Victoria Mileson
After a six-year-long hiatus, Adele is back with new music. On 5th October, the singer released a teaser video for a single titled Easy On Me, set for release on 15th October. This has led fans to speculate that she will be releasing her fourth album imminently, and Victoria tells us everything we know about the album so far.
The global superstar shared a 21-second video on Twitter and Instagram containing the opening bars of her new single. The black-and-white clip featured Adele putting a cassette into a stereo and driving down a country lane as sheet music blew out the car windows. The clip cuts before any singing but has nonetheless got fans excited at the prospect of her return.
Easy On Me – October 15 pic.twitter.com/7HRvxAfEqy
— Adele (@Adele) October 5, 2021
Without her recognisable voice, dominant piano notes and her signature cat-eye took centre-stage in the short clip, confirming that the Adele we all know and love hasn’t gone anywhere. Following her weight loss, there were unjust fears that her music wouldn’t meet previous standards.
the clip was watched five million times within the first hour on Twitter and Instagram
Fans were also quick to notice the parallels between the short clip and the Hello music video, with analytical judgements of framing choices and sheets of paper appearing in both, as well as wittier ones about modern technology.
The clip was watched five million times within the first hour on Twitter and Instagram. By the end of the day, that figure had doubled. Despite six years with no new music and the album being pushed back multiple times, Adele was welcomed back with open arms.
Adele took so long to come back cause she lost half of her new album in the move? pic.twitter.com/iJpPTlR39z
— sara ³??? (@beautydelly) October 5, 2021
Having separated from her ex-husband, Simon Konecki, in 2019, Adele is prepping her fans for ‘sad-girl autumn’ – the ‘hot-girl summer’ comedown. Although not confirmed, the album is expected to follow the single’s release.
In 2016, she told James Corden that “[25] is the last album after my age. I believe in trilogies. The next one will be ‘Adele’.” She also told him in her Carpool Karaoke episode that “one of the reasons I name my albums after my age as well, they’re Polaroids of my life at the time.”
fans have made the connection that the number 30 popping up on billboards and monuments all over the world has something to do with a new album
Given that Adele separated from her ex-husband when she was 30, fans have made the connection that the number 30 popping up on billboards and monuments all over the world has something to do with a new album. It seems Adele stuck by tradition and did in fact name her fourth album after a pivotal point of her life.
Notable locations where ‘30’ was projected include The Louvre in Paris and The Empire State Building in New York City.
adele hasn't even released the album yet and has already outdone everyone #Adele30 pic.twitter.com/VyKJra2RZB
— ???? (@outsideriah) October 1, 2021
Back in 2019, Adele hinted she would be continuing her tradition of naming her albums after her age when she wrote that “30 will be a drum n bass record to spite you.”
Adele recently updated her social media accounts to display blue and turquoise cover art, which was also conveniently seen in the ‘30’ billboards backgrounds. Could this be a sign of a new Adele era on the way?
In January this year, Adele’s friend Alan Carr said, “I’ve heard some tracks on it. Oh my gosh, it’s so amazing. It’s so amazing”, to Grazia UK. “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.'”
fans have presumed it may arrive around 19th November
Although an official release date is yet to be announced for the whole album, fans have presumed it may arrive around 19th November. Taylor Swift pulled forward the re-recording release of ‘Red’ to 12th November, inviting theories that two of the biggest female pop stars are avoiding a head-to-head battle.
Got some news that I think you’re gonna like – My version of Red will be out a week earlier than scheduled (including the 4 disc vinyl) on November 12th ! Can’t wait to celebrate the 13th with you and our new/old autumn heartbreak album?? ? ?https://t.co/FVp6xizaOG
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) September 30, 2021
While ‘30’ is unlikely to be the “drum n bass record to spite [us] all”, it’s possible that the pandemic and Adele’s personal life have evolved her trademark sound. It seems the wait is coming to an end. Adele has made a big entrance so far, and that comes with big expectations.
Victoria Mileson
Featured image courtesy of Laura Dorney via Flickr. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
In-article images courtesy of @Adele, @beautydelly and @taylorswift13 via @twitter.com, and @adele via @instagram.com. No changes were made to these images.
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