Singer Adele opened up about becoming a mother at the height of her career and how it impacted her success.
On Thursday, Adele, 35, attended The Hollywood Reporter’s annual Women in Entertainment Gala in Los Angeles where she received the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award recognizing “trailblazers and philanthropists in entertainment and media,” per the outlet.
During her speech, she spoke about becoming pregnant with her son Angelo, 11, shortly after skyrocketing to stardom after the release of her album “21.”
“I could only call it pandemonium ’cause that’s how it felt to me. Overnight, it was like I was famous. It was the strangest, most surreal experience of my life still to this day,” she explained.
After getting pregnant, Adele acknowledged, “To many would be — and it was considered — career suicide.”
However, she joked she was always “one to go against the grain.”
“It was there and then that I chose to reject the scarcity of success and the idea that you have to be constantly relevant to be successful,” she said. “And that perhaps, just maybe, I could be a hit both on and off the stage.”
Continuing, the songbird told the audience, “And you’ll never guess what?” I f***ing got away with it.”
Furthermore, she credited the women who came before her for “all the sacrifices” they made so that she has “every right to be the boss at work and the boss at home.”
“So thank you,” she added.
In a statement to the Hollywood Reporter, Sherry Lansing, who is the former CEO of Paramount Pictures, praised the Grammy Award winner for her impact on the music industry.
“Adele is a singular talent who has captivated the world with her incredible music,” she said. “Beyond that, she paved the way for female artists to embrace their authentic selves and define their own voices and careers at a critical moment for women in music, empowering countless other female artists to do the same.”
Lansing added, “I could not be more thrilled that Adele is receiving the award that bears my name.”
