

In 2018, mainstream media outlets reported that Adele was working on her fourth studio album. Multiple collaborations with songwriter Diane Warren were also cut from 25, though Warren mentioned the possibility of some of the songs appearing on future albums. She later revealed that she had four or five songs that she might revisit at a later date, among them a Greg Kurstin-contributed song that she felt was more appropriate once she was older. ĭuring the conception of 25, Adele wrote enough material for what she claimed could be three or four albums. 30 won British Album of the Year at the 42nd Brit Awards, making Adele the first solo artist in history to win the honour three times. Additionally, Adele was the third best-selling artist of 2021 globally. 30 was the world's best-selling album of 2021, with over 5 million copies sold.

In the US, it was Adele's third consecutive Billboard 200 number-one album, and the year's best-seller as well. The album reached number one in 24 countries, including the UK where it became Adele's fourth consecutive number-one album, making her the first act to debut all their albums atop the UK Albums Chart it garnered the highest first-week sales for an album by a female artist in the UK since Adele's own 25 and became 2021's best-seller in the country. In addition, two back-to-back concerts were held on 1 and 2 July 2022 at British Summer Time Hyde Park in London, and a Las Vegas concert residency titled Weekends with Adele is scheduled for 18 November 2022–25 March 2023. An extensive marketing campaign was used to promote 30, including a CBS television concert special Adele One Night Only that aired in the United States on 14 November 2021, and an ITV special called An Audience with Adele in the United Kingdom on 21 November 2021. Its second single, " Oh My God", charted in the top five in Europe and North America. The album's lead single, " Easy on Me", was released on 15 October 2021 and topped the charts in 27 territories. It appeared on the 2021 year-end best-albums lists from various publications, and many critics considered it Adele's best album.

Upon release, 30 was met with widespread critical acclaim for its cinematic instrumentation, vocal performances, and introspective lyrics. American jazz pianist Erroll Garner appears on the track "All Night Parking" as a guest act, marking the first time an artist is featured on a standard album by Adele. It has been described as Adele's most creative work sonically, expanding on her past works by incorporating dance-pop and gospel elements. Musically, 30 is a pop, soul, and jazz record. New collaborators included Ludwig Göransson, and Inflo of the English band Sault. She wrote 30 between 20 with producers such as Greg Kurstin, Max Martin and Shellback, all of whom worked on 25 as well. Her first studio album since the 2015 release of 25, 30 centres on Adele's divorce, motherhood, fame, heartache, acceptance, and hope. 30 is the fourth studio album by English singer-songwriter Adele, released on 19 November 2021 by Columbia Records.
