Adele breaks her silence and speaks out over Notting Hill Carnival bikini photo

POP singer Adele has spoken out over the cultural appropriation row sparked by her bikini photo at the Notting Hill Carnival.

Adele sparked a huge debate recently about cultural appropriation when she wore a Jamaican flag print bikini and her hair in Bantu knots in honour of the Notting Hill Carnival. The singer had posted a cheeky Jamaican greeting on Instagram, appearing to poke fun at the situation, writing: “Wah Gwaan! Yow gyal, yuh look good enuh.”

The snap led to a barrage of claims of cultural appropriation after she appeared dressed in a Jamaican-flag bikini top, feathers adorning her shoulders, gold chains around her neck and wrists and with her hair curled into tight knots.

“Happy what would be Notting Hill Carnival my beloved London,” she captioned the pic, a nod to London’s huge annual carnival led by members of the British West Indian community. The event was cancelled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. But the 32-year-old star’s choice of attire, especially a Bantu knot hairstyle usually worn by women of African descent, caught a roasting online, sparking accusations of cultural appropriation.

Meanwhile, celebrities have backed Adele’s choice of outfit – including Jamaican star Popcaan and singer Alexandra Burke. Burke said, quote: “I see the pic. She looks hot. She’s obviously been working on her body, that for me is a big deal. She’s looking good.”

She went on to say: “As a Jamaican girl myself, my girl has grown up in a black culture. People forget she’s from Tottenham. She probably eats jerk chicken all the time like all of us. All I’m saying is the girl looked good, leave her. Allow her, man. If Popcaan is going to endorse it and say yes my girl you’re wearing the flag and you’re wearing it well. Let her live her best life, leave her alone. We love Adele.”