"Easy on Me" is a song by the English singer Adele from her fourth studio album, 30 (2021). Adele co-wrote the song with its producer, Greg Kurstin. Columbia Records released it as the album's lead single on October 15, 2021. The song is a type of song called a torch song and ballad, which includes elements of R&B and soul music. It focuses on Adele's powerful vocals, set against piano music that grows louder over time. In the lyrics, Adele talks about her divorce and asks for forgiveness and understanding from her son, her former husband, and herself.
"Easy on Me" received praise from music critics, who compared it to Adele's earlier work and highlighted her singing and the song's lyrics. At the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, the song won the award for Best Pop Solo Performance out of four nominations. It was also nominated for other awards and won the 2022 Brit Award for Song of the Year. The song reached number one on music charts in 30 countries, including becoming Adele's longest-running top song in the United Kingdom and the United States. It was the sixth most popular song worldwide in 2022 and received multiplatinum certifications in 15 countries, including Diamond status in Brazil and France.
Xavier Dolan directed the music video for "Easy on Me," which was released on October 15, 2021. The video includes references to earlier Adele videos and shows her leaving the house where the "Hello" (2015) music video was filmed. Adele performed the song at the 23rd NRJ Music Awards, on her television specials, and during her concert series Weekends with Adele. Other artists, including Kanye West and the Sunday Service Choir, Chloe Bailey, and Keith Urban, performed cover versions of the song.
Background
Greg Kurstin helped produce and write three songs on Adele's third studio album, 25 (2015), including the song "Hello." This song was released as the first single from the album and reached number one in 36 countries. Its music video set a record for the most views in one day on Vevo. After finishing the Adele Live 2016 concert tour in 2017, Adele remained private and avoided public attention. She began working on the next album the following year. In September 2019, Adele filed for divorce from her husband, Simon Konecki, an event that influenced the album. After dealing with anxiety, Adele attended therapy and repaired her strained relationship with her father. The impact of the divorce on her son troubled her for years. She decided to have regular conversations with him, which she recorded after advice from her therapist. These conversations inspired her to return to the studio, and the album became a collection of songs meant to explain to her son why she left his father.
Adele wrote "Easy on Me" with its producer, Kurstin. She wrote the song's verses while taking a shower. Her friends told her to "be kind to yourself" and not be too hard on her decisions. This advice stayed with her, and she chose to be more gentle with herself. Her friends were not impressed by an early version of the song but later appreciated her patience. Three songs were considered for release as the lead single from 30 (2021). Adele ultimately selected "Easy on Me" because it had a "powerful chorus" and felt like a personal song. She believed it was the right choice for her return after a long break. Adele wanted to avoid releasing a song that would increase her fame further: "There isn't a big, attention-grabbing song like 'Hello,' but I don't want another song like that. That song made me very famous, and I don't want to reach that level again."
Composition and lyrics
"Easy on Me" is 3 minutes and 44 seconds long. Kurstin produced and engineered the song with Alex Pasco and Julian Burg. Kurstin played the bass guitar, kick drum, and piano. Tom Elmhirst led the mixing at Electric Lady Studios in New York, and Randy Merrill handled the mastering at Sterling Sound in New Jersey.
"Easy on Me" is an emotional song and ballad that focuses on Adele's singing over piano music. The song begins with soft piano music that grows louder as it continues, leading into Adele's vocals. According to The Guardian's Alexis Petridis, Adele's voice starts sounding hurt but then becomes powerful. The song uses very few percussion instruments, but a bass drum and bass guitar are played in the second half. In the chorus, Adele sings the song’s title with long, stretched notes and stretches the "e" sound across eight musical notes. Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times described her performance as "powerful yet slightly rough-sounding."
In the lyrics, Adele talks about her divorce and asks for forgiveness and understanding from her son, ex-husband, and herself. She explains to her son why she ended the stable life he had during her marriage. Adele admits she still needs to learn more about herself and compares herself to a child: "I was still a child / Didn't get the chance to / Feel the world around me." According to Slant Magazine's Alexa Camp, this lyric shows her "struggling with not fully growing up." In the song's bridge, Adele says the divorce was meant to create a better future. Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph called the song "a large, full apology filled with regret and excuses."
Release
On October 1, 2021, the number "30" was shown on many buildings and landmarks worldwide. Three days later, Adele updated her social media accounts for the first time in months. On October 5, Adele gave a clue about the song and its music video by sharing a short preview online. The black-and-white video showed an instrumental piece of music and Adele placing a cassette into the tape player of a truck. On October 9, Adele shared a 40-second preview of the song during an Instagram Live session. "Easy on Me" was released on October 15 and was Adele’s first single in almost five years. Sony Music sent the song to radio stations in Italy on the same day.
In the United States, Columbia Records released "Easy on Me" to adult contemporary and triple A radio stations on October 18, and to contemporary hit radio stations the next day. The song was released as a CD single in Germany on October 22. Columbia Records also released a cassette version of the song on November 5, 2021. Adele recorded a duet version of the song with Chris Stapleton. This version was sent to country radio stations by In2une Nashville on November 19. The duet reached number 25 on the Country Airplay chart with 5.4 million audience impressions. Billboard’s Gary Trust noted that the song made "unprecedented airplay chart history." In October 2021, Ocado reported a 26 percent increase in tissue sales in the United Kingdom. The company linked this increase to the release of "Easy on Me" and the cooler weather. Ocado also suggested that the song’s theme of heartbreak might have influenced the sales.
