Adele Turns Up Power at Oscars With ‘Skyfall’

Adele brought a mix of classic elegance and sheer magnetism to her performance of “Skyfall” last night at the 85th Academy Awards, where she also won an Oscar for the song. Back by a string section on one side and a rock & roll combo on the other, the singer shimmied slightly as she performed for the first time since giving birth last fall. Adele’s vocals sounded low in the mix at first, but she turned on the power as her theme song from last year’s James Bond film built to a crashing finale. 

Oscars 2013: Academy Awards Red Carpet

She wasn’t the only Bond singer in attendance last night. As part of a 50th-annivesary tribute to the spy franchise, Shirley Bassey gave her own powerhouse performance of “Goldfinger” from the 1964 film of the same name.