Album of the year? Adele drops ’30’

Adele’s consistency has to be admired, after the singer has managed to grip people’s hearts and minds for six years while awaiting her album 30.

Released on Friday, Adele’s fourth studio album is set to break streaming records, and it’s already trending at number one on Twitter.

Adele’s 30 chronicles the emotional journey of her divorce and motherhood. Adele has said that her new music is about her divorce from Simon Konecki, and the guilt she feels that her son will come from a “broken home”.

The album has 13 tracks and is just under an hour. Speaking to Apple Music, Adele said she wanted 30 to be released in 2020 but felt it wasn’t ready because she had lost connection to her own music.

“I definitely did lose my connection with my own music and with how it made me feel and stuff like that. But, it came back to me on this album because I needed it so badly.”

ALSO READ: Everything we know about Adele’s ‘One Night Only’ concert

When asked about the anger she felt after ending her marriage, Adele said the reason she left was that she ignored herself for some time.

“My marriage was very calm. We never got into a screaming match and if we disagreed we’d figure it out, very quickly, there and then. I got this rage, a lot, afterwards. And I think it was frustration of me ignoring myself for such a long time. And me feeling like I was falling back into my old habits and stuff like that, but it was scary to me.

“I don’t start arguments. I don’t scream and lose my voice and stuff like that. Once I realised what it was, why that would happen, everything really started changing,” she said.

Just like her previous album, this is her way of healing and helping others. The song My Little Love is receiving the most attention so far because of its vulnerability.

The song includes voice notes, with Adele crying, as she expresses how lonely she feels. We also hear her son Angelo’s voice, which is heart-wrenching. She explains to him why she’s feeling lonely, the divorce, and despite all of this she will always love him.

There are also upbeat songs such as Can I Get It and Oh My God.

30, as a whole, doesn’t sound like other Adele albums – she has changed things. Her direction has hints of Erykah Badu, with soulful guitar instrumentals and tinges of stripped down and contemporary jazz.

A special mention should go to Hold On, which is arguably one of Adele’s greatest songs, from the production, the choir, and the messaging. Hold On is for people going through a hard time and a reminder that the good times will come once again.

Twitter reacts to Adele’s 30: