After six years of waiting for her comeback, we finally have new music from Adele. It comes as no surprise that her latest breakup ballad is as heart-wrenching as ever.
The singer-songwriter released a music video today, Oct. 15 for the track “Easy On Me,” which is from her upcoming album titled “30.” In her new era, Adele openly talks about her divorce and how she’s trying to explain it to her 9-year-old son Angelo Adkins. While it’s still anyone’s guess whether her new music will be as iconic as her previous releases, it has a narrative that could potentially be a source of comfort for a lot of people.
Now, back to the MV. Directed by filmmaker Xavier Dolan in the same Quebec house they used for the “Hello” video, “Easy On Me” is the pair’s second project together. “I was honestly hoping for this to happen,” said Dolan in a press release. “For me, there’s nothing stronger than artists reconnecting after years apart. I’ve changed. Adele’s changed. And this is an opportunity to celebrate how we’ve both evolved, and how we’ve also both remained faithful to our dearest themes. It’s all the same, but different.”
It’s still moody, but this time, Adele isn’t waiting for anyone. Instead of waiting on the line, she ends a call because of “bad signal.” Then, she drives off to leave the house, which now has a “for sale” sign. It’s not hard to guess that “Easy on Me” is Adele’s way of opening up about her divorce, especially with lyrics such as “You can’t deny how hard I have tried / I changed who I was / To put you both first / But now I give up.” Not to mention, the intro sounds similar to that of songs by our own local hugot queen Roselle Nava.
In an interview with Vogue, Adele detailed how “30” became a way of explaining the divorce to her son—something that he could listen to when he’s older. She also revealed how it was important for her that her son see her truly love and be loved. “If I can reach the reason why I left, which was the pursuit of my own happiness, even though it made Angelo really unhappy—if I can find that happiness and he sees me in that happiness, then maybe I’ll be able to forgive myself for it,” Adele said.
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The singer also told Vogue about a conversation with her son that prompted her to start discussing what she was going through with him: “He said to my face, ‘Can you see me?’ And I was like, ‘Uh, yeah.’ And he was like, ‘’Cause I can’t see you.’ Well, my whole life fell apart in that moment. He knew I wasn’t there.”
Adele adds that she considers this album more sensitive than previous ones. “’Cause all the other albums are like, ‘You did this! You did that! F*ck you! Why can’t you arrive for me?’ Then I was like: ‘Oh, shit, I’m the running theme, actually. Maybe it’s me!’” she mused. “I always say that ‘21’ doesn’t belong to me anymore. Everyone else took it into their hearts so much. I’m not letting go of this one.”
We’re all for “30” to start some discussions about why divorce is a normal and healthy alternative to staying in unhappy marriages. Helping divorcees talk about it with their kids is such a power move.
“30” is now available for pre-order.
Photo by Simon Emmett
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