Adele is one of the select few household names in the music industry who can expect to top charts with every song release. So when news spread that the “Hello” singer will make a long-awaited comeback this year, the hype was at an all-time high. Given that 30 is her first album in six years, all eyes are on the Grammy Award-winning English singer and songwriter who just announced a TV special that will air in the US ahead of the arrival of her November 19 record.
The announcement of the One Night Only TV special follows the historical domination of “Easy on Me” on the charts. This lead single, which managed to capture listeners worldwide for its brutally honest take on divorce and its implications, shattered the previous day-one Spotify record that BTS’ “Butter” established in May 2021—an accomplishment that is all the more impressive when one considers how the K-pop powerhouse’s track garnered over 20.9 million streams on its first 24 hours. Considering Adele’s knack for demolishing industry standards, the achievement is not surprising, though. Her third album, 25, snagged six Grammys in 2017 and made the singer-songwriter the first artist ever to sweep the top three categories—album of the year, record of the year, song of the year—on two separate occasions, with her 2012 drop 21 doing the same.
To celebrate the upcoming drop of 30, the 2011, 2012, and 2016 Billboard Artist of the year will appear in Adele: One Night Only. A two-hour CBS special airing Sunday, it will not only feature renditions of her classics and live performances of her new songs but will also include a sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey.
According to CBS, the TV special, set to be filmed in Los Angeles, will see Adele conduct her “first televised wide-ranging conversation about her new album, the stories behind the songs, life after divorce, weight loss, and raising her son.” Highly anticipated, her interview with Winfrey is expected to touch on the ups and downs that the Academy Award winner experienced during her hiatus, including her split with Simon Konecki after two years of marriage.
Additionally, One Night Only will possibly explore the various themes present in 30, including her attempt to explain the divorce to her 9-year-old son Angelo when he is older. “He has so many simple questions for me that I can’t answer, because I don’t know the answer,” Adele said. “’Why don’t you love my dad anymore?’ And I’d be like, ‘I do love your dad. I’m just not in love.’ I can’t make that make sense to a 9-year-old.”
November 14’s TV special, scheduled to air from 8:30-10:30 p.m. Eastern, will be produced by Fulwell 73 Productions and Onward Productions in partnership with Harpo Productions. At its helm as executive producers are Adele, her manager Jonathan Dickins, and Raj Kapoor, as well as Late Late Show With James Corden producer Ben Winston.
