After 6 years, fans of the iconic musician were stunned when Adele announced the release of her newest album: 30. Following the titles of her previous albums, Adele named this long-awaited release after the age she was when she wrote it. Her fourth studio album features 12 songs and is truly an emotional rollercoaster that depicts Adele’s fame, heartbreak, recent divorce, and “recovery” since. “Easy on Me” was released over a month before the rest of the album, quickly topping the charts, and brought Adele even further into the spotlight. In an Instagram post announcing the release, Adele described the process that she went through to complete this album. Three years after she began writing the album, Adele describes the overwhelming transformation she underwent. The expressive post featured a quote tugging at the hearts of many fans, “I feel like I’ve finally found my feeling again. I’d go as far as to say that I’ve never felt more peaceful in my life. And so, I’m ready to finally put this album out.” 

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Adele opened up about weight loss, motherhood, and the pressures she faced after divorcing her ex-husband, Simon Konecki. She dedicated 30 to her son, Angelo, and expressed that this was her communicating to him all the things she didn’t think she’d be able to say herself. She added, “‘The whole album is not about him, it’s about me and I just wanted for him to hear me talking madly deeply about who I am and how I feel.” According to an article published by CNN, “When Winfrey noted that 30 sounded like Adele had ‘literally opened up your soul’ and ‘pain was almost like a muse for you,” Adele revealed that the album was written in real time. She stated,“Everything was happening in real time. I was writing my album, you know, while I was going through everything.’” 

Adele’s popularity is only skyrocketing following the release of 30, as confirmed in an article from Billboard that wrote, “Adele’s 30 locks up a sixth consecutive week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated Jan. 8). It’s the first album with six weeks in a row at No. 1 since Adele’s own 25 linked together seven straight weeks in the lead six years ago (Dec. 12, 2015 – Jan. 23, 2016-dated charts). 25 spent a total of 11 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on Top Album Sales.” In the week of the release, all 12 songs from 30 made it to Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart. After just three days, 30 became the best-selling album of 2021.

Ultimately, this emotionally charged album stole the hearts of millions worldwide, leading to the continued success for Adele, and surprising fans globally.