Adele Says She Wrote Her New Album to Explain Her Divorce to Her Nine-Year-Old Son
Sometimes the best way to express oneself or convey a message is through the medium of art and music. That’s exactly what the British singer, Adele did. She said that she recorded her upcoming fourth album to explain her divorce to her nine-year-old son, Angelo.
In what Vogue magazine said was her first interview in five years, the singer-songwriter described the record, which follows her 2015 Grammy Award-winning “25”, as “sensitive”. Her collaboration with Vogue is the first of its kind in the magazine’s 129-year history: each edition features a different fashion shoot and interview. The cover of British Vogue features a close-up of Adele wearing a yellow dress with a large silver brooch, while the US edition shows her wearing a long green gown.
“I just felt like 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,” Adele told British Vogue.
“It made him really unhappy sometimes. And that’s a real wound for me that I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to heal. He has so many simple questions for me that I can’t answer, because I don’t know the answer. Like why can’t we still live together? That’s just not what people do when they get divorced.
“And: ‘Why don’t you love my dad anymore?’ And I’d be, like, ‘I do love your dad. I’m just not in love.’ I can’t make sense to a nine-year-old.”
Adele, who headlined the Glastonbury festival in 2016, announced her split from Simon Konecki, the chief executive of a charity, in April 2019. Their divorce was finalised in March this year, and they share custody of Angelo. She is now dating Rich Paul, an American sports agent whose management company, Klutch Sports Group, represents basketball stars including LeBron James, Anthony Davis and John Wall.
Adele, who has named her three albums after milestone ages – ‘19’, ‘21’ and ‘25’, has enjoyed stratospheric success with ballads like ‘Someone Like You’ and ‘Hello’, in which she sings about break-ups and regrets.
“It’s sensitive for me, this record, just in how much I love it,” Adele told Vogue.
On Tuesday, Adele posted a short video clip for her upcoming single “Easy On Me”, released on October 15. Fans had speculated new Adele music was imminent after mysterious “30” signs were beamed on buildings around the world.
“When I was 30, my entire life fell apart and I had no warning of it,” Adele told British Vogue.
Adele, who lives across the street from Konecki and shares custody with him, also addressed her weight loss in the interview, which had made headlines.
“It was because of my anxiety. Working out, I would just feel better. It was never about losing weight. It was always about becoming strong and giving myself as much time every day without my phone. I got quite addicted to it. I work out two or three times a day.”
“My body’s been objectified my entire career. It’s not just now. I understand why it’s a shock,” she said. “I understand why some women especially were hurt. Visually I represented a lot of women. But I’m still the same person.”
—Silviya Yohannan
