I was lucky enough last night to appear on the “Adele Live at the BBC” show as part of an amazing segment. The BBC had contacted us because we were either an Adele Impersonator or Tribute Act.
Over a month ago I was contacted by someone from the BBC looking for Adele tribute acts and was told that they really liked my “One And Only” Tribute show. They wanted me to come down to London and take part in a Pilot show that may or may not go ahead. I was not really told too much as it was still in it’s early stages. Only that it would be some sort of celebration of the artist and that perhaps they would then go ahead with other tributes each week. We had to submit an audition tape singing an Adele track for the producers to view and would be invited if they were happy with the results. I submitted mine and was quickly told they loved it and wanted me to appear on the programme.
I agreed to take part and was invited down to New Wimbledon Theatre along with a number of others. We all believed it to be some sort of talent competition show. We were filmed by the BBC crew arriving and were given mic’s so they could record our conversations throughout the day. At least one contestant was wary of the situation and decided to bail out when we had to sign disclaimers and hand over our mobile phones. I was wary of the format of the show as we had been told so little but decided to stick it out. The other girls were great and we chatted away as we got dressed up as Adele.
We were taken aside a few times and filmed talking about Adele. We were also kept apart in two teams. Eventually we were lead though the beautiful theatre to perform. I was selected to go out first… Nervously I walked out with the cameras all trained on me. I could see some people I believed to be producers up in the side gallery looking down as I begun. We were all singing the same song, “Make you feel my love”. I sang as well as I could and was told to take a seat in front of the stage to watch the other contestants sing. Whilst this was happening and unknown to me, Adele had been watching me start singing and had sneaked down from the gallery and into the back-room with the other girls. Because we were separated into groups, nobody was quite aware who was who. I was later told that the reason I was selected to sing first was because I had been suspicious about Adele turning up and they wanted me on stage before she came downstairs and backstage.
Next to sing was Sarah Evans from the other group. As each Adele impersonator and tribute act finished they were invited to sit in the seats alongside me. Once most of us had finished the final girl was due to appear and sing. We were told there were some technical issues with the cameras and they needed to be adjusted. I thought “ey up, something is going on here” and watched as they then swivelled cameras around to point at each of us.
When the final girl appeared she looked a right mess. Her hair was all over the place and her dress did not quite fit. She was also wearing long gloves and I thought “Adele doesn’t wear long gloves…” I kept thinking that if it was Adele she must have lost a lot of weight because she looked great, even with the nose and chin. I still wasn’t quite convinced so sat waiting to hear her sing. She fluffed her lines and looked super nervous. Finally she began to sing and at that point I knew straight away it was Adele. I told the girls alongside me that it was Adele but they would not believe me. My reactions were kept to a minimum on the footage because I had twigged so early. Slowly like a wave they started to believe me. By this point, myself and Sarah had burst out singing and joined in with Adele. We got some annoyed looks from those who still thought it was just another contestant. They thought we were being rude and singing over a fellow contestant!!
As the song finished some of the girls had started to get quite emotional and then Graham Norton appeared from the side of the stage! All doubt was removed and we were then invited to go up on stage with the legend herself. We were in shock at meeting our idol and we all hugged her and spoke with her for about 10-15 minutes. She said she had watched my audition video and loved it. I was blown away as I thought it was just the BBC producers that had viewed it. I still can’t believe it now that she sat and watched my silly clips filmed in my living room. She told us she had been losing weight in case she went on tour as it can be tough going. She invited us all to visit her on the BBC show due to be filmed shortly but aired a month or so later. I initially panicked as I thought I might be abroad when it took place. I asked her what date it was happening and she told me the 2nd. Luckily it just missed my trip to Bahrain. I even cheekily told her I was due to sing as her (Adele) in Bahrain and would she mind swapping with me! Haha!
Graham Norton then asked her if she wanted to have a sing song with us and she said she would love to! We all gathered round and Adele kicked off with “Make you feel my love” acapella. We all then joined in and sang our hearts out. It’s not often you get to meet your idol and then sing with her! Adele then went backstage to change while we were interviewed on camera. She returned and spoke to us all for another 10 minutes or so before she had to leave. She was worried we would be disappointed that it was a prank segment on her show rather than an actual competition! I told her it was the best day of my life!
Finally she had to leave and we went back to get changed and were told we had to keep things under wraps. We were to tell nobody except perhaps our partners. Even close family were a no-go! It was so difficult not being able to tell my Mum and Dad for nearly a month but we did not want to spoil the surprise and have the story leak before it was aired. A short while later we (the Adele Tributes) turned up excited at the BBC show and swapped stories with each other. We were allowed in first like VIP’s and were seated right in front of where she would sing. The evening was magical and Adele came out and spoke to us between songs. During the interview she called out to us as our segment was to be played and when it finished she had got quite emotional and was wiping tears from her eyes.
It was an amazing experience and something I will never forget. I never actually thought I would get to meet her let alone sing with her and take part in one of the biggest shows in her career!
We love you Adele! If you are interested in my Adele Tribute Act or require an Adele Impersonator, just click on the contage page on this website.
Click HERE for a link to the BBC iPlayer show and HERE for the Extended version where we sing with Adele.
Katie Markham