Adele to perform at Grammy Awards after vocal cord surgery
The 23-year-old British pop singer is nominated for six Grammys at this year's ceremony, which is set to take place on February 12 at 8 p.m. ET and air on CBS. Rapper and "NCIS: Los Angeles" actor LL Cool J is hosting the event. Adele already has two Grammys under her belt.
The Recording Academy, which votes on the Grammy winners, also quoted the singer as saying in a statement: "I'm immensely proud to have been asked to perform at this year's Grammy Awards. It's an absolute honor to be included in such a night, and for it to be my first performance in months is very exciting and of course nerve-racking, but what a way to get back into it all."
Adele is best known for hit singles such as "Someone Like You" and the angsty "Rolling In the Deep," which was performed by Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff on the FOX musical sitcom "Glee." On a recent episode of the network's hit singing competition series "American Idol," co-judge Steven Tyler of the rock band Aerosmith joked about having to hear contestants sing "the same Adele song" for hours.
The song are featured on her second studio album, "21." More than 5.6 million copies of it have been sold in the United States since it was released in early 2011, breaking Usher's seven-year-old record for selling the most copies in one year.
In November of 2011, Adele, whose full name is Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, underwent vocal cord microsurgery to stop recurrent bleeding from a benign polyp. The condition is usually the result of unstable blood vessels in the vocal cord that can rupture.
She had canceled more than a dozen concerts and promotional appearances in the United States, where she was set to embark on a sold-our tour, and in her native United Kingdom as a result of her ailment. The following November, she said on her blog that she is "doing really well" after undergoing the surgery.
Adele won the Grammys for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her song "Chasing Pavements" at the 2008 Grammy Awards. She also took home two American Music Awards on November 20, for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist and Favorite Album (See a full list of winners).
Artists and bands set to perform at the 2012 Grammy Awards include Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj, Coldplay and Rihanna, Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson, Glen Campbell with The Band Perry and Blake Shelton, Foo Fighters, Bruno Mars and Paul McCartney.
Adele is nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Short Form Music Video for "Rolling In The Deep," Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for "21" and Best Pop Solo Performance for "Someone Like You." Check out a full list of nominations for the 2012 Grammy Awards.
The ceremony may include a tribute to Grammy-winning blues singer Etta James, who recently died at age 73 after battling cancer. Christina Aguilera and Stevie Wonder, who are also Grammy recipients, sang at her funeral on January 28.
Adele paid tribute to James on her blog, saying: "What a lady Etta James was. She was the ultimate original. Her voice was breath taking and her songs are reflections we all recognize in some way or another. It's an honour every time I hear her voice. I saw her at BB Kings in New York a few years ago, and it was something I will remember forever."