Adele: Music industry breathes sigh of relief as singer confirms 'make-up record' 25

First she teased fans with a snippet of a new song. Now the music industry can breathe a sigh of relief after Adele confirmed in a Facebook message that her new album, titled 25, is set for release ahead of Christmas.

If anyone can get cash-tills ringing in a music market suffering a vertiginous decline it is the 27 year-old singer, whose new album arrives almost five years after the confessional collection 21, which sold more than 30 million copies.

The 20-second clip of a mournful song, teased against a black backdrop during an X Factor advert break at the weekend, suggested that Adele was still raking over past heartbreak.

But she revealed in an essay posted on social media that 25 is a “make-up record”, which has helped her let go of “old junk” in her life. The new songs are inspired by the “turning point” in her life when she transitioned into a “fully-fledged adult,” Adele wrote.

“25 is about getting to know who I’ve become without realising. And I’m so sorry it took so long, but you know, life happened,” said the singer, who gave birth to a son with her partner, charity entrepreneur Simon Konecki, in 2012.

“My last record was a break-up record and if I had to label this one I would call it a make-up record. I’m making up with myself. Making up for lost time. Making up for everything I ever did and never did.

“But I haven't got time to hold onto the crumbs of my past like I used to. What's done is done. Turning 25 was a turning point for me, slap bang in the middle of my twenties.”

Although she did not confirm a release date, industry rumours suggest 25 is set to be unleashed on November 20. After three years out of the spotlight, Adele is tipped to launch the album in the US with guest appearances on Saturday Night Live and NBC’s Today show.

The focus on the US, where 21 sold 11 million copies, indicates the weight of expectation resting on 25. Although Adele is signed to the independent XL Recordings label in the UK, she is represented by the Sony Music giant in North America.

25 is the music industry’s best hope of a fourth-quarter sales revival. In the UK, digital album sales crashed 22.8% over the past three months, with CD sales recording a further 10% decline.

Single downloads have slumped 18%, a consequence of the rise in streaming, up 76% for albums, which promises longer-term returns for artists and labels over the cash injection delivered by hit records, often stored up for the pre-Christmas rush.

Adele, currently fielding offers for a high-profile UK television return, is one of the few global names guaranteed to drive casual purchasers into the remaining high-street record stores.

Geoff Taylor, BPI chief executive, told Music Week: “Streaming and vinyl growth continue to be the star performers but were not surprised to see the market dip slightly overall in the third quarter. Quarter four is now looking particularly strong, with some stand out titles to look forward to including Coldplay and 1D. If the Adele rumours prove correct, that could make 2015 a strong year for UK recorded music.”

Adele’s collaborators, believed to include OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder, suggest the singer, worth £50m, has not shifted too far from the R&B/soul template which has generated two smash hit albums and an Oscar-winning James Bond theme in Skyfall.

But Damon Albarn, who was brought in to work on five songs, which may not all appear on the final record, recently suggested that the album was “very middle of the road”. He said of singer: “She’s very insecure. And she doesn’t need to be, she’s still so young.”