30

30 is the fourth studio album by English singer-songwriter Adele, released on 19 November 2021 by Melted Stone and Columbia Records. Inspired by her divorce from ex-husband Simon Konecki, Adele tackles the separation on the album, whilst discussing her motherhood and the scrutiny of fame. She wrote the album between 2018 and 2021 with various producers, including Greg Kurstin, Tobias Jesso Jr., Max Martin and Shellback, all of whom she worked with on her previous record, 25 (2015); new collaborators on 30 include Ludwig Göransson, and Inflo of the English band Sault.
The lead single, "Easy on Me", was released on 15 October 2021 to international success. 30 has been advertised using an extensive promotional campaign, which included a CBS concert special titled Adele One Night Only featuring an interview segment by American talk show host Oprah Winfrey, on 14 November 2021, followed by an ITV concert special titled An Audience with Adele on 21 November 2021, and two British Summer Time Hyde Park concerts scheduled for 1–2 July 2022 as well. 30 received acclaim from music critics, who commended its cinematic instrumentation and strong vocal performances. It was described as a pop, jazz and soul album focusing on romantic but melancholic themes of heartache, acceptance, and hope.
Background
In 2018, mainstream media outlets reported that Adele was working on her fourth studio album. On 5 May 2019, her 31st birthday, Adele posted several black-and-white pictures of herself on her Instagram account celebrating the occasion, along with a message reflecting on the preceding year. The message ended with, "30 will be a drum n bass record to spite you". Media outlets took the post as an indication for the arrival of a new album from Adele.
On 15 February 2020, Adele announced at a friend's wedding that her fourth studio album would be out by September 2020. However, she would later confirm that the album's production and release had been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In January 2021, Adele divorced Simon Konecki, her then-husband and father to her son. In an interview with Vogue published in October 2021, Adele stated that 30 was inspired by her separation from Konecki, the scrutiny of fame and her motherhood.
Production
30 contains collaborations with American producer and co-writer on 25, Greg Kurstin, Swedish producers and songwriters Max Martin and Shellback, Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson, Canadian singer-songwriter Tobias Jesso Jr., and British producer Inflo (of the music collective Sault).
Marketing
Announcement
Starting on 1 October 2021, billboards and light displays carrying the number "30" started appearing around the world, such as at popular spots like Buckingham Palace, the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building, the Colosseum and the Louvre, fueling widespread speculation that Adele would be returning with her fourth album, 30. On 4 October 2021, Adele changed all her social media profile images to a navy blue photo and also updated her website to match with a brand new logo. The following day, Adele announced that the lead single, "Easy on Me", would be released on 15 October 2021. The song topped the charts in 23 countries, including the UK Singles and the US Billboard Hot 100 charts.
Promotion and release
In October 2021, Adele became the first person to simultaneously appear the same month on covers of American and British editions of Vogue, both of which featured separate photoshoots for the magazines, and interviews on the new album. On 13 October 2021, Adele revealed the album via social media, confirming both the title 30 and the release date of 19 November 2021. The next day, the album was made available for pre-order in CD, digital, LP (two black vinyl discs), and cassette formats on Adele's website. 30 is Adele's first release not under her previous label XL Recordings; instead, it was released by her label Melted Stone, with worldwide distribution on Columbia Records (previously only handling distribution of Adele's catalogue in North America). Vogue's "73 Questions" video interview segment featuring Adele was released online on 21 October 2021. The track-listing of 30 was revealed on 1 November 2021. The Target-exclusive deluxe edition adds two bonus tracks and a duet version of "Easy on Me" with American singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton.
On 4 November, two weeks prior to the album release, Consequence reported that "a major delay in vinyl production" was caused due in part to 30. In a 3 November report, Variety had stated that Adele had to turn the album in six months beforehand in order to have its vinyl LPs ready for 19 November, the day it releases. More than half a million vinyl copies of 30 were manufactured in the months leading up to the release day, with Sony Music removing catalog albums from its overseas pressing plants to ensure "there won't be any shortage of Adele LPs going into the holidays", which coupled with the pre-existing delay in production due to the COVID-19 pandemic, became detrimental to albums by other artists. Ed Sheeran stated "there's like three vinyl factories in the world, so you have to do it like really upfront—and Adele had basically booked out all the vinyl factories, so we had to get a slot and get our album in there. It was like me, Coldplay, Adele, Taylor, ABBA, Elton, all of us were trying to get our vinyls printed at the same time."
Concerts
As part of the promotion in the US, on 18 October 2021, CBS announced Adele One Night Only, a two-hour concert and television show by Adele, featuring an interview segment with American talk show host Oprah Winfrey; the special was shot at Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, and aired on 14 November 2021. For the UK, another concert special called An Audience with Adele will air on 21 November via the free-to-air channel ITV, and will released to its on-demand platform ITV Hub; the one-off concert was captured at the London Palladium in London, and will an audience consisting of both fans and Adele's "own personal heroes and heroines, fellow musicians, artists, actors, sportsmen, sportswomen and more." Adele is also slated to play two concerts at British Summer Time Hyde Park, London, on 1–2 July 2022. Tickets were made available on 26 October 2021 on Adele's website and via American Express. Its "extortionate" ticket prices was met with criticism from many fans online, with the lowest possible price costing £90 and the highest being £579.95.