Rumor has it … that a new Adele album is coming out, and in October 2021, the “Chasing Pavements” songstress finally announced a release date.
The Grammy winner announced the news in an Instagram post, telling fans that the new record, titled 30, would debut that November. “I was certainly nowhere near where I’d hoped to be when I first started [30] nearly 3 years ago,” she wrote. “I’ve learned a lot of blistering home truths about myself along the way. I’ve shed many layers but also wrapped myself in new ones. … I feel like I’ve finally found my feeling again. I’d go so far as to say that I’ve never felt more peaceful in my life.”
Since her last album, 25, came out in November 2015, the Oscar winner has experienced some upheavals at home. The British pop star and her ex-husband, Simon Konecki, called it quits in April 2019 after two years of marriage. The duo, who made their public debut in 2012, finalized their divorce in March 2021. They share son Angelo, born in October 2012.
Adele is usually tight-lipped about her personal life, but in a candid interview published ahead of 30‘s release, she admitted that her marriage wasn’t perfect.
“I was just going through the motions and I wasn’t happy,” she told Vogue in its November 2021 cover story. “Neither of us did anything wrong. Neither of us hurt each other or anything like that. It was just: I want my son to see me really love, and be loved. It’s really important to me.”
Earlier in 2021, the “Rolling in the Deep” singer was linked to sports agent Rich Paul after the pair were spotted together at the NBA Finals in July. Adele later told Vogue that the couple were friends for a couple of years before their relationship turned romantic.
“I don’t feel anxious or nervous or frazzled. It’s quite the opposite,” she said of her new romance. “I’m a 33-year-old divorced mother of a son, who’s actually in charge. The last thing I need is someone who doesn’t know where they’re at, or what they want. I know what I want.”
While some fans might hope to hear a sunnier side of Adele after three albums full of heartbreaking tunes, an early teaser of first single “Easy on Me” suggested that more sad songs are on the way. In her Vogue interview, the British pop star hesitated to describe 30 as a divorce album, but she did say that it was far more personal than her previous work.
“It’s sensitive for me, this record, just in how much I love it,” she explained. “I always say that 21 doesn’t belong to me anymore. Everyone else took it into their hearts so much. I’m not letting go of this one. This is my album.”
No matter what it sounds like, though, there’s no question that 30 will be a massive hit. In 2012, Adele became the second artist ever — and first woman — to have won Grammys in each of the awards show’s “Big Four” categories: Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year. Only one other artist, Billie Eilish, has done it since.
Keep scrolling to find out everything there is to know about Adele’s new album:
Adele's first three albums — 19, 21 and 25 — were all named after the ages she was when she recorded them, but in 2016, she told James Corden that she plans to change up her naming convention for her fourth release. "This is the last album after my age," she said, referring to 25. "I believe in trilogies. The next one will be Adele." Richard Isaac/Shutterstock
The "Hello" singer has always kept her personal life very private, but she's also never been afraid to incorporate her pain into her lyrics. This is, after all, the woman responsible for "Someone Like You." Even if she doesn't get specific about her divorce from ex-husband Simon Konecki, it's safe to expect at least a couple of tearjerkers about broken relationships. The former couple, who announced their split in April 2019, welcomed son Angelo in October 2012. Francis Specker/EMPICS/PA Images/INSTARimages.com
Rumors of a collaboration between the pair have circulated for years, but producer Ryan Tedder refuted the latest round in September 2019 after joking that the two singers would appear with Chris Martin on a OneRepublic track. The two icons are friendly, though. “I was about to meet Beyoncé and I had a full-blown anxiety attack,” Adele told Rolling Stone in 2011 of their first meeting. “Then she popped in looking gorgeous, and said. ‘You’re amazing! When I listen to you I feel like I’m listening to God.’ Can you believe that?” Six years later, Adele dedicated her album of the year Grammy to Beyoncé, and in August 2020, she praised Black Is King via Instagram. "Thank you Queen for always making us all feel so loved through your art," she wrote at the time. Shutterstock (2)
When a fan asked the Grammy winner when the new album would be released in an August 2020 Instagram comment, Adele replied, "I honestly have no idea." Best to keep the foreseeable future free for tear-soaked listening sessions, then. Will Heath/NBC
Chamberlain, ex-drummer for Pearl Jam and a longtime session musician, claimed in December 2020 that he had logged some studio time with Adele. "To hear that voice in my headphones was [giving] me chills," he said during an "Eddie Trunk Podcast" episode. "It was just so powerful and emotive. You know her voice, but to be across the room from somebody doing that, it's just insane. You hear it on the radio and whatever and you go, 'Yeah, it's really good,' but to be in the room with these people and feel that energy, it's just so heavy." Richard Young/Shutterstock
No surprise here, but Adele's friend Alan Carr confirmed that the new music is extremely good. "I've actually heard some tracks on it. Oh my God, it's amazing — so amazing," he said in an interview with Michelle Visage for Grazia U.K. in January 2021. "That voice is like an old friend, because there are some people in the charts who sound a bit like Adele and then when you hear Adele's voice, you go, 'Oh, no, there's only one.'" Shutterstock (2)
