The remaining months of 2021 have being rushed to be defined. It’ll be a discontented winter, with supply chain disruptions and maybe blackouts; a post-lockdown return to dressing up and going out.

Adele will surely be the star of the season.

The best-selling female album artist of the twenty-first century announced her comeback this week, six years after her last album. Easy on Me, a new track, will be released on October 15th. Her fourth album, 30, is expected to be released in mid-November.

She marked the beginning of her new period by appearing on two Vogue covers at the same time, sitting for separate interviews and photoshoots for the magazine’s US and UK editions.

She spoke openly about her divorce from Simon Konecki, the charity’s chief executive, with whom she had a nine-year-old kid. She told British Vogue that she was the one who had to go.

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“I didn’t want to end up like so many of my friends.” I wasn’t miserable, but I would have been miserable if I hadn’t prioritized myself.”

She spoke openly about the suffering their son, Angelo, had experienced as a result of their divorce, and she composed her new album in part to assist him comprehend his parents’ position.

She also highlighted the severe worry that motivated her well-publicized weight loss. “I’d feel a lot better if I worked out,” she explained.

“It was never about losing weight; it was always about getting stronger and spending as much time as possible without my phone every day.”

She despised the conversation about her new physical look, especially the suggestion that it was a post-divorce “revenge body,” she added. “People prefer to portray a divorced lady as if she’s out of control, as if she’s on crack.’

She must have made up her mind to be a ho.’ What is a woman without a spouse, after all? It’s a load of nonsense.”

“I understand why it’s a shock,” she told US Vogue. I understand why certain women were particularly harmed.

I visually portrayed a large number of women. “However, I remain the same person.”

Adele’s makeover is unlikely to influence how her fans relate to her, according to BBC Radio 1 host Charlie Hedges. “What matters is who Adele is on the inside.”

Adele’s fans are rooting for her every step of the way, wanting her to continue to be the wonderful artist we all know and love.”

Regardless of the unvarnished nature of these interviews, Adele’s homecoming is international news since she releases music and appears in public so infrequently, according to Glastonbury co-organiser Emily Eavis, who invited Adele to headline the festival in 2016.

“Rather than being on the usual release treadmill, she works on her own terms and puts records out when it feels right for her,” Eavis added. “When she releases music, it always feels like a huge global event.” It’s always been fantastic.”

Her appeal, according to Eavis, was her sincerity. “Adele has a beautiful voice and writes fantastic songs, but it’s her personality that makes her performances so unique. She has the ability to transform an arena into something really intimate and emotional, leaving 100,000 people in fits of laughter.

Only a few artists are capable of doing so. She’s really open and honest, and she shows everyone her true personality – there’s no mask that’s as distinctive and uncommon as she is.”

According to Vogue’s assessments of the album, fans of Adele’s other side will find a lot to like in 30. Adele claimed it was more delicate thematically than her previous albums, with a focus on “self-destruction, then self-reflection, and then sort of self-redemption” rather than “settling scores.”

“It was more me divorcing myself,” she remarked of the album, which she did not consider a divorce album.

Adele welcomed new sounds on 30: the writers treated to a preview made references to Marvin Gaye, Balearic chillout, and gospel. Adele is known for her towering balladry, especially her 2012 James Bond theme, Skyfall. She collaborated for the first time with Inflo, whose albums as Sault have gained critical praise in recent years, in addition to previous colleagues Max Martin, Greg Kurstin, and Tobias Jesso Jr.

Whatever the sound of 30, it will be a definite hit in a pop fourth quarter that is already jam-packed. Ed Sheeran and Coldplay will release new albums in the coming months, as will Taylor Swift’s latest attempt to re-record and retake ownership of her first six albums, as well as Abba’s first album in 40 years.

The Official Charts Company’s chief executive, Martin Talbot, said it was “really hard to recall” any previous shopping season as packed as this one. Despite the tough competition, he projected Adele to come out on top.

“It’s difficult to look past her, not least because she appeals to such a broad segment of the market, from teenagers to retirees.”

According to Talbot, album sales remained robust throughout the epidemic, with independent shops reporting excellent sales as they transitioned to home delivery. “However, streaming has grown in popularity and now accounts for a larger share of the market.”

This would help Sheeran, who is a streaming native, he noted; in contrast, Adele’s last album, 25, was not released on streaming services until six months after its release. Her plans for 30 are still a mystery.

She told British Vogue, “I think I’m actually one of the most punk artists around.” “Absolutely not in my music.” But my movement is definitely punk.”

Aside from Swift, the tone of these upcoming albums is quite grand and melancholy. It has become the prevailing sound of the UK albums chart, which is gradually diverging from the singles Top 40 — with young singers such as Lewis Capaldi taking influence from Adele.

“The biggest albums tend to appeal to the most diverse audience of all, genuinely crossing over to casual consumers who wouldn’t buy music otherwise, except for that one, huge album that everyone loves,” Talbot said. “Perhaps in reflection and relaxation is where we tend to find our musical consensus.”

Thanks to Laura Snapes at The Guardian whose reporting provided the original basis for this story.