Why Adele Was 'Frightened' to Put Out 'Bloody Hard' New Album Post-Divorce

Adele released the first single, 'Easy On Me,' from her upcoming fourth record in October after nearly six years — read more

Pushing her limits. After finally confirming that her highly anticipated fourth album is on the way, Adele opened up about being “a bit frightened” by the creative process.

The 33-year-old Grammy winner dropped her first single in nearly six years, “Easy On Me,” on Thursday, October 14. During a candid interview on the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show with Greg James one day later, the British artist explained why she had to take her time with the follow-up to 2015’s 25.

“I definitely feel like I lost sight of and lost the appreciation of what a gift it is to be into music and be able to make it,” Adele said on Friday, October 15. “I think I got a bit frightened of it for a while and it really, really took care of me big time. Not just making this record, my own record, but diving back into old records of other people’s that I loved, discovering new artists on Soundcloud or whatever.”

Adele Feels Like She's 'in a Strong Place' After Pushing Boundaries on New Record: — Adele attends the 58th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on February 15, 2016. Jim Smeal/Shutterstock

She continued, “It brought so much joy to my life being able to listen to music and wail at the top of my lungs along to my own bloody songs as I was writing them. … But yeah, it was bloody hard work to make [this album]. I was singing things I didn’t even realize I was feeling or thinking.”

Earlier this week, the “Set Fire to the Rain” singer announced that fans will hear her long-awaited record in November, noting that the songs were her “ride or die throughout the most turbulent period” of her life.

“I was certainly nowhere near where I’d hoped to be when I first started it nearly three years ago,” she wrote in a lengthy Instagram statement on Wednesday, October 13. “Quite the opposite actually. … I’ve learned a lot of blistering home truths about myself along the way. I’ve shed many layers but also wrapped myself in new ones. Discovered genuinely useful and wholesome mentalities to lead with, and I feel like I’ve finally found my feeling again. … And so, I’m ready to finally put this album out.”

Since the release of her third record, the Oscar-winning musician split from husband Simon Konecki. The duo share 9-year-old son Angelo and finalized their divorce in March, nearly two years after news broke that they called it quits.

“It just wasn’t right for me anymore,” Adele told British Vogue of her marriage earlier this month. “I didn’t want to end up like a lot of other people I knew. It wasn’t miserable miserable, but I would have been miserable had I not put myself first. But, yeah, nothing bad happened or anything like that.”

Though the past few years haven’t been easy, the “Hometown Glory” singer is “really, really proud” of how she persevered, she told Radio 1 on Friday.

“I feel like I can’t unlock a door for my own mental health and take the key with me,” the “Skyfall” songstress said. “I’ve got to leave it in the door for everyone else and I’m in a strong place now where I feel like I can put that vulnerability out.”