The number 30 has been seen in major cities all over the world, with spectators posting photos from London, Dubai, Los Angeles, Paris and more. Australian journalist Gianni Borelli reported the “30” projection in Sydney was ordered by Sony, the parent company of Columbia Records, where Adele is a signed artist. Adele’s previous albums were titled after the ages she was when she wrote them, 19, 21 and 25. Since she is now 33, an album titled 30 would make sense. She hinted in her 2019 birthday post that she’d continue this trend of titling albums after her age when she jokingly wrote, “30 will be a drum n bass record to spite you.” Jim Smeal/Shutterstock
Shortly after giving all of her social media platforms a makeover in October 2021, the singer shared the first preview of the record's lead single, titled "Easy on Me." Courtesy of Adele/Twitter
During an October 2021 Instagram Live, Adele took many fan questions and noticed quite a few people asking if Beyoncé would appear on her upcoming album. She told fans that while she loves the “Formation” singer, Beyonce doesn’t have a song on the new record. “I’m not making a song with Beyoncé, no. I don’t know why so many of you are asking me that,” Adele said during the livestream. “I mean, obviously, I love her. No, not that I know of. [I would] love to. “ Shutterstock (2)
In the first single from 30 — and its accompanying music video — Adele reflects on the monumental changes that come with divorce. "Go easy on me, baby / I was still a child / Didn't get the chance to / Feel the world around me," she belts in the chorus. "I had no time to choose what I chose to do / So go easy on me." Vevo
After giving fans a taste of what to expect from 30, Adele admitted in October 2021 that she was "a bit frightened" to explore personal themes on the record. "I definitely feel like I lost sight of and lost the appreciation of what a gift it is to be into music and be able to make it," she told BBC's Radio 1 Breakfast Show. "I think I got a bit frightened of it for a while and it really, really took care of me big time. Not just making this record, my own record, but diving back into old records of other people's that I loved, discovering new artists on Soundcloud or whatever. ... It was bloody hard work to make [this album]. I was singing things I didn't even realize I was feeling or thinking." Invision/AP/Shutterstock
After the “Hello” songstress dropped the album’s first single, “Easy on Me,” on October 15, she also debuted its music video to much fan excitement. Shortly after its release, social media users were quick to point out the similarities between the videos for “Easy on Me,” “Rolling in the Deep” and “Hello.” “Adele built a house in rolling in the deep, she moved in that house in hello and left the house in easy on me,” one fan tweeted on October 15. “A story teller!!” Courtesy of Adrian Mariote Sarabia/Twitter
Spotify revealed via Twitter on October 15 that “Easy on Me” had shattered records, becoming the platform’s most-streamed song in a single day. BTS’ chart-topping “Butter” track previously held that honor after it earning more than 20 million global streams during its May 2021 debut, according to a Billboard report. Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency / MEGA
Adele announced Adele One Night Only, a two-hour special that will offer fans a preview of her new album, while also highlighting her greatest hits. The broadcast will also include an exclusive interview from the singer’s rose garden. Adele One Night Only airs on CBS Sunday, November 14, at 8:30 p.m. ET and will stream on Paramount +. Simon Emmett
On October 26, Adele announced the first two dates for her 30 tour. The singer will play two nights in a row at Hyde Park in her native London on July 1 and July 2, 2022, with a presale beginning on October 28. Mark J Terrill/AP/Shutterstock
The tracklist for the new record was revealed in October 2021 via Target’s exclusive deluxe CD listing. 1. "Strangers by Nature" 2. “Easy on Me” 3. “My Little Love” 4. “Cry Your Heart Out” 5. “Oh My God” 6. “Can I Get It” 7. “I Drink Wine” 8. “All Night Parking” (With Erroll Garner) Interlude 9. “Woman Like Me” 10. “Hold On” 11. “To Be Loved” 12. “Love Is a Game” Bonus tracks include, “Wild Wild West,” “Can’t Be Together” and a new version of the single “Easy on Me” featuring Chris Stapleton. Jim Smeal/Shutterstock
The Grammy winner shared a blooper reel from the “Easy on Me” video shoot via Instagram in November 2021. “It’s all smoke and mirrors! Here’s all the bloopers from the Easy On Me video 🤣,” Adele captioned her post, which included footage of her laughing, breaking character and other outtakes that didn't make the final cut. Jim Ruymen/UPI/Shutterstock
Although the album is about her divorce, it’s also about showing her son, Angelo, who his mother is — and that it isn’t always easy. “He needs to know everyone goes through it,” she told Rolling Stone in November. “He’s a Libra, so he is, like, ‘Chill. It’s fine, Mama. Just chill out.’” Courtesy Adele/Instagram
"There were moments when I was writing the record, or I would listen back to something and be like, ‘That might be a bit too private,’” Adele said in her November 2021 CBS interview. “But nothing is as scary as what I’ve been through over the last two [or] three years behind closed doors. ... Music helps me in many situations, and I would like to do the same for people. To be reminded that they’re not alone.” Harpo Productions/Photographer: Joe Pugliese
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