Adele Covers Time Magazine... Talks Motherhood, Social Media And Record Sales

Adele had sales records which is the biggest first-week sales on record when she sold a 3.38 million copies in the United States. “It’s a bit ridiculous,” she says, “I’m not even from America.” “Maybe they think I’m related to the Queen. Americans are obsessed with the royal family.” Full post after cut...............

On Motherhood
Adele says having her son Angelo, 3, along for the ride on releasing the biggest album of the year with a demanding promotional schedule, actually helped. “The other day I was saying, ‘Oh God, I’m finding this really hard again with a kid,'” she says. “I have no time for myself because in between doing this, all my spare time is with him. But then I realized, he’s been keeping me totally cool and calm about the whole thing.”

She said that motherhood has made her feel more purposeful than ever before: “He makes me so proud of myself, and he makes me like myself so much. And I’ve always liked myself. I’ve never not liked myself. I don’t have hangups like that. But I’m so proud of myself that I made him in my belly. Cooked him in my belly and then he came out of me! This human who’s suddenly walking around and doing his own thing. I can’t wait to know who his best friends are going to be, who his girlfriend or his boyfriend is going to be or what movies he likes… Whatever my kid wants to do or be I will always support him no matter what.”

On Social media
“Privacy is key to being able to write a real record, whether people like it or not,” Adele says. “My life has changed so much, but I’ve made the realest record I can make, and it’s the real part of me. How am I supposed to write a real record if I’m waiting for half a million likes on a f—ing photo? That ain’t real.” Though she approves everything that goes out on her social platforms, she doesn’t manage them herself. It’s part of keeping herself free from distraction so she can create high-quality work. 

On Breaking recordsAdele says she’s not sure why she’s so phenomenally successful, but she has an idea. Why do so many people respond to Adele’s songs? “The fact that I’m not shy or embarrassed to be falling apart,” she says when asked. “Everyone falls apart, I think. A lot of people try to be brave and not shed a tear. Sometimes when you know someone else feels as s— as you do, or approaches things in a certain way just like you do, it makes you feel better about yourself. Even though my music is melancholy, there’s also joy in that. I hope I do bring joy to people’s lives, and not just sadness, but I think there’s there’s a comfort in it. But I honestly don’t know. If I knew, I would bottle it, and sell it to everyone else.”