For the past few years, Adele has been engaged in a cat-and-mouse game with fans.
Whenever the singer posts seemingly benign comments regarding her career, memories and health regime, fans pounce and inquire if a new album was on the way.
Not one to play the enigmatic card, Adele immediately douses the chatter with an equal mix of wit and bite. One fan found this out in July when suggesting Adele's throwback image of her 2016 Glastonbury Festival performance was a teaser image for a new album.
“Of course it's not. Corona ain't over,” she replied. “I'm quarantining. Wear a mask and be patient.”
While the pandemic is still ongoing, there are now clear signs Adele is making her way back into the limelight. On Saturday, October 24, she will host the US television comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live.
Viewed by the entertainment industry as an influential platform, the show has welcomed countless stars over the years, from Lady Gaga to Kanye West, to debut live performances of latest works.
Now, if a new song is indeed released this weekend, then expect a new album to come relatively quickly. Not only is it good timing to capitalise on the lucrative Christmas period, but it also mirrors the roll-out campaign of Adele's previous 2015 album, 25.
Trailed by media appearances, the album went on to sell more than 23 million copies worldwide. So, if the strategy worked, there's no need to fix it.
Here are three other things we know about her coming album.
1. There will be no more numbered titles, and she may just call it 'Adele'
A hallmark of Adele’s past releases is that they are titled after her age when they were unveiled.
This is not a stylistic quirk. By calling her 2008 debut 19, and follow-ups 21 and 25, released in 2011 and 2015 respectively, the titles indicated the albums were time capsules, documenting what Adele was going through at the time.
Well, the digits will be dropped this time around for what could be her namesake. In a rare insight about the album provided by the singer, she said she has outgrown the idea.
"I feel like how I feel about myself is maybe how I'll feel for ever now," she told Zane Lowe in a 2015 interview on Apple Music.
"I feel like the idea of calling albums after my age is showing a photograph almost of what’s going on in my life then and there. I feel like not that much is going to change profoundly in me from now on in terms of how important eras of my life are to myself. So I think the next one will probably be called Adele. It will be, I’m not joking.”
2. It will be upbeat
Don't expect a dour album inspired by her 2019 divorce. According to several reports, Adele will dance through the pain with an upbeat collection of pop ditties and club bangers.
With comments attributed to music industry insiders, US magazine People and British tabloid The Sun reported the album will have a euphoric feel. "She is definitely getting ready both mentally and physically to promote new music. It seems it will happen later this year," People wrote. The Sun stated the record will be "optimistic, reflective of the good times and about learning to move on from them and make new memories by yourself".
3. It will feature the work of pop music’s elite
Work on the new album began last year, with Adele reportedly criss-crossing the Atlantic for studio sessions in London and New York. A number of A-list music names are said to have joined her on these sessions, including producers Mark Ronson (Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus), Raphael Saadiq (John Legend) and Greg Wells (Katy Perry and Twenty One Pilots).
One Republic frontman and songwriter Ryan Tedder officially confirmed his participation. This is not entirely surprising as he co-wrote Adele 2011's smash hit Rumour Has It.
In an interview with the British press in March, Tedder teased Adele was sounding better than ever. He also stated she kept all collaborators on a short leash when it comes to discussing the project.
This may explain rapper Nicki Minaj's panicked reaction after initially posting about teaming up with Adele last October. "Adele made me swear to secrecy that I'm not allowed to tell anyone that I'm working with her," she said. "We already shot a video. And it's an epic song."
Minaj attempted to walk back the revelation days later by suggesting she was being sarcastic. Some fans didn't buy it.
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
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Bombshell
Director: Jay Roach
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie
Four out of five stars
Company profile
Name: One Good Thing
Founders: Bridgett Lau and Micheal Cooke
Based in: Dubai
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 5 employees
Stage: Looking for seed funding
Investors: Self-funded and seeking external investors
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Company profile
Name: Fruitful Day
Founders: Marie-Christine Luijckx, Lyla Dalal AlRawi, Lindsey Fournie
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2015
Number of employees: 30
Sector: F&B
Funding so far: Dh3 million
Future funding plans: None at present
Future markets: Saudi Arabia, potentially Kuwait and other GCC countries
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
RESULTS
Bantamweight: Victor Nunes (BRA) beat Azizbek Satibaldiev (KYG). Round 1 KO
Featherweight: Izzeddin Farhan (JOR) beat Ozodbek Azimov (UZB). Round 1 rear naked choke
Middleweight: Zaakir Badat (RSA) beat Ercin Sirin (TUR). Round 1 triangle choke
Featherweight: Ali Alqaisi (JOR) beat Furkatbek Yokubov (UZB). Round 1 TKO
Featherweight: Abu Muslim Alikhanov (RUS) beat Atabek Abdimitalipov (KYG). Unanimous decision
Catchweight 74kg: Mirafzal Akhtamov (UZB) beat Marcos Costa (BRA). Split decision
Welterweight: Andre Fialho (POR) beat Sang Hoon-yu (KOR). Round 1 TKO
Lightweight: John Mitchell (IRE) beat Arbi Emiev (RUS). Round 2 RSC (deep cuts)
Middleweight: Gianni Melillo (ITA) beat Mohammed Karaki (LEB)
Welterweight: Handesson Ferreira (BRA) beat Amiran Gogoladze (GEO). Unanimous decision
Flyweight (Female): Carolina Jimenez (VEN) beat Lucrezia Ria (ITA), Round 1 rear naked choke
Welterweight: Daniel Skibinski (POL) beat Acoidan Duque (ESP). Round 3 TKO
Lightweight: Martun Mezhlumyan (ARM) beat Attila Korkmaz (TUR). Unanimous decision
Bantamweight: Ray Borg (USA) beat Jesse Arnett (CAN). Unanimous decision
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