Featured Article Summary #281

“Easy on Me” is a 2021 song by English singer Adele from her album 30, written with producer Greg Kurstin. Columbia Records released it as the lead single in October 2021. The song is a heartfelt ballad that highlights Adele’s powerful vocals as the piano grows louder, and the lyrics focus on her divorce and her wish for forgiveness from her son, ex-husband, and herself. Critics praised it, and it won major honors including Best Pop Solo Performance at the 65th Grammy Awards, as well as Song of the Year at the 2022 Brit Awards. It topped charts in many countries, including the UK and the US, and sold very well worldwide. The music video was directed by Xavier Dolan and connects to earlier Adele videos, while the song has also been performed and covered by other artists. Greg Kurstin worked with Adele on her album 25, including the hit single “Hello,” which topped charts and set a Vevo viewing record. After her 2016 tour, Adele began working on her next album following her 2019 divorce from Simon Konecki; through therapy, she also dealt with anxiety, repaired her relationship with her father, and tried to explain her choices to her son. She wrote “Easy on Me” with Kurstin, finding inspiration in advice from friends to be kinder to herself, and chose it as her comeback song because it felt like her—without the same fame-spiking “bombastic” impact as “Hello.” “Easy on Me” is a 3 minute 44 second ballad produced by Greg Kurstin, with Kurstin on bass guitar, kick drum, and piano, and the track mixed by Tom Elmhirst and mastered by Randy Merrill. It focuses mainly on Adele’s voice over piano, with little percussion until later, and her singing grows from wounded to soaring. In the lyrics, Adele talks directly about her divorce, asking her son, her ex-husband, and herself for forgiveness while explaining why she broke up the stable life they had. She admits she still needs to grow, compares herself to a child who didn’t fully understand the world, and describes the divorce as a well-intentioned step toward a better future. Adele began promoting “Easy on Me” in early October 2021, posting teasers and sharing a short preview before releasing the song on 15 October—her first single in nearly five years. Sony and Columbia then rolled out the track to radio and different formats across countries. A duet version with Chris Stapleton was later sent to country radio, where it became her first entry on the Country Airplay chart, and the song was also linked to increased tissue sales in the UK. “Easy on Me” was widely praised by music critics, who highlighted Adele’s powerful vocals and the song’s anthemic, emotional delivery, though some felt the production was slightly too polished and restrained its sadness. Critics also compared it to earlier Adele tracks, noting it wasn’t as instantly devastating as “Someone Like You” or as catchy as “Hello,” but remained relatable and distinctive for its different lyrical theme. Overall, reviewers focused on the lyrics of regret and forgiveness and agreed they capture real, painful emotion for many kinds of personal crises.