In a recent profile, Adele told British Vogue's Giles Hattersley the album was "self-destruction, then self-reflection and then sort of self-redemption".
But she's now ready for people to hear her side of the story as the album addresses her split from Simon Konecki, partly to help explain it to her young son Angelo.
"I just felt like I wanted to explain to him, through this record, when he's in his twenties or thirties, who I am and why I voluntarily chose to dismantle his entire life in the pursuit of my own happiness. It made him really unhappy sometimes. And that's a real wound for me that I don't know if I'll ever be able to heal," she said.
30 is the pop icon's fourth studio album, following November 2015's 25. Adele took home Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for 25 at the 2017 Grammys. And the iconic single Hello took out Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance.
The star hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time in October 2020, only appearing in sketches without performing. As she explained in her opening monologue, she wasn't finished with her album just yet.
She's largely kept out of the public eye in recent years. To promote 25, she sang with James Corden on Carpool Karaoke, performed at the 2016 and 2017 Grammys and sang at the 2016 BRIT Awards.
She toured with 25 from February 2016 until June 2017, when she was forced to cut the tour short due to vocal issues.
