I’ll be the first to admit I was the biggest bandwagon fan when Michael Jackson died.

I blasted “Bad” out my windows. I saw the midnight premiere of “This Is It.” I probably tweeted something dramatic. In hindsight, though, it was all fake.

But when my phone lit up Saturday to 12 texts from friends reading messages such as “I’m so sorry Jimmy!! :’(” it was all real. I’m not going to argue I am Whitney Houston’s biggest fan…but I am.

I’m not going to drag this piece out to a sobfest about Whitney’s death. If you’re looking for that, check out my Twitter or Facebook. Instead, her death presents an opportunity to look toward the future of the music industry with crossed fingers.

Nothing made me feel better than when I logged onto iTunes and saw Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” topping the charts, followed by “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and “Greatest Love of All” and Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” “Someone Like You” and “Set Fire to the Rain.”

Both Houston and Adele bring unique voices, personalities and talent to the music industry. None of that LMFAO nonsense — just pure, spectacular music. And it was at this point I realized there is no one more suitable to take Whitney’s throne than Adele herself.

That’s a pretty lofty statement, but it makes sense.

Whitney’s first album — _Whitney Houston_ — started off slow. It spawned the singles “You Give Good Love,” “Saving All My Love for You” and “Greatest Love of All.” None of these songs are remotely danceable, but they prove Houston had pipes.

With this, let’s think to _19_ and _21_ — Adele’s first two albums. “Chasing Pavements,” “Rolling in the Deep,” “Someone Like You” and “Set Fire to the Rain,” much like Houston’s first few singles, all feature spectacular vocals and won a plethora of awards.

Then came Whitney’s second album, _Whitney_. Although it was met with mixed reviews from critics, it showed a new side of the singer. The album included the singles “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and “So Emotional,” which are both upbeat and have gone on to be remembered as two of Houston’s defining songs.

In numerous [interviews]( http://perezhilton.com/2011-06-01-adele-talks-about-recording-third-album#.TzwKrUzLzXE), Adele has hinted her third album is going to be more upbeat, including a “girl-power” jam. This probably comes as a bit of an unwelcome shock to the majority of fans of Adele’s sappy, slow songs. But then think of what Whitney did.

Adele said in an interview with [Vogue](http://www.vogue.com/magazine/article/adele-one-and-only/#6) she isn’t going anywhere. Thankfully she retracted her five-year hiatus on [her blog]( http://www.adele.tv/home/), so we won’t have to wait too long.

Adele, we’re saving all our love for you. Now that Whitney is no longer with us, we run to you. Don’t disappoint.