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Sunday, July 3, 2022 3:00pm ET by  
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Adele on Backlash Over Postponing Las Vegas Residency

Adele has opened up in a new interview with Lauren Laverne for BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. The British superstar - whose career has taken her from Tottenham to Beverly Hills - shared the eight tracks, book and luxury item she would take with her if cast away to a desert island. 

During the interview on Sunday (July 3) morning, Adele also addressed the backlash over deciding last-minute to postpone her Las Vegas residency earlier this year, disappointing fans who had paid thousands of pounds to travel and attend.

She told Desert Island Discs about the guilt she felt after having to halt the run which was set to kick off in January at the Colosseum in the Caesars Palace hotel. Adele was set to perform two shows there every weekend from January 21 — April 16.

"I definitely felt everyone's disappointment and I was devastated, and I was frightened about letting them down", the 34-year-old British superstar said. "I thought I could pull it together and make it work and I couldn't, and I stand by that decision.

"I don't think any other artist would have done what I did and that is why it was such a massive, massive story", she added. "It was like, 'I don't care. You can't buy me, you can't buy me for nothing." 

The acclaimed singer-songwriter called off her Weekends With Adele residency in a tearful Instagram video just one day prior to it starting on January 21, citing production delays due to COVID-19.

"I'm not going to just do a show because I have to or because people are going to be let down or because we're going to lose loads of money. I'm like, the show's not good enough", she told host Laverne.

Despite being confident in her decision to postpone the residency, the acclaimed singer-songwriter admitted the aftermath of the ordeal left her feeling despondent. "I was a shell of a person for a couple of months.

"I just had to wait it out and just grieve it, I guess, just grieve the shows and get over the guilt, but it was brutal.

"Of course I could be someone on TikTok or Instagram Live every day being like, 'I'm working on it'", she said. "Of course I'm working on it! I'm not gonna update you if I ain't got nothing to update you with because that just leads to more disappointment."

On Friday (July 1), Adele triumphantly returned to the stage at London's BST Hyde Park Festival (watch below) to play to a crowd of 65,000, marking her first live show in five years. Her two-hour set included popular hits such as "Rumour Has It", "Rolling in the Deep", "Hello", "Someone Like You", "Easy On Me", and more.

The proud Londoner, and multi-award-winning music star told the sold-out audience: "My God, I'm back at home.

"It’s so strange to be in front of a crowd again. I get so nervous before each show but I love being up here."

Adele last performed in her homeland in February at the Brit Awards, and at televised events leading up to the release of her fourth album 30 in November 2021. The LP was named the biggest selling album of 2021 in the U.K., despite only being released halfway through November.

Speaking frankly about her absent father, who died last year, she also revealed that as a child he often let her down due to his "demons". "I didn't have his attention. I decided to stop seeing him when I was about 12." However, when he fell ill, she visited him and discovered they had the same sense of humor.

She also discussed her widely publicised weight loss, admitting that she is upset that some fans may think she has "betrayed" them.

"I understand why the press want to know, because I did not share my journey like other people do … I did it on the quiet.

"But I felt terrible for some people that felt like other people's comments meant they weren't looking good or that they weren't beautiful."

Listen to Adele's full Desert Island Discs interview here now.

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