For more than a year we've been teased about a follow-up to the massive 2011 album, 21, from R&B singer Adele. Now we finally have some answers. The album, with the rumored title 25, is set for a November release according to a recent Billboard report acquired from the artist's label, XL Recordings, and it is said to feature some big talent.
Everyone is expecting the actual release date to be a surprise like many other 2015 artists have done (think Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, D'Angelo, Earl Sweatshirt and Wilco). At least now we can lower our guard until November.
Pianist Tobias Jesso Jr. is reported to have written a "standout" song for Adele's album. In a Pitchfork interview he said Adele was a huge influence on him and that it would be "a dream collaboration." Other artists who worked on the album include Swedish pop musician Max Martin, Danger Mouse (aka Brian Burton) and OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder, who co-wrote "Rumor Has It."
In case you have forgotten who Adele is, let me remind you. Her album, 21, broke more records than I can recant in this post. She had 3 No. 1 singles "Set Fire To The Rain," "Someone Like You" and "Rolling In The Deep" -- each of which spent 27, 35 and 61 weeks on the charts respectively. The album sold more than 11 million copies in the U.S., making it the top selling album in both 2011 and 2012, which is pretty unheard of since no one buys music anymore. Let's not even start with the records she's broken in the UK.
Back in July, Ed Sheeran was asked about the record (even though he seems to have little knowledge of it) on the U.K.'s Capital FM. He said he's not heard the album, but he does know people who worked on it and "apparently it's really good."
The whole operation has been kept under tight security since May 2014, when Adele teased the title 25 and claimed it would be out at the end of the year. XL Recordings squashed those dreams, but now, more than a year later, we have a real window for release.
Listen to some of her most memorable songs below while you wait for the new stuff:
