One of the most iconic and well-known artists of the 21st century has just announced her return after a 6-year break from her last album. Critics are now regarding Adele’s new album, 30, as her “toughest, and most powerful album yet.” Not only this, but the Los Angeles Times also states that “Adele’s famous God-given instrument is so volcanic that it’s hard to believe everybody in Los Angeles didn’t stop on the day she recorded it and wonder what they just heard.” Apart from her album being what’s considered the best in the business, the story behind it and her sudden return played a major role in the making of her album. 

Adele’s recent divorce from her ex-husband Simon Konecki was not only an end to their two year relationship, but it also prompted the beginning of Adele’s self-love journey. She had shared with British Vogue in a recent interview, “I wasn’t miserable, but I would have been miserable had I not put myself first.” Her strength in loving herself can also be seen in her wrongly publicized weight loss. The media took her sudden weight loss and spun it into something that made for a good story: a divorced woman who reformed her body to make her seem more appealing to other men. The reality of her weight loss was something completely different and positive, and she says in an interview with British Vogue, “It was never about losing weight, it was always about becoming strong and giving myself as much time every day without my phone.” 

Even though Adele’s divorce played a heavy role in the birth of her album, she did not consider it to be a divorce album intending to hash everything out, but rather an album celebrating herself and her self-love journey. “I’ve always appreciated Adele and her music,” says Brianne Burgess (10). “I’ve been to one of her concerts, and it was an amazing experience.” Many others also think that the way Adele presents herself will help in making her album a great hit. An executive from Headline shared that “Adele’s personality makes her shows so special. She can turn an arena into something incredibly intimate and emotional.” Numerous well-known news outlets have commented and left reviews on Adele’s new album, most of them speaking about her charisma with her fans, and how the way she came about this album was so empowering and unique. A review from the New York Times commented that “Adele’s voice gathers itself over hymns like piano chords, seeking faith not in a higher power but in herself.” Another review from the Guardian states how “producing an album that’s different from its predecessors, without being different enough to scare anyone off, is a not-unimpressive feat.” Personally, the lyrics of her album and her story behind it has taught me to always be resilient, and her lyrics will also always inspire me to empower myself, regardless of what other people think.