Adele One Night Only
Adele One Night Only is a television special by English singer Adele. The 88-minute program aired on CBS, and simulcast on Paramount+, on 14 November 2021. It features Adele's performances of previously unreleased songs from her fourth studio album, 30 (2021), as well as material from her previous albums, interspersed with an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Adele One Night Only
- Lauren Greenberg
- David Young
Paul Dugdale
English
- Ben Winston
- Adele Adkins
- Jonathan Dickins
- Raj Kapoor
- Tara Montgomery
- Terry Wood[1]
88 minutes
- Fulwell 73
- Onwards Productions
- Harpo Productions
14 November 2021
The special drew favourable reviews from critics, who praised Adele's voice and performing skills and the choice of the Griffith Observatory as the venue, but some criticised the interview segment. It became the most-viewed entertainment special in the United States since Oprah with Meghan and Harry (2021). The special won five awards from five nominations at the 74th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, a Directors Guild of America Award, and it earned a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Music Film at the 65th ceremony.
Background[edit]
Adele announced her fourth studio album, 30, on 13 October 2021, and confirmed it would be released on 19 November 2021. On the day following the announcement, "Easy on Me" was released as the lead single from the album.[3] About the prospect of touring in support of 30, she stated: "This album? No, probably not. I'd love to. I was actually desperate to tour, which for me is wild because I don't like touring. [...] It doesn't sit right with me putting an album out this year and then touring it in 2023."[4]
On 18 October, Adele announced that she would star in a television special for CBS, titled Adele One Night Only, which would be filmed during her show in Los Angeles on 14 November and broadcast live on Paramount+. It would feature an interview with Oprah Winfrey and the premiere of unreleased songs from the album.[5][6] A trailer for the special was aired on 10 November, which featured her performing for an audience including Lizzo, Dwyane Wade, and Gabrielle Union. Adele described it: "It will look really elegant, then I'll tell a load of filthy jokes and stand-up. It will be real whip lash for 'em." Regarding her decision to be part of the special, Winfrey stated that "nobody's more compelling with truth than Adele" and went on to promise viewers a "very special night".[7][8]
Synopsis[edit]
The special was divided into two parts: a live concert filmed at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles and Adele's interview with Winfrey at the latter's home in Montecito, California. Afront a sunset and a view of the Hollywood Hills, Adele opened her show with a performance of "Hello" (2015). The camera frequently cut to celebrities in attendance, whom Adele described as "a mix of close friends and complete strangers".[9] She was dressed in a long and tight-fitting black outfit and dangly earrings. Adele frequently engaged in banter and interacted with the audience, occasionally using profanity which was censored using a three-second delay.[10] The show also included a male attendee proposing to his partner of seven years. Adele explained this to the audience and instructed them to be quiet, as the man walked the blindfolded woman to the front and tearfully proposed to her, after which Adele segued into a performance of "Make You Feel My Love". Adele also performed the then-unreleased tracks "I Drink Wine", "Hold On", and "Love Is a Game", along with the first performance of "Easy on Me".[11]
The interview was filmed in a garden reminiscent of the one where Winfrey had interviewed Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex earlier in the year.[10][12] During this segment, Adele was asked about her upbringing, weight loss, as well as the current status of her love life.[9] She was clad in a white pantsuit, which was originally a skirt suit that Adele asked to be altered. Vanessa Friedman of The New York Times, who thought a white pantsuit was "the single garment most associated with women's liberation and empowerment on the public stage", interpreted this outfit as a political message.[13] Adele discussed her relationship with her estranged father, how it was important for her to heal her relationship with him before he passed away, the moment she knew her marriage was over, her relationship with Rich Paul, and other personal topics.[14][15]
Reception[edit]
Ratings[edit]
In the United States, the special drew 9.92 million viewers and a 1.5 rating in the adult age 18-49 demographic. Its Live+same day count added a viewership of 1.3 million, surpassing the 93rd Academy Awards in April 2021, and making it the most-viewed entertainment special since CBS's Oprah with Meghan and Harry (2021).[16] The viewership for the special's global broadcasts included 2.004 million from Canada,[17] 797.000 from the Netherlands,[18] 747.000 from Australia,[19] 738.000 from Spain,[20] 568.000 from France,[21] 140.387 from Hungary,[22] and 20.000 from Switzerland.[23]