Critical reception
"Easy on Me" received praise from music critics. Some focused on the song's production. McCormick believed the song showed Adele's bold return to music and highlighted the core of "what music is, and why it means so much to us." Fiona Sturges of i said the song was heartfelt and powerful, emphasizing Adele's voice, but noted it had a "slightly over-produced sheen" that lessened its emotional depth. Similarly, The Times' Will Hodgkinson thought the song was well-made but said its "American professionalism" style made it less emotionally impactful.
Critics compared "Easy on Me" to Adele's other songs. Some called it typical of her style. The Evening Standard's Jochan Embley said it did not match the sadness of "Someone Like You" (2011) or the emotion of "Hello" but was still passionate. Alexandra Pollard of The Independent noted it lacked the catchy melody of "Hello" but was equally sad and more detailed. Petridis stated it did not "stop the listener in their tracks" like "Someone Like You" but was relatable and more memorable than some songs on 25. Billboard's Jason Lipshutz said "Easy on Me" shared similarities with Adele's past songs but stood out because of its new lyrical theme.
Adele's singing was widely discussed. Embley praised her voice, saying, "She's so elegantly controlled, so piercingly poignant." NME's Nick Levine said the song met high expectations because of her ability to express raw emotion through her voice and lyrics. He added that Adele sounded "richer and more confident" than before. Cat Zhang of Pitchfork praised her performance, noting it was unique at a time when many artists sing softly. She said Adele, despite dealing with a new breakup, delivered the same sense of satisfaction. Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone said she sang with more skill and care but still used "the powerful energy" that made her famous. Peter Piatkowski of PopMatters said her performance showed deep sorrow and used her flexible voice effectively.
Some critics focused on the song's lyrics. Chris Willman of Variety said the theme of asking for forgiveness was different from Adele's previous songs, showing her as "the possible offendee, not the offended." David Cobbald of The Line of Best Fit called it "the most 'hunny'" song on 30 and noted its water metaphors, which showed growth from her earlier work. Piatkowski said the lyrics were intense and showed "genuine and elegiac" pain. Levine said the lyrics would connect with people facing "a quarter-life crisis, a mid-life crisis, or just a crisis of a hangover" and might make them cry.
"Easy on Me" was included in rankings of Adele's songs. Rolling Stone named it her 10th-best song in 2021. Far Out's Tyler Golsen and Jamie Kahn ranked it 17th in 2022. That same year, American Songwriter's Tina Benitez-Eves called it Adele's best song. It appeared on lists of the best songs of 2021, including Billboard at number 14, The Forty-Five and NME at number 26, and Consequence at number 27. The song also was listed in an unranked list by Vogue.
"Easy on Me" won several awards and was nominated for many. It won the Brit Award for Song of the Year at the 2022 ceremony. It also received the Gaffa Award for Foreign Song of the Year, the Juno Award for Video of the Year, and the New Music Award for Top 40/CHR Song of the Year. At the 65th Annual Grammy Awards in 2023, it won Best Pop Solo Performance and was nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Music Video. Other nominations included The Song of 2021 and The Music Video of 2021 at the 47th People's Choice Awards, Favourite Pop Song and Favourite Music Video at the 2022 American Music Awards, Song of the Year and Best Lyrics at the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards, the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically, and the MTV Video Music Award for Song of the Year.
Commercial performance
After its release, "Easy on Me" became popular on music streaming services. It was the most streamed song on Spotify in a single day and during one week. In the United Kingdom, "Easy on Me" had 3.2 million streams on Spotify in one day, the highest number for any song in a single day. It also had 24 million streams on Spotify in one week, breaking the record for the most streamed song in the country during that time. On Amazon Music, it had the most streams on the first day of its release and the most requests through Alexa in the platform's history. "Easy on Me" first appeared at number 195 on the Billboard Global 200 chart after just five hours of tracking. The following week, it reached the top of the chart, becoming Adele's first song to do so. That week, it sold 136,300 copies, the third-highest sales week for any song on that chart, and had 178.2 million streams, the second-highest streaming week. It also became the second song in history to earn twice as many chart points as the song ranked second.
In the United States, "Easy on Me" first appeared at number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart after five hours of tracking. The next week, it reached the top of the chart, becoming Adele's fifth song to do so. It also topped the Digital Song Sales and Streaming Songs charts and reached number four on the Radio Songs chart, where it had the highest debut ever. "Easy on Me" had the most plays in the first week of any song in U.S. radio history and became the first song to be added to five radio formats in a single week. Billboard named it one of the biggest number one singles of the last 30 years. The song reached number one on the Billboard Adult Contemporary airplay chart, becoming Adele's sixth top song on that list. It reached number one faster than any non-holiday song since "Hello." During its sixth week on the Hot 100, Adele had two songs in the top five: "Easy on Me" at number one and "Oh My God" at number five. "Easy on Me" stayed at number one for 10 weeks, matching "Hello" as Adele's longest-running number one song on the Hot 100. In its 14th week, it became the first song to reach 100 million radio listeners since "Blinding Lights" in 2019. The Recording Industry Association of America certified it 4× Platinum in November 2022.
