Adele needs fans to go ‘Easy on Me’ as she announces a break from music
If Adele ever decides to retire from music, she will go down as one of the biggest musicians of her generation.
The British musician’s soulful sounds and record-breaking accomplishments can arguably be compared to icons such as Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson and Beyonce.
But what sets the “Hello” hitmaker apart from her musical peers is that she has admitted to not being a fan of fame.
Instead, she is determined to let her music do the talking and, despite her superstar status, she appears to be one of the most grounded celebrities in the world.
Two South Africans recently experienced her warmth earlier in this month at her concert in Germany.
Often one to connect with her audience, the 36-year-old spotted “Radio 702” and “Cape Talk” radio broadcaster Clement Manyathela and his friend Basani out of an 80 000-strong crowd and invited them to share the stage with her.
“You guys are just being such a vibe!”, she told them as she shared a light-hearted chat with Manyathela, who was celebrating his birthday at the concert.
Adele even playfully reminded him to “actually push record”, ensuring the moment was captured forever.
The trio then posed for a selfie and Adele promised them and every South African fan in the crowd: “I’ll come to South Africa. I love South Africa.”
This heartwarming moment reveals the musician’s authentic nature, something that is sorely missing in the world of showbiz.
But if she makes good on her word of taking a musical hiatus, the industry will miss her contributions and heartfelt presence.
Adele told German broadcaster ZDF in July that she will be taking a "big break" from music after her upcoming concerts.
She revealed in the interview that her recent Las Vegas residency was emotionally draining and that she misses her life before she became a global celebrity.
Her series of concerts at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace was a platform for her to celebrate the 2022 release of her fourth album, “30”, which was aptly named after her age at the time as are all her albums).
Rather than going on a world tour, she hosted the "Weekends With Adele" concerts where she performed 34 concerts between November 2022 and March 2023.
"My tank is quite empty at the minute," she was quoted as saying, adding: "I don't have any plans for new music at all.”
"I want a big break after all this, and I think I want to do other creative things just for a little while.”
"You know, I don't even sing at home at all. How strange is that?"
She added: "Even though it's a very manageable size of crowd, it's really been an emotional exchange," she explained.
Meanwhile, Adele’s break is set to follow her current residency in Germany, where she is performing in Europe for the first time since 2016.
Her Munich shows have hosted up to 74 000 fans in a specially-built "pop-up" stadium.
The venue will also host an "Adele experience" featuring an English pub, a stage for a cover band and stalls selling specially designed cocktails.
But she told ZDF that she plans to step away from the limelight following these string of performances.
"I miss everything about before I was famous, I think probably being anonymous the most," she said.
"I like that I get to make music all the time, whenever I want to and people are receptive to it and like it. That's pretty unimaginable. But the fame side of it, I absolutely hate.
"The fact that people are even interested in my songs and my voice is pretty wild. I don't think it ever gets normal. So it's worth it, the balance."
Meanwhile, the musician has also admitted that she is at a stage in her life where she is easily riled up.
This was evident during a Vegas concert in June when she confronted a homophobic heckler.
At the time, he allegedly yelled "Pride sucks" at the gathering. Adele responded by saying: "Did you come to my... show and just say that Pride sucks?" "Don’t be so... ridiculous. "If you have nothing nice to say, shut up, all right?"
Asked about the incident, she explained: "Everything makes me angry, absolutely everything. "I'm 36 years old. I'm old and grumpy now."
If Adele does step away from the music industry, her millions of fans in all corners of the world will be hoping that she doesn't do so permanently.
In November 2021, she had a comeback after five years when she released “30”, following her divorce from Simon Konecki.
If she does retire, she will have plenty of accomplishments under her belt.
She broke into the industry as a 19-year-old in 2008 with her first album "19", before releasing her second album, 21, in 2011, and 25, in 2015.
Her second album is the fourth best-selling album of all time in the UK, behind Queen, ABBA and The Beatles.