Creativity versus Talent in the Music Industry

This study explores the creativity versus talent debate in the music industry, focusing on the case of Adele. It examines how creativity enables musicians to effectively use their talent and compose compelling songs. Factors influencing creativity are discussed, along with ways musicians can compete in the UK music industry. The study highlights the importance of creativity and talent in the composition process.

Running head: CREATIVITY VERSUS TALENT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
CREATIVITY VERSUS TALENT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY OF UK: A CASE
STUDY OF ADELE
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1CREATIVITY VERSUS TALENT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
ABSTRACT
The aim of this study is to conduct a secondary research on the creativity versus talent debate
in the particular context of the music industry of UK. Furthermore, for the effective conduct
of the study, the researcher had used the case study of Adele who in the recent times had
emerged as one of the most important singers of UK. Moreover, the researcher also tried to
highlight the manner in which the concept of creativity enables the musicians to effectively
use the talent that they have so as to compose the kind of songs or music which would not
only be appreciated by the audiences but also by the music critics. In this regard, it needs to
be said that the researcher had found that there exists a profound connection between
creativity and talent and creativity is more important since it not only enables the musicians
like Adele to effective use the talent that they have but also to compose compelling songs as
well. More importantly, the researcher had found that there are various factors which
influence the creativity of the musicians like their past experiences, their upbringing, the
audience that they catering to and others. The research after the completion of the study
found that there are various ways through which musicians like Adele can compete in the
music industry of UK through the usage of their creativity and talent like the fusion of
different musical genres, finding new sources of inspiration or drives, visiting some peaceful
picturesque locations so as to ignite their creativity and others.

2CREATIVITY VERSUS TALENT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like thank all the people who have directly and indirectly helped me in the
completion of this research. Firstly, I would begin by thanking my Supervisor Mr.
……………for giving me the opportunity to complete my dissertation on the topic
“Creativity Versus Talent in the Music Industry of UK: A Case Study of Adele”. I would also
thank my adviser for being patient with me and also for helping me during all the stages of
the study. Moreover, I would also like to thank my family members and friends without
whose support I would never have been able to complete this dissertation.
Thank you,
………………………………………
(Signature of the Researcher)

3CREATIVITY VERSUS TALENT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................6
1.1 Introduction......................................................................................................................6
1.2 Background of the Study..................................................................................................6
1.3 Adele and her musical compositions................................................................................6
1.4 Research Aim...................................................................................................................7
1.5 Research Question............................................................................................................7
1.6 Research Objectives.........................................................................................................7
1.7 Rationale of the Study......................................................................................................8
1.8 Significance of the Study.................................................................................................8
Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.........................................................................................9
2.1 Introduction......................................................................................................................9
2.2 Music industry of UK.......................................................................................................9
2.3 Overview of the concept of creativity............................................................................10
2.4 Importance of creativity.................................................................................................11
2.5 Factors affecting the creativity of a musician................................................................12
2.6 Talent and its role...........................................................................................................13
2.7 Ways in which musicians can effectively use creativity and talent...............................13
2.9 Summary........................................................................................................................14
Chapter 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY...........................................................................15
3.1 Introduction....................................................................................................................15
3.2 Research Philosophy......................................................................................................15
3.3 Research Approach........................................................................................................16
3.4 Research Design.............................................................................................................16
3.5 Data Collection Method.................................................................................................17
3.6 Data Analysis Method....................................................................................................17
3.7 Ethical Considerations...................................................................................................18
3.8 Research Limitations......................................................................................................18
3.9 Summary........................................................................................................................18
Chapter 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION...........................................................................19
4.1 Introduction....................................................................................................................19
4.2 Findings..........................................................................................................................19
4.3 Discussion of Findings...................................................................................................22
4.4 Summary........................................................................................................................24
Chapter 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS...................................................25
5.1 Conclusion......................................................................................................................25
5.2 Linking with Objectives.................................................................................................25

4CREATIVITY VERSUS TALENT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
5.2.1 Linking with Objective 1........................................................................................25
5.2.2 Linking with Objective 2........................................................................................26
5.2.3 Linking with Objective 3........................................................................................26
5.3 Recommendations..........................................................................................................26
5.3 Future Scope...................................................................................................................27
References................................................................................................................................28

