"My voice went recently, never happened before, off like a tap. I had to sit in silence for nine days, chalkboard around my neck. Like an old-school mime. Like a kid in the naughty corner. Like a Victorian mute"
About this Quote
Then she stacks images that get funnier and more revealing as they go: “chalkboard around my neck” isn’t just a gag, it’s public signage. The subtext is how fame works now: even rest becomes a performance, even recovery needs a caption. She casts herself as “old-school mime,” “kid in the naughty corner,” “Victorian mute” - figures defined by enforced silence and social discipline. That escalation drags the situation out of the clinic and into culture: silence isn’t neutral, it’s something you’re sentenced to, something people project onto.
Context matters: Adele’s voice is not an accessory, it’s the whole architecture of her credibility. A vocal outage threatens the myth of effortlessness, so she preemptively reframes it as self-aware slapstick. The humor also softens the power dynamics: instead of the untouchable star canceling dates, she’s the chastened child doing time. It’s an intimacy tactic, but it’s also a boundary: she tells you just enough to keep the narrative hers.
Quote Details
| Topic | Health |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Adele. (2026, January 18). My voice went recently, never happened before, off like a tap. I had to sit in silence for nine days, chalkboard around my neck. Like an old-school mime. Like a kid in the naughty corner. Like a Victorian mute. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/my-voice-went-recently-never-happened-before-off-22210/
Chicago Style
Adele. "My voice went recently, never happened before, off like a tap. I had to sit in silence for nine days, chalkboard around my neck. Like an old-school mime. Like a kid in the naughty corner. Like a Victorian mute." FixQuotes. January 18, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/my-voice-went-recently-never-happened-before-off-22210/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"My voice went recently, never happened before, off like a tap. I had to sit in silence for nine days, chalkboard around my neck. Like an old-school mime. Like a kid in the naughty corner. Like a Victorian mute." FixQuotes, 18 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/my-voice-went-recently-never-happened-before-off-22210/. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.




