The day has arrived. Adele's new album is here.
After returning just a month ago with her blockbuster single "Easy on Me," the full album, simply titled 30, has been released. The new record is the followup to her previous albums, her 2008 debut 19, 2011's 21, and her most recent 25, which was released in 2015. (Today's arrival comes just a day shy of six years since 25's release.)
In a recent interview, Adele said 30 is somewhat of a letter to her son, trying to explain her divorce to him for when he's older. "I wanted to explain to him through this record, when he’s in his twenties or thirties, who I am and why I voluntarily chose to dismantle his entire life in the pursuit of my own happiness," she said.
Adding of her divorce from charity CEO Simon Konecki: "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."
Adele said this week in an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 she initially wanted the album to be released last fall, noting she drunkenly announced at her best friend’s wedding to "'expect my album in September' to a room full of people I don't fucking know."
She says: "It would've been done by then. I hadn't done the orchestras yet. And I hadn't finalized all of my [background vocals] and stuff like that. But, it would have, had the world not shut down. And, it's such an integral piece to my life story over the last few years, that I wanted it to come out. Because, when it does come out, it's the final door closing on that chapter of my life. So, it feels like it's dragged out for me a little bit."
Of course, 30 arrives as the music industry—like much of the world—is making a comeback, and a big release like Adele's long-awaited LP couldn't be any more perfectly timed. Just 24 hours after the release of "Easy on Me," Spotify confirmed the song had already become the platform's most-streamed song in a single day.
Hear 30 below.
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