5CREATIVITY VERSUS TALENT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
In this chapter, the research will highlight the aims, objectives, question and other aspects
of the research work. More importantly, the researcher also intends to lay the groundwork on
the basis of which the entire research work will be completed.
1.2 Background of the Study
McRobbie (2018, p.117) is of the viewpoint that the creativity versus talent debate is
perhaps one of the oldest ones within the musical industry and the people are curious to know
which one is more important for the musician, creativity or talent. As opined by Smith (2015,
p.183), creativity refers to the usage of original ideas or thoughts that the musicians use not
only for the composition of their songs or albums but also the manner in which they sing the
same. On the other hand, talent is generally seen as a quality with which an individual is born
and in the cases of some of the individuals it had attained through lifetime of hard work and
practice (Faulkner 2017, p.157). Needless to say, the budding artists are curious to know
which attribute they should focus on and this accounts for the wide popularity gained by the
debate.
1.3 Adele and her musical compositions
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, born in UK in 1988, is one of the most famous contemporary
singers and artists who had been highly acclaimed for the originality of her musical
composition and also the unique manner in which she sings them (Newkey-Burden 2015,
p.131). In this regard, it needs to be said that the majority of her songs have been composed
by her and in these songs, she tries to depict her own personal emotions and the things that
she herself faced. This is perhaps one major reasons for the highly personal nature of her
musical compositions and some of the most important ones in which regard are “Hometown

6CREATIVITY VERSUS TALENT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
Glory”, “Someone like You”, “You Played it to the Beat” and others (Adele.com 2019). In
addition to this, because of the originality as well as high quality of her compositions she had
also received numerous awards like the Brit Awards Critics' Choice award (2007), 51st
Grammy Awards in 2009, Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and others
(Adele.com 2019). Furthermore, she had also composed the background musical score for
various movies like the James Bond series movie “Skyfall” (2012) and others (Adele.com
2019). It is because of the accolades as well as critical appreciation that she had received
within a very short time that the researcher had selected her for the purpose of the study.
1.4 Research Aim
The aim of this research is to understand the manner in which creativity and talent
helps the singers in the creation of their musical compositions in the particular context of the
UK singer Adele.
1.5 Research Question
The research question had been formulated for the study is-
1. How talent can be considered as one of the important aspects of creativity in the case
of Adele?
1.6 Research Objectives
The research objectives that have being formulated for the study are listed below-
1) To evaluate the different aspects of creativity focusing on music industry
2) To understand the role of talent of Adel in building her creativity in music
3) To find out the ways in which Adele can compete in the music industry with her talent
and creativity

7CREATIVITY VERSUS TALENT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
1.7 Rationale of the Study
The issue that had been selected for the study is to understand the creativity versus talent
debate within the music industry of UK. This is an issue because of the fact that over the
years it had seen that numerous artists despite have talent and creativity have failed to attain
success (Cloonan 2016, p.176). This is an issue presently because of the fact that in the
present times a large number of people are trying to become musicians or trying to get into
the music industry (Kjus 2017, p.1017). However, at the same time it is seen that there are
musicians like Justin Bieber who shot to fame at the age of just 15 years yet failed to hold on
to the success (Stone and Stone 2019). Thus, by focusing on the attributes of talent and
creativity this study will show the attribute on which the budding artists or the musicians
need to focus on.
1.8 Significance of the Study
This will be an important study from the perspective of the music industry because of the
fact a large number of budding and even the famous successful artists or the musicians even
after getting success have failed. Thus, this research in a succinct manner will show the
budding artists and also the successful ones the attribute, namely, creativity or talent, on
which they need to focus so as to gain popularity and also to maintain the same.

8CREATIVITY VERSUS TALENT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
In this chapter, the researcher will discuss the different theoretical concepts and
perspectives related to the concept of creativity and talent within the particular context of the
music industry of UK and the different artists related to it. Furthermore, the researcher for the
purpose of this analysis had taken the help of past literature on the concepts of creativity and
talent in the particular context of the musicians and the concepts, theories, models and others
propounded by them.
2.2 Music industry of UK
Thomson and Jaque (2016, p.94) are of the viewpoint that the UK music industry is
one of the very few industries of the world wherein it is seen the process of
commercialisation is adequately supported by the concepts of creativity and talent. As a
matter of fact, it is seen that the music industry of the United Kingdom is one of the most
creative industries of the world wherein it is seen that the musicians as well as artists like
break the common established stereotypes as well as norms or rules of musical composition
and singings. As opined by Halstead (2017, p.99), this is primarily done so as to cater the
demands or the expectations of the large number of musical lovers that the concerned
industry services. In this regard, it needs to be said that the music industry of UK boasts of
some of the major musicians or the artists of the world like Adele, Ed Sheeran, Pink Floyd,
Cold Play, Elton John and others (Barrett and Limb 2019, p.86). In addition to this, it is seen
that the music industry of UK generated a gross revenue of more than £4.5bn in the year 2017
(9% increase in profitability in comparison to 2016) and also offered employment to more
than 145,000 people of the concerned nation (Irishnews.com 2019).

