In anticipation of Adele’s new album, out this Friday, the 27-year-old Grammy- and Oscar-winning songstress has been making the media rounds, teasing singles like “Hello” and “When We Were Young,” details about her personal life, and confessions about her fear of fame. But on Tuesday, Adele halted the self-promotion train mid-interview to clear up a rumor about her peer Beyoncé.
“There is a rumor going around that I turned Beyoncé down,” Adele told Zane Lowe, in an hour-long interview that will air Wednesday. Turned her down for what exactly, though? Brunch? A book club exclusively for performers who have won six Grammys on a single evening? Bey’s invitation to join her on a Mediterranean cruise with Jay Z and Blue Ivy? A triple date with William and Kate? The opportunity to invest in a line of bedazzled bodysuits?
No, apparently, there was a rumor that Adele snubbed Beyoncé’s invitation to record a duet—a duet that would have broken the Internet and immediately turned us all to ash—a crime punishable by death. Knowing this, Adele clarified that she never received an invitation, and certainly did not snub Bey, because that would be sacrilege.
“Just to clear up, I would never be so disrespectful,” Adele told Zane. “I would never disrespect her like that. I’m such a fan, oh my God!” At a different point in the interview, Adele rattled off a few of her favorite musicians, including Lana Del Rey and the Alabama Shakes before stating her number one: “Obviously, Queen Bey to the day I die.”
Now, if you or anyone you know knows Beyoncé, could you kindly pass this post along as evidence that Adele would be more than interested in a collaboration.
Adele also spoke about her struggles to write songs that would not hurt anyone’s feelings—like she felt those on her first album did—yet were still interesting: “For a really long time, I was trying to write songs about my kid because [motherhood] is the biggest thing in my life, but they were boring to everyone who wasn’t their mum. They were like, ‘You’re going on about your kid again?’ So I scrapped that. A lot of my fans aren’t parents, or don’t want to be parents. I tried writing about other people’s experiences or made-up things because I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings again.”
Adele, we know one person who would probably be able to commiserate with you on the subject of being a world-famous artist striving to balance interesting musical output with personal privacy . . .