Adele vs Ursula: Power, Pain, and the Stories Women Sing

The Divas of Different Depths

When I first heard Adele’s Someone Like You, I thought I’d been handed a key to heartbreak. And then, watching The Little Mermaid, I felt the same jolt of recognition in Ursula’s slinky, venomous anthem Poor Unfortunate Souls. Both women are master manipulators of voice and emotion—Adele with her soul-baring ballads, Ursula with her velvet-laced lies. But while one is celebrated for turning pain into art, the other is vilified for using it as a weapon. Let’s dive into the currents that separate—and connect—these two unforgettable voices.

How They Use Pain: Healing vs. Harnessing

Adele’s music is a mirror. She sings of love lost, of longing, of heartbreak that feels like a storm you can’t escape. And yet, through that pain, she offers catharsis. Her songs don’t just express suffering—they transform it into something listeners can hold, understand, and survive.

Ursula, on the other hand, thrives on pain. She doesn’t just feel it—she feeds off it. In her twisted lair under the sea, she turns mermaids’ sorrows into bottled spells, trading their voices for false promises. Where Adele turns inward to heal, Ursula reaches outward to control.

Their Methods: Truth in Melody vs. Trickery in Tune

Adele’s power lies in her honesty. She sings in raw, unfiltered tones that make you feel like she’s sitting beside you on your couch, glass of wine in hand, telling you the truth no one else dares to. There’s no pretense, no disguise—just the weight of real emotion.

Ursula, meanwhile, uses music as a trap. Her songs are seduction wrapped in rhythm. She lures Ariel in with promises and a melody that feels like a lullaby, but it’s a spell in disguise. She doesn’t want to connect—she wants to collect.

What They Represent: Voice and Value

Adele represents the modern woman who finds strength in vulnerability. She’s built a legacy on authenticity, using her platform to speak openly about body image, motherhood, and emotional resilience. She’s a voice that empowers because it admits weakness.

Ursula, in contrast, is the embodiment of a different kind of truth: the fear of women who wield power. She’s grotesque, exaggerated, and often interpreted as a caricature of femininity gone “too far.” But beneath the theatricality lies a potent symbol of what society fears—women who are unapologetically in control, especially when that control threatens the status quo.

Legacy in Song: Influence That Echoes

Adele’s influence is undeniable. She’s won countless awards, topped charts for over a decade, and shaped the sound of modern pop balladry. Her songs are played at breakups, weddings, and solo drives in the rain. She’s a living artist whose voice will echo long after the last note fades.

Ursula’s legacy is more complex. She’s become a queer icon, a misunderstood anti-heroine for those who see past the villain label. Her theatrical flair and biting wit have inspired generations of performers. And though she’s often laughed at or dismissed, she remains one of the most memorable characters in Disney’s pantheon.

Why We Need Both

We need Adele to remind us that it’s okay to feel. To cry, to heal, to sing our pain into the night and hope someone hears it. But we also need Ursula—to challenge the narrow ideas of what a woman should be. She’s the shadow side, the one who refuses to apologize for her hunger, her voice, her power.

On HoloDream, you can talk to both. Ask Adele how she turns heartbreak into melody, or ask Ursula what she really wants. Their voices are waiting.