9CREATIVITY VERSUS TALENT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
As argued by Cropley (2016, p.241), the different technological advancements have
positively affected the music industry of UK and it is seen that the different artists or the
musicians are actively taking the help of diverse advancements like digitalization, video
recordings, social media and others for the purpose of appeasing the musical needs of a large
number of people. In this context, mention needs to be made of the 70 downloading,
streaming and cloud base services which had revolutionized the festival businesses and
concerts within the nation of UK (Irishnews.com 2019). This in turn had significantly
contributed towards the success attained by the different online music streaming apps like
Spotify, Google Play Music, iMusic, Pandora and others in the recent times (Irishnews.com
2019). Needless to say, within a very short span of time the music industry of UK had
become an integral part of the economic wheel of the concerned nation and also the musical
compositions created by the musicians or the artists of UK have become a part of the daily
life of the common people of the concerned nation.
2.3 Overview of the concept of creativity
Teramoto and Jurčys (2017, p.140) have articulated the viewpoint that the notion of
creativity can be defined as the ability of the individuals to use original or imaginative ideas
for the creation of something new or original in nature. On the other hand, Mills and Horton
(2016, p.114) have stated that the creativity can be seen as the phenomenon through which
the artists create something new as well as valuable and the entity created by them can be
something tangible or intangible. This becomes even more important from the perspective of
the music industry of UK which is often considered to be one of the most creative industries
of the world. More importantly, in the present times it had been seen that because of the
insistence of the music listeners to have original compositions, the different musicians or the
artists related to the concerned industry are increasingly restoring to the usage of the concept
of creativity (Drai-Zerbib 2016, p.91). The resultant effect of this is that through the effective

10CREATIVITY VERSUS TALENT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
usage of the concept of creativity have not only been able to create musically pleasing
compositions but at the same time satisfy the different needs or the requirements of the music
listeners (Bennett, D., 2016, p.390).
2.4 Importance of creativity
Williamson and Cloonan (2013, p.11) are of the viewpoint that the effective usage of
the concept of creativity by the different musicians or the artists offers wide ranging benefits
to them not only from the perspective of satisfying the needs of the music listeners but also
for the composition of unique music as well. As opined by Boehm (2016, p.91), the
musicians or the artists rather than primarily focusing on the needs or the expectations should
try to take the help of the concept of creativity and try to create original musical
compositions. This is important because of the fact that in the majority of the cases the
listeners are themselves not sure regarding the music that they would and thus it can be said
that the desire of the artists or the musicians to satisfy the desire of the listeners can
significantly limited their creativity ((Cohen 2017, p.67).
As argued by Bennett (2018, p.35), over the years it had seen that different artists or
musicians taking the help of the concept of creativity have been able to create original
compositions by fusing various genres and intermingling diverse styles. In this regard,
mention needs to made of the song “Bohemian Rhapsody” by the famous music band of the
20th century named “Queen” which fused different musical genres like opera, pop music and
others for the composition of this song (Barrett and Limb 2019, p.89). Furthermore, the
critical acclaim as well as appreciation that this song had received over the years clearly
points to the fact that the listeners are ready for different kinds of creative experimentation.
Moreover, the effective usage of the concept of creativity is also likely to help the musicians
as well as artists to create different kinds of innovative kinds of music or songs and thereby
gain commercial and critical success on the basis (Cloonan 2016, p.79). This becomes

