Adele is saying hello from the other side of divorce.
The music superstar, who split with ex-husband Simon Konecki in 2019, is opening up about the difficult decision to end her marriage in a rare interview with Vogue. In the intimate conversation, published Oct. 7, the Grammy winner—who covers both the American and British editions of the publication—explained how the former couple's 9-year-old son, Angelo, factored into her decision to get divorced.
"I was just going through the motions and I wasn't happy," she told Vogue about the time before the divorce. "Neither of us did anything wrong. Neither of us hurt each other or anything like that. It was just: I want my son to see me really love, and be loved. It's really important to me."
Ever since calling it quits with Simon, Adele—who is currently dating Rich Paul—said, "I've been on my journey to find my true happiness."
Amid her breakup, Adele turned to her therapist for guidance, reflecting on her relationship with her late father, Mark Evans. "Well, my therapist told me that I had to sit with my little seven-year-old self. Because she was left on her own. And I needed to go sit with her and really address how I felt when I was growing up," she shared. "And issues with my dad. Which I'd been avoiding."
"Not being sure if someone who is supposed to love you loves you, and doesn't prioritize you in any capacity when you're little," Adele continued, "you assume it and get used to it. So my relationship with men in general, my entire life, has always been: You're going to hurt me, so I'll hurt you first. It's just toxic and prevents me from actually finding any happiness."
While the divorce and custody process appeared to go smoothly—Simon and Adele share custody of Angelo and live across the street from each other—Adele noted that her son was still greatly impacted by breakup.
"If I can reach the reason why I left, which was the pursuit of my own happiness," she explained, "even though it made Angelo really unhappy—if I can find that happiness and he sees me in that happiness, then maybe I'll be able to forgive myself for it."
Adele—who is set to release new song "Easy on Me" on Oct. 15 after a years-long hiatus from music—began writing her new album as a way to open up to Angelo. "He has so many simple questions for me that I can't answer, because I don't know the answer. Like, Why can't we still live together? That's just not what people do when they get divorced. But why not? I'm like, I don't f--king know," she told Vogue. "That's not what society does. And: Why don't you love my dad anymore? And I'd be like, I do love your dad. I'm just not in love. I can't make that make sense to a nine-year-old."
Reflecting on her previous albums, Adele told the publication that she's found some clarity. "I realized that I was the problem," she said. "Cause all the other albums are like, You did this! You did that! F--k you! Why can't you arrive for me? Then I was like: Oh, s--t, I'm the running theme, actually. Maybe it's me!"
And while much of her upcoming album will reflect on her breakup, it's not a divorce album, per se. "He's not one of my exes. He's the dad of my child," Adele explained. "It was more me divorcing myself. Just being like, Bitch, f--kin' hot mess, get your f--kin' shit together!"