Adele, the British soul queen, released her comeback ballad, “Easy On Me” on Friday, in which she describes the terrible six years since she last released a record.
The 33-year-old megastar says she had a “year of anxiety” during that time, during which her marriage fell apart.
The new single’s lyrics reveal a deeper sensitivity, with every chorus opening with the soaring refrain “take easy on me, sweetheart,” sung over a simple piano chord.
Despite her years away from the spotlight, the multi-million selling artist has not been forgotten, with more than 18 million views of the song on her official YouTube website in the first 10 hours of its release.
The “Hello” singer announced on Wednesday that her highly awaited new album “30” will be released on November 19.
Adele has sold millions of albums and won a host of honors, including an Oscar and 15 Grammys, so this is perhaps the year’s most anticipated release.
She ended a five-year silence with a Vogue article last week in which she discussed living as a recluse while battling anxiety. It’s been 10 hours since it was made public.
“I’ve learned a lot of blistering home truths about myself along the way. I’ve shed many layers but also wrapped myself in new ones,” she wrote in the Twitter post.
“I’ve finally found my feeling again. I’d go as far as to say that I’ve never felt more peaceful in my life.”