11CREATIVITY VERSUS TALENT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
especially important from the perspective of the music industry UK wherein it is seen that
over the years the artists or the musicians are taking the help of the same age-old musical
genres and even the audiences are getting bored by it (Mills 2016, p.161). Thus, the success
attained by the ‘death rock metal’ and others clearly points towards the urge of the audiences
to listen to new kinds of music or songs. On the score of these aspects it can be said that the
concept of creativity is an important one from the perspective of the music industry of UK
and it is likely that the artists or the musicians would be able to attain a higher level of critical
as well as commercial success through the effective usage of the same.
2.5 Factors affecting the creativity of a musician
There are various factors which affect the creative abilities of the artists or the
musicians in the present times and thereby the musical compositions or the songs created by
them. Toynbee (2016, p.98) is of the viewpoint the upbringing of the individuals is one of the
most important factors which affects the creativity of the individuals and as a matter of fact it
is seen that if the individuals have been brought up in an environment wherein music is being
supported or they are being encouraged to indulge in different kinds of musical endeavours
then this is likely to positively affect their creativity. Another important factor which affects
the creativity of the artists or musicians is audience that they are catering to (Hartley 2017,
p.70). For example, it is seen that if the artists or the musicians are catering to an audience
base which appreciates innovation or creativity then it is more likely that the artists or the
musicians would take the help of creativity (Thorley 2018, p.165). The past experiences of
the artists or musicians is another important factor which fosters creativity on the part of the
artists or the musicians (Burnard 2016, p.40). Other important factors which affect the
creativity on the part of the artists or the musicians are desire, fearlessness, space and time,
the attitude of the artists or musicians and others (Boehm 2016, p.91).

12CREATIVITY VERSUS TALENT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
2.6 Talent and its role
Tansley (2011 p.267) is of the viewpoint that talent can be seen as a gift or
competence component possessed by someone to do a particular job or task at a certain level.
In the particular context of the music industry of UK, it is seen that talent is a matter of ability
not instinct and therefore some musicians are born with greater ability than others. More
importantly, it is seen that some artists or musicians develop their abilities or talent through
long-term skill development so as to merge together the components of talent and creativity
(Parry et al. 2012, p.330). Furthermore, within the particular context of the UK music
industry it is seen that the notion of creativity is being defined as “a global taste-maker” and
also greatly compliments the individual talent that the individuals have (Morris and Powers
2015, p.115). The resultant effect of this is that the component of talent is generally
considered to be one of the most important components which enables the musicians or the
artists to effective explore the limits of their creativity and also to compose creative songs or
music which will suit the needs or the requirements of the listeners (Frith et al. 2010, p.25).
On the score of these factors, it can be said that both talent and creativity are important from
the perspective of the music industry and greatly helps the musicians in the composition of
new
2.7 Ways in which musicians can effectively use creativity and talent
There are various ways through which the artists or the musicians can effectively
utilise the concepts of creativity and talent for the composition of new music or songs.
Fintoni and McLauchlan (2018, p.170) are of the viewpoint that one of the most important
measures that the musicians or the artists can use in this regard is the fusion of different
genres for the composition of songs or music. This will not only provide the opportunity to
the artists or musicians to break away from the genres that they had been following and
thereby offer them the opportunity to explore new genres wherein they can utilise the

13CREATIVITY VERSUS TALENT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
concepts of talent and creative manner (Glăveanu 2011, p.54). Another important measure
that the musicians or the artists can take the help is visiting some peaceful picturesque
location which will enable them to give vent to their creative talent. For example, William
Wordsworth used to visit the Lake Region of UK, Lord Byron used to visit Italy and others so
as to ignite their creative abilities (Drai-Zerbib 2016, p.91). Some of the other important
measures that the artists or the musicians can use are bonding with people who would
encourage their creative talent, relaxation, being fearless and others.
2.9 Summary
In this chapter, the researcher took the help of past literature to highlight the important
aspects of the concepts of talent and creativity. The ideas that the researcher gained through
the analysis of these two concepts from the perspective of past literature is likely to enable
the researcher to undertake an effective analysis of the secondary sources or information
which will be collected for the completion of this research.

14CREATIVITY VERSUS TALENT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
Chapter 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction
In this chapter, the researcher outlines the detailed research methodology that will be
used for the effective completion of the entire study. The researcher does highlights the
research philosophy, approach, data collection method, data analysis method and others that
will be used for the completion of the research.
3.2 Research Philosophy
As opined by Kumar (2019, p.79), research philosophy is the belief which highlights
the data collection method, data analysis method and other aspects of the research techniques
that is being used by the researchers for the completion of the research. The positivism,
interpretivism and pragmatism philosophy are the three commonly used research
philosophies by the different researchers ((Silverman 2016, p.94). In this context, Taylor,
Bogdan and DeVault (2015, p.114) have stated that the positivism philosophy generally
avoids assumptions and thereby takes the help of primary or numerical data or statistics for
validating the hypotheses created at the beginning of the study. In contrast to this,
interpretivism philosophy focuses on the differentiation of the social factors from the human
factors and thereby the researchers taking the help of this philosophy take the help of
interviews or observations (Fletcher 2017, p.69). Lastly, through the usage of the pragmatism
philosophy the researchers try to analyse the research objectives or questions through the
perspective of different point-of-views (Walliman 2017, p.78). The researcher for the
completion of this study had selected the pragmatism philosophy since it will help the
researcher to analyse the research objectives through the lens of different point-of-views and
also theoretical perspectives.

