There’s no stopping Queen Adele. The pop-superstar’s newest record, 30, is currently the best-selling album in the country, beating out Taylor Swift’s evermore. This doesn’t come as a surprise, since the release was a highly-anticipated sequel to her other acclaimed records. This record takes on a more-serious subject matter – divorce- and attempts to salvage meaning within it.
The star has stated that this is her most personal record yet, and the track list reflects that sentiment. The first track, “Strangers by Nature”, opens the album with jarring honesty: “I’ll be taking the flowers to the cemetery of my heart”. Adele has subsequently spoken about her divorce, recalling that it “…fucking devastated [her].”
Prior to the breakup, she remained intensely private about her relationship with Simon Konecki, her partner of nearly 10 years. When news broke that it had ended, the singer was caught up in a media whirlwind, with speculation all over. The most intense speculation, however, was the effect on her next record – art imitates life, as the saying goes. Adele’s latest art has proven to be a brutal tension of unfulfilled desire and sincere apologies, yet devoid of blatant finger-pointing. As all good art is – as the record is – it is very, simply, nuanced.
For all of the singer’s personal hardship, fans seemed to receive it, with all the enthusiasm and sales it deserved.
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