Adele to Matt Lauer: ‘I Don’t Want to Be a Celebrity’

Adele is known for speaking her mind, and when Matt Lauer asked her to share her feelings on fame during their recent interview for an upcoming NBC special, she didn't mince words. "I don't want to be a celebrity," she stated simply. "I don't want to be in people's faces, and I feel a little bit like I am."

Which isn't to say she's anything less than grateful for her success -- or that she can't have a little fun with some of the perks that go along with it. She shared a backstage moment from her landslide win at this year's Grammys, recalling a surprise hotel phone call from Elton John: "He just started chatting away to me -- I passed the phone to a friend and said, 'Oh yeah, it's Elton.' It still cracks me up. It did make me think a little like, 'My God, it's another level now.'"

And while her worldwide fame has certainly had an impact on her lifestyle, she still manages to slip out in public unnoticed every now and again. As she told Lauer during the interview, she recently ventured into a major British tourist trap on a Saturday afternoon -- but joked that because she was in her pajamas, no one noticed it was her. Still, some aspects of all the attention she gets from the press can be bothersome -- including wild rumors like the one about her adopting an Ethiopian child, which she debunked, causing Lauer to jokingly scramble to change the rest of his questions.

Asked whether she hopes to be topping best-of lists and appearing on magazine covers a decade from now, Adele mused, "I just want to make music. I don't want anyone chatting about me, really. I still hope to have a little bit of clout in 10 years, but all I've ever wanted to do is sing."

You can watch a clip from the interview below, and look for the full-length special -- titled 'Adele Live in London with Matt Lauer' -- next month on NBC. It airs on June 5 at 8PM ET.

Watch Adele's Interview With Matt Lauer