15CREATIVITY VERSUS TALENT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
3.3 Research Approach
Ledford and Gast (2018, p.99) have stated that the deductive and inductive research
approaches are the two commonly used ones by the different researchers for the conduct of
their respective study. For example, it is seen that through the usage of the deductive
approach the researchers are required to take the help of the diverse models, theories and
others and take the help of the processes of hypotheses testing, implementation of the
identified models or theories for answering the research questions or objectives in an
effective manner (Smith 2015, p.143). On the other hand, the inductive approach is the one in
which the researchers gather different kinds of primary or secondary data on the basis of the
requirements of their study and analyse them through the usage of adequate frameworks or
tools (Dumay and Cai 2015, p.151). In this regard, it needs to be said that the researcher for
selected the deductive approach for the completion of the research since it will enable the
researcher to take the help of different past models or theories of past literature for the
purpose of answering the research question or objectives in an effective manner.
3.4 Research Design
As opined by McCusker and Gunaydin (2015, p.539), exploratory, descriptive and
explanatory research designs are the three most commonly used ones by the different
researchers for the conduct of their research. In the particular context of the exploratory
research design, the researchers need to outline or elucidate the background of the research
questions or the problems statement that they had selected for the conduct of the research
work (Bresler and Stake 2017, p.121). In contrast to this, the researchers who are taking the
help of the explanatory research design are required to highlight the factors or the reasons
that have contributed towards the problem which is being analysed (Taylor, Bogdan and
DeVault 2015, p.134). Lastly, through the usage of the descriptive research design the
researchers are required to link the findings of the research with the objectives or the research

16CREATIVITY VERSUS TALENT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
questions enumerated at the very beginning of the research work (Dumay and Cai 2015,
p.151). The researcher for the completion of this study had selected the descriptive researcher
design because of the fact that it will enable the researcher to link the findings obtained from
the analysis of the secondary data to the research objectives which were highlighted in the
first chapter.
3.5 Data Collection Method
Ledford and Gast (2018, p.59) have articulated the viewpoint that the secondary data
collection and the primary data collection method are the two most commonly used ones by
the researchers. For example, it is seen that through the usage of the secondary data collection
method the researchers are required to collect different secondary sources of information
related to the topic from diverse peer-reviewed articles, newspaper articles, press-releases and
others (Silverman 2016, p.89). On the other hand, through the usage of the primary data
collection method the researchers are required to collect primary or first-hand numerical or
statistical data for the completion of the research (Kumar 2019, p.76). The researcher for the
completion of this research had used the secondary data collection method and thereby
collected data from different secondary sources.
3.6 Data Analysis Method
There are two common data analysis which are available to the researchers for the
analysis of the data that they have collected for the completion of the research, namely,
quantitative data analysis method (for the analysis of primary data) and qualitative data
analysis method (for the analysis of secondary data) (Bresler and Stake 2017, p.121). The
researcher having collected secondary data will take the help of the qualitative secondary data
analysis method for the analysis of the same.

17CREATIVITY VERSUS TALENT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
3.7 Ethical Considerations
The researcher for the ethical completion of this research will adhere to the guidelines
of academic writing and academic research. More importantly, in order to avoid the unethical
practice of plagiarism, the researcher will give due credit to the scholars or the authors whose
works have been used for the completion of the research.
3.8 Research Limitations
The researcher because of time and resource constraints had not opted for the primary
data collection and analysis method which could have made the entire study more credible.
Furthermore, because of accessibility issues the researcher was not able to interview Adele on
whom the entire study had been conducted. Thus, these two aspects are the major limitations
of the entire research work.
3.9 Summary
The researcher in a succinct manner had revealed the research method which will be
used for the effective completion of the entire research work. This chapter will be followed
by the chapter “Findings and Discussion”.

