Adele
An early guest vocal and the first solo single trace Adele’s passage from the BRIT School to a songwriting career of her own.
ListenBe Divine · 2006
Ricsta featuring Adele — “Be Divine” (2006).
Listen on YouTube ↗
2006 · Stirfried Trax
Be Divine
Before her solo debut, Adele lent her voice to Ricsta’s “Be Divine,” a club record issued in four mixes in 2006. Ricsta remembers the collaboration as a favour returned after helping her with music homework at the BRIT School. [1] [2]
| Accession | OMMA-0056 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Ricsta featuring Adele |
| Release | 2006 · United Kingdom |
| Label | Stirfried Trax · STIRFRIED001 |
| Format | 12-inch vinyl single |
| Issue | Commercial issue |
| Runouts | Not documented |
| Recorded grade | NM · VG+ sleeve |
Release history and significance
Ricsta’s recollection gives this early guest appearance an unusually everyday beginning: help with schoolwork led to a vocal for his record. He describes “Be Divine” as Adele’s first release. The credit here is Ricsta featuring Adele, preceding the Pacemaker release of her own “Hometown Glory” in 2007. [2]
Written and produced by Ricsta, the record places Adele’s voice in four dance arrangements: the Mein Mix, Kung Po Dub, Crispy Aromatic Funk and Lord of Tings’ Silver Palace Special. The 12-inch presents her as a featured singer within a producer’s remix project. [1]
Market context
Discogs reports a recorded sales range of US$2.21–11.34, with a median of US$4.04, for this 12-inch edition as checked on 14 September 2026. [1]
Physical Description
A UK 12-inch vinyl issue with two mixes on each side. The Lord of Tings remix closes side B. [1]
Condition
The disc is graded Near Mint and the sleeve VG+.
Provenance
Acquired by the Origins of Modern Music Archive in November 2025.
Sources
- Discogs, Ricsta featuring Adele – Be Divine, release 1816306. UK Stirfried Trax 12-inch; track list, credits and recorded sales.
- Ricsta, professional profile: Be Divine project. Firsthand recollection of the BRIT School homework and vocal collaboration.
Catalogue text reviewed 13 September 2026.
ListenHometown Glory · 2007
Adele — “Hometown Glory.”
Listen on YouTube ↗
2007 · Pacemaker Records
Hometown Glory / Best for Last
Adele’s first solo single was a declaration of attachment to home. “Hometown Glory” began with a teenager resisting the idea of leaving London and reached record shops through Jamie T’s small Pacemaker label in 2007. [2] [3]
| Accession | OMMA-0025 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Adele |
| Release | 2007 · United Kingdom |
| Label | Pacemaker Records · Pacemaker 1 |
| Format | 7-inch vinyl single · 45 rpm |
| Issue | Original commercial issue |
| Runouts | A: PACEMAKER 1 B798150-01 A1 B: PACEMAKER 1 B798150-01 B1 |
| Recorded grade | NM · VG+ sleeve |
Release history and significance
Adele wrote “Hometown Glory” at sixteen after her mother suggested that she consider a university outside London. The song gave that disagreement a larger emotional setting: familiar streets, people and the feeling of belonging to a place. [2]
Already signed to XL, Adele honoured a promise to let Jamie T release her first solo single. [3] The Pacemaker 7-inch paired “Hometown Glory” with “Best for Last,” preceding the wider audience that arrived with her debut album, 19. [1]
This small-label issue preserves the song’s first commercial appearance, before later editions connected it to the album campaign. Its original picture sleeve and Pacemaker inscriptions distinguish that first release. [1]
Market context
The Pacemaker 7-inch is a distinct edition from the later XL releases associated with 19. Its label, runouts and original picture sleeve identify the first solo single. [1]
A Pacemaker 1 copy described as Mint and unplayed sold on eBay for £18 on 8 August 2013. The seller noted a small crease at the lower-left corner of the sleeve. [4]
Physical Description
Black vinyl in the original thin-paper picture sleeve, without inserts.
Condition
The disc is graded Near Mint and the sleeve VG+. The vinyl retains its gloss; the labels have only faint spindle trails. The sleeve shows minor creasing and a small corner bump.
Provenance
Acquired by the Origins of Modern Music Archive in July 2025.
Sources
- Discogs, Adele – Hometown Glory, release 1118161. Pacemaker 1; original 2007 single and runouts.
- Rolling Stone, Hometown Glory. The song’s teenage origins, in Every Adele Song, Ranked, 10 December 2021.
- The Observer, Flash-forward: Adele. Contemporary profile, 14 October 2007.
- Popsike, Adele – Hometown Glory, Pacemaker 1. Archived eBay auction; Mint-described copy with a small sleeve crease, £18, 8 August 2013.
Catalogue text reviewed 13 September 2026.