Del Rey: Can Artifice Survive in the Age of Adele?

Dana Eldeson, NBC | WireImage

2011 was another dismal year for the economy. With U.S. layoffs soaring, European protests raging and 'Occupy Wall Street' dominating North American news all fall, the recession was etched into our collective psyches. Yet somehow the music industry saw a boom in sales after a seven-year slump thanks, in large part, to Adele.

The British songbird was a commercial and critical success, selling over 6 million copies of her Grammy-nominated sophomore effort '21' and occupying most critic year-end lists. '21' debuted atop Billboard's charts and spent 16 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1, tying the 'Titanic' soundtrack from way back in 1997.

Adele embodied authenticity by refusing to fit into pop music's superficial and sexed-up landscape; she broke its mould altogether. Adele simply stood on her own laurels as a great singer. No bells, no whistles, no fireworks-blasting boobs. Despite wallets being tight, people shelled out in record-breaking droves.