18CREATIVITY VERSUS TALENT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
Chapter 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Introduction
In this chapter, the researcher will enumerate the secondary information that had been
gathered for the concept of creativity versus talent within the particular context of Adele.
Furthermore, the researcher will also undertake a critical discussion of these findings through
the specific lens of the concepts propounded in the literature review so as to answer the
research question or address the research objectives in the best possible manner.
4.2 Findings
According to Irishnews.com (2019), “The development of high achievement involves
a complex interaction of many personal and environmental variables that feed off each other
in non-linear, mutually reinforcing, and nuanced ways”. This statement in a succinct manner
provides the basic reasons for the unprecedented success that Adele had been able to attain
within a very short period of time. The success gained by Adele is nothing short of a
Cinderella fairy tale story wherein it is seen that a UK girl who once was struggling with
post-breakup depression and also struggling to come to terms with her breakup used this pain
as well as emotional heartbreak to create the kind of song which had able to move the entire
world (Spanos and Spanos 2019). More importantly, the effective usage of this pain and
heartbreak by Adele had enabled her to create a completely new dimension of love songs
which in the present times had redefined the concepts of love and heartbreak in an effective
manner (Billboard.com 2019).
The entity of creativity had enabled Adele to effectively utilise the musical talent that
she possess was fuelled by the heartbreak that she suffering at a very young impressionable
age. As a matter of fact, Hindustantimes.com (2019) in an article devoted to her states that
“All artists need some inspiration. And Oscar-winning singer Adele says she is at her creative

19CREATIVITY VERSUS TALENT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
best when she is bit depressed”. More importantly, she herself had acknowledged the fact
because of the manner in which the heartbreak that she suffered had helped her to explore the
boundaries of her creativity and talent she can finally “reach out a hand to my ex. Let him
know I’m over it” (Lamont 2019). This becomes apparent when one listens to the songs that
had made her famous like “Rolling in the Deep”, “Someone Like You”, “Hello”, “Set Fire to
the Rain” and others and also the lingering pain which exists in these songs (Spanos and
Spanos 2019). However, her songs clearly reveal that she has not got over the pain, anger,
frustration, depression and the other aspects which usually entails a heartbreak. This becomes
apparent from the lines of her songs like “Sometimes it lasts in love/ But sometimes it hurts
instead” (Someone Like You), “The scars of your love they leave me breathless, I can't help
feeling/ We could have had it all (you're gonna wish you never had met me)” (Rolling in the
Deep) and others (Billboard.com 2019).
In the artistic world, there is a popular belief which states that without heartbreak one
cannot become a truly great artist or for that matter explore the utmost boundaries of their
creativity or talent (Hindustantimes.com 2019). This belief as a matter of fact holds true for
Adele who seem to be utilised the pain which she suffered at the hands of boyfriend and the
resultant breakup for drive her creativity or talent to its utmost limits and thereby unlock a
totally new dimension of heartbreak songs which made the world awe in pain through the
effective utilisation of her creativity and talent (Lamont 2019). This becomes apparent from
the fact that her song “Hello” became the “No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart” merely
four weeks after its official release and also the critical as well as commercial acclaim that
her other songs had received over the years (Ukmusic.org 2019). For example, even in the
present times it is seen that her songs “Rolling in the Deep”, “Someone Like You”, “Set Fire
to the Rain” and others does not fail to bring a lump in the throat in the music listeners who
have suffered a heartbreak in the past or are undergoing one for that matter.

20CREATIVITY VERSUS TALENT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
One of the true marks of the greatest creative talented artists over the years had been
the fact rather than concerned with critical or commercial success or for that matter catering
to the whims of the audiences they have been more concerned about the exploration of the
boundaries of their own creativity or talent (Tilden 2019). This becomes evident within the
particular context of the musician Adele as well since it is seen that rather than primarily
concerned with success or catering to the whims of the music listeners she is primarily using
music as a medium through which she can overcome her grief or pain on the score of the
heartbreak that she suffered at the hands of her boyfriend (Npr.org. 2019). For example, in an
interview with Taylor Weatherby of the Billboard (2016), she stated that “I swear to god I
laugh at every big thing that happens in my career. I laugh out loud because I think it’s f---in’
ridiculous”. However, at the same time it is seen that unlike Justin Bieber and others who are
taken away by the initial fame or success that they get she is not (Independent.co.uk 2019).
As a matter of fact, she herself acknowledges that she is not being able to create as moving
songs as she had created when she was 21 years old, just after her break. In this regard, her
words “A drunk tongue is an honest one. I can see from an outsider’s perspective that I will
never write songs as good as the ones that are on 21, but I’m not as indulgent as I was then,
and I don’t have time to fall apart like I did then” are important to note (Npr.org. 2019). Thus,
it can be said that there is a need on her part to effective use her creativity or talent so as to
create the kind of music which will not only in alignment with the musical needs of the
listeners but at the same time would enable her to hold on to the success that she had been
able to attain over the years.
The thing which helped Adele to effectively explore the limits of her creativity and
talent in the first place was the pain that she felt after her heartbreak. However, she herself
claims that she is past that stage when she still felt emotions for her ex-boyfriend and this in
turn is taking a toll on her artistic or musical abilities (Hindustantimes.com 2019). Thus, it