In the United Kingdom, "Easy on Me" first appeared at number one on the Official Singles Chart on October 28, 2021, with 217,300 units sold, the highest first-week sales for any song since 2017. It spent eight nonconsecutive weeks at number one, becoming Adele's longest-running number one song in the UK. The British Phonographic Industry certified it 4× Platinum in March 2025. "Easy on Me" reached number one on Australia's ARIA Singles Chart, becoming Adele's third song to do so. It spent four weeks at the top and received a 6× Platinum certification from the Australian Recording Industry Association. In Canada, "Easy on Me" spent eight weeks at number one on the Canadian Hot 100. Music Canada certified it 3× Platinum in January 2022. The song also reached number one in Austria, Belgium, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Sweden, and Switzerland. It was certified 2× Diamond in Brazil, Diamond in France, 5× Platinum in New Zealand, 4× Platinum in Mexico, 3× Platinum in Denmark, Poland, Portugal, and Switzerland, 2× Platinum in Italy and Sweden, Platinum in Belgium, Germany, Spain, and Greece, and Gold in Austria.
Music video
Xavier Dolan directed both the music video for "Hello" and the one for "Easy on Me." The video for "Easy on Me" was filmed in the same house as "Hello," located at Chemin Jordan and Domaine Dumont Chapelle Ste-Agnès in Sutton, Quebec, on September 15 and 16, 2021. The video begins in black-and-white and changes to full color halfway through. According to Camp, it continues the story from "Hello." In the video, Adele looks around an empty house and outside a window before packing her things, putting on sunglasses, and leaving. She speaks on a mobile phone and places a cassette into a tape deck on a furniture truck, which plays "Easy on Me." Adele mourns the end of her marriage while driving away and watches a different couple celebrate their engagement as pages of sheet music fly out of her car's windows.
The video was released at midnight UK time on October 15, 2021, and was viewed by 200,000 people during its premiere. It reached 12 million views within 12 hours and 90 million views within six days of its release. Some critics said the video connected to other Adele music videos, including "Hello," "Rolling in the Deep" (2010), and "Chasing Pavements" (2008). Parade's Rose Maura Lorre called it a sequel to "Hello" and noted a chair in the video resembled one in the "Rolling in the Deep" video. Sophia McFarland of The Spokesman-Review called it "a cinematic masterpiece in itself." BBC News' Mark Savage said the shift from black-and-white to color showed "the sound of a woman who has dismantled her entire world, realising that she needn't feel guilty for putting herself first." A video showing behind-the-scenes moments from the production was released on November 4, 2021.
Live performances and cover versions
Adele first performed "Easy on Me" live during her CBS special Adele One Night Only in 2021. She sang the song again at the 23rd NRJ Music Awards on November 20, 2021. During her first attempt at singing the song for her ITV special An Audience with Adele in 2021, Adele sang a wrong note and had to restart the performance. She said, "I'm shitting myself." Adele performed "Easy on Me" at her British Summer Time concerts on July 1 and 2, 2022. She included the song in the set list for Weekends with Adele, her 2022–2023 concert residency. During these shows, Adele wore a long black dress and sang in front of a coral green background. A review from The New York Times on November 18, 2022, noted that Adele seemed nervous and relied on asking the audience to sing along. A review from Harper's Bazaar mentioned that Adele appeared visibly emotional before the performance.
Several artists recorded cover versions of "Easy on Me." Kanye West and the Sunday Service Choir performed a version with changed lyrics as a tribute to Virgil Abloh after his death on November 28, 2021. Chloe Bailey uploaded a cover of the song on December 9, 2021. Her version included high notes and complex singing parts. Uproxx’s Wongo Okon wrote that she sang the challenging song without difficulty. On January 4, 2022, Travis Barker released a cover where he played drums and guitar, turning the song into a rock ballad. The Vitamin String Quartet, whose violinist Leah Zeger had accompanied Adele during the One Night Only performance, released a version of "Easy on Me" with string instruments on March 4, 2022. Keith Urban introduced his acoustic guitar cover of the song during a March 2022 show. He said, "I would like to make a special dedication tonight to somebody I just absolutely adore as a performer, as a songwriter, a trailblazer […] We love you Adele, oh yes we do." In July 2023, 13-year-old musician Nandi Bushell shared her cover of the song. She noted in the caption that it was her first video where she sang and played piano at the same time. "Easy on Me" has also been covered by contestants on The Voice.
Credits and personnel
Credits are taken from the notes on the album cover of 30.
- Greg Kurstin – producer, engineer, bass guitar, kick drum, piano
- Adele – vocals, songwriter
- Alex Pasco – engineer
- Julian Burg – engineer
- Matt Scatchell – assistant engineer
- Randy Merrill – mastering
- Tom Elmhirst – mixing