In the fall of 2021, there was a loud comeback of Adele, the winner of 15 Grammy awards and one of the most commercially successful pop singers. 33-year-old Adele Lori Blue Adkins, after 6 years of silence, presented the lead single from her 4th studio album “30” on the Columbia label. The British singer is known for putting the age milestones of her life path in the titles of the “studios”: “19”, “21”, “25”. Now it’s the turn of the 30th anniversary and related events.
The first song of the album – “Easy with me”, as Easy On Me is translated – explained to everyone the reason for Adele’s long absence. The fact is that she was very upset by the breakup and dissolution of marriage with her long-term partner, businessman Simon Konecki. Now the singer announced the beginning of a new life. She introduced her boyfriend, 40-year-old Rich Paul, founder and owner of the sports agency Klutch Sports Group. At the music award BRIT Awards (February 2023) it became known about the engagement of the British pop star and one of the most influential agents of US basketball. The wedding is scheduled for this summer.
“30” was called a “divorce” album
The singer was 30 years old when, after several years of relationship and a short marriage, she broke up with the owner of a large investment holding, music producer Simon Konecki. They have a son, Angelo James, who needs to explain what happened between the parents. The couple parted quietly. Adele agreed to pay her ex-husband $140 million out of a $190 million fortune. They began to live opposite each other in Los Angeles. Custody of the child was divided equally.
But it is difficult for a teenager to understand why the life he knew was destroyed. How did it happen that in the confrontation “career or family” his star mother made a choice in favor of show business? Adele talks about all this in 12 tracks of the album “30”, which critics called “adjustable”. The most popular composition from the very biographical “studio” was Easy On Me. Daily Telegraph columnist Neil McCormick called the song Adele’s “powerful comeback single”.
Who Adel asks not to be strict with her
After her divorce from Simon Kanekki, the singer returned to the public renewed: improved her mental health, lost a lot of weight, ready to start a “blooming relationship”, open to communication with colleagues and fans. But in the music of “30” there is a deep regret about the failed attempt to create a happy family. The song Easy On Me (“Easier with me”) is addressed to loved ones who cannot share her feelings and do not accept the breakup of the union. The meaning of the composition is that Adele is counting on understanding and asks not to be strict with her most vulnerable person, 9-year-old son Angelo.
The mother is trying to explain to the child why she voluntarily decided to destroy his usual life in pursuit of her own happiness. One of the lines of the song directly points to the main reason for breaking up with Angelo’s father: “There is no way to change the situation when we are both so deeply stuck each in our own.” In the chorus, Adele asks her son: “You won’t deny that I tried hard?” And he explains the motive for his decision: “I changed myself in order to put both of you in the first place. But now I give up, because because of this I lose what makes me me.
As an adult, Adele realizes that the teenager is not able to understand her act and is not ready to forgive her parents. He is upset, offended and very worried. Therefore, he does not see at all that she “wanted only the best and hoped for the best.” The singer laments about this in one of the verses of the song. In general, Easy On Me makes it clear how a woman managed to stop feeling guilty about her choice. She decides to change and understands that she must listen to her feelings: “I can’t make myself swim when I’m drowning.” The words of the chorus “go easy on me” (“don’t be hard on me”) are addressed to those whom she could hurt with her decision. Adele asks her husband and son to be lenient towards her.
Why do you want to listen to this track on repeat?
The popularity of Easy On Me is quite understandable. Due to an almost 6-year break in creativity, fans missed the singer’s strong voice. The single set several absolute records for the number of streams per day. The music video “Easy on Me” received over 18 million views in the first 11 hours.
Another reason is that the composition turned out to be very personal. Adele sang her thoughts and feelings, demonstrated her spiritual vulnerability. She shared her emotions with the whole world, told how, after difficult experiences, she was able to find the key to her own mental health. “It was important for me that everyone else looked through this door,” the singer said in an interview. “Easy with me” is about saying goodbye to a painful past and hope for a happy future.
It should be noted that Adele is still reflecting on the failed marriage. Speaking about the role of Simon Kanekki in her fate, the pop star notes: “He came and became the most stable and balanced person in my environment. Even now, I trust them [ex-husband and son] with my life.”