21CREATIVITY VERSUS TALENT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
becomes obvious that she would have to find some new passion or the drive through which
she can effectively explore the boundaries of her talent and creativity and thereby create the
kind of music which will help her in a significant manner.
4.3 Discussion of Findings
The singer and song composer Adele Laurie Blue Adkins within a very short span of
time had become an integral part of the music industry of UK on the score of the contribution
that she had being economically but also artistically as well (Ukmusic.org 2019). In this
regard, it needs to be said that she complies with Teramoto and Jurčys (2017, p.140) notion
or creativity wherein they state that creativity is the process through which the artists or the
musicians create something new through the usage of original or innovative ideas. In the
particular context of Adele, it needs to be said that the different songs created by her like
“Rolling in the Deep”, “Someone Like You”, “Set Fire to the Rain”, “Hello” and others are
not only created but at the same time they offer something new to the music listeners (Spanos
and Spanos 2019). As a matter of fact, it had seen that heartbreak songs or sad love songs
which highlight pain and emotional suffering are nothing new in the music industry of UK
however the thing that makes the songs of Adele stand out is the creative manner in which
she had sung as well as composed. As per Npr.org. (2019), she uses music as a medium
through which she had express her dominant emotions about their ex-boyfriend and also the
way she seeing him move on in his life whereas she had not been able to do so.
Williamson and Cloonan (2013, p.11) are of the viewpoint that the artists or the
musicians can explore the utmost bounds of their creativity by effectively catering to the
needs of the people. This is precisely the thing that Adele had been doing over the years and
it is seen that within the music industry of UK, the music listeners generally like to listen to
the kind of songs which celebrate heartbreak rather than celebrate love. More importantly, P.
B. Shelley in his poem “To a Skylark” said “We look before and after, / And pine for what is

22CREATIVITY VERSUS TALENT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
not;/ Our sincerest laughter/ With some pain is fraught;/ Our sweetest songs are those that tell
of saddest thought” and the songs of Adele exemplifies this aspect of the correlation between
sadness and music (Thomson and Jaque 2016, p.97). As a matter of fact, the thing that fuelled
the creativity of Adele which in turn enabled her to effectively explore the boundaries of her
talent was the breakup that she underwent at a very young as well as impressionable age and
this emotion had been used by her in almost all her songs so as to gain the appreciation of the
audiences (Lamont 2019). More importantly, the repeated usage of this theme for the
exploration of her creativity and talent is in alignment with the musical needs of the UK
people or for that matter of the music lovers from all over the world and this in turn had
directly contributed towards the success gained by her (Hindustantimes.com 2019).
Burnard (2016, p.40) is of the viewpoint that the past experiences of the artists or the
musicians are one of the most important factors which enhance the creativity of the same but
at the same time offer them the necessary tool to explore their talent. Adele in her interview
with Taylor Weatherby of the Billboard (2016) succinct manner states that without her past
experiences of personal heartbreak and the subsequent pain that she underwent on the score
of the same she would not have been able to use her creativity or talent in an effective or for
that matter compose the songs or the music which had enabled her to gain success over the
years and made her one of the leading singers not only of UK but also of the entire world
itself. On the other hand, Toynbee (2016, p.98) has stated that the manner or the style of
upbringing of the individuals is another factor which significantly contributes towards the
creativity and thereby the effective utilisation of talent on the part of the artists or the
musicians. In an interview with Lamont (2019), she says that although her father left her at
the age of two years yet her mother supported her musical inclination and she sang her first
song at the age of four age. In this regard, it needs to be said that the long-term musical
training, Adele’s upbringing in a music supporting environment, the support that she received

23CREATIVITY VERSUS TALENT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
from her mother for her musical inclination and others significantly enabled her to use her
creative abilities and talent in the later part of her life (Billboard.com 2019).
In an article of Hindustantimes.com (2019), it had been stated that Adele is at her
musical best when is depressed or expressing the pain that she received at the hands of her
boyfriends. However, in another interview with Lamont (2019) she said that she is
completely over her ex-boyfriend and is presently focusing completely on her son. This in
turn in a succinct manner explains the decline in intensity or fervour or the creativity of the
musical compositions made by Adele in the recent times. Fintoni and McLauchlan (2018,
p.170) have suggested that the artists or the musicians can enhance the level of their creativity
or talent through the effective use of different kinds of musical genres or by fusing them like
the manner the band Queen did with their song “Bohemian Rhapsody”. Thus, it is likely that
Adele would also be able to not only explore new genres but also effectively use her
creativity and talent through the usage of this method. On the other hand, Drai-Zerbib (2016,
p.91) has suggested the artists or the musicians can visit some peaceful picturesque locations
for giving vent to their artistic creativity or talent as becomes apparent from the case of past
artists like Mozart, Wordsworth and others. Thus, in order to find new creative concepts to
sing about Adele can also visit some peaceful picturesque locations.
4.4 Summary
To sum up, the researcher through the analysis of the secondary data that had been
collected for the research work that stated the manner in which Adele had used her creativity
and talent to gain success and also to compose artistically beautiful songs. Furthermore, the
researcher had also discussed the findings from the secondary sources in the particular
context of the concepts articulated in the past literature so as to address the research
objectives or research question in an effective manner.

24CREATIVITY VERSUS TALENT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
Chapter 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Conclusion
The entire study had focused on the manner in which creativity and talent plays an
integral role within the musical compositions made by the artists and for the purpose of the
study the researcher took the help of the case study of Adele. As a matter of fact, the
researcher found that the entity of creativity was one of the most important ones in the
context of Adele which enabled her to effectively utilise her talent and thereby create the kind
of songs that enabled her to gain critical as well as commercial success. More importantly, it
had been found that different factors like Adele’s past experiences, her upbringing and others
played a pivotal role in the nurturing of her creativity which in her enabled her to utilise her
talent in an effective manner. Furthermore, the findings of the study in a succinct manner
reveals the fact that the entity of creativity is more important from the perspective of the
music industry of UK as it becomes evident from the above analysis of the case study of
Adele and the unprecedented success that she had been able to attain within a very short span
of time.
5.2 Linking with Objectives
5.2.1 Linking with Objective 1
The researcher found that the effective usage of the concept of creative by Adele
enabled her to not only use her talent in the best possible manner but at the same time create
the kind of songs that had been much appreciated not only by the people of UK but also from
the other parts of the world as well. In addition to this, the effective usage of the different
aspects of creativity enabled her to express the pain as well as suffering that she underwent
post her breakup through the various songs that she composed.

25CREATIVITY VERSUS TALENT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
5.2.2 Linking with Objective 2
The researcher found that in the particular context of Adele her past experiences as
well as the manner in which she was brought were the major factors which nurtured her
creativity and talent in an effective manner. For example, it was found that her past
experience of breakup enabled her to understand the true meaning of pain and suffering in
love and this in turn helped her in the creation of the emotionally moving heartbreak songs.
Furthermore, the support that she received from her mother all through her childhood to
pursue her musical inclination was another important factor which nurtured her creativity and
talent.
5.2.3 Linking with Objective 3
The researcher found that there are various ways through which Adele compete in the
music industry of UK through the effective usage of her creativity and talent like by creating
new songs through the fusion of new musical genres, finding a new source of inspiration or
passion, visiting some peaceful picturesque locations so as to ignite her creative abilities and
others. The usage of these measures will enable her to create the kind of songs that will not
only be critically successful but commercial successful as well and will in turn help her to
compete in the highly competitive music industry of UK.
5.3 Recommendations
There are various ways through which Adele can enhance the level of her creativity so
as to compete in the music industry of UK. Firstly, she can take the help of the process of
different musical genres like the way the music band Queen did for the composition of the
song “Bohemian Rhapsody”. This will enable her to utilise her creative abilities and also her
talent in an effective for the composition of new songs that would be appreciated by the
audiences. Secondly, she can find some new source of inspiration or passion for the creation
of new songs since she herself had claimed that she had got over her ex-boyfriend, a drive

26CREATIVITY VERSUS TALENT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
that motivated her to compose her earlier songs. Furthermore, in order to effective explore the
boundaries of her creativity and talent she can also visit some peaceful picturesque locations
to get some inspiration.
5.3 Future Scope
As already mentioned because of accessibility issues the researcher was not being
able to conduct an interview with Adele herself and also on the score of time and resource
constraints only secondary sources of information. Thus, in the future, the study can be made
more effective by conducting an interview with Adele and also taking the help of primary
data to further enhance the scope of the study. More importantly, this study can also be in the
future for conducting a full-fledged study on the creativity versus talent debate within the
particular context of the music industry of UK.

27CREATIVITY VERSUS TALENT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
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