Cryptic billboards with '30' have been popping up around the world, including in Dubai Festival City
Cryptic billboards with '30' have been popping up around the world, including in Dubai Festival City
Cryptic billboards with '30' have been popping up around the world, including in Dubai Festival City
Cryptic billboards with '30' have been popping up around the world, including in Dubai Festival City

Mysterious '30' billboards are appearing, including in Dubai, but are they for Adele?


Evelyn Lau
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Is Adele’s new album finally on the way?

It’s been six years since the singer released her third album 25, which featured charting singles Hello, When We Were Young and Water Under the Bridge. While she’s hinted over the years that new music is on the way, it just hasn’t happened.

However, now a series of mysterious billboards have been spotted that simply read “30” causing her fans to go into a frenzy asking if this means her album will finally be released. One of the signs appears on the side of a building in Dubai Festival City, while others have popped up in Ireland, Italy and Germany.

Her previous three albums were also numerically titled 19, 21 and 25.

She’s previously stated that her albums are named after the age of when she’s worked on them and that they are a reflection of her life and frame of mind at the time.

What could fans expect?

Even though it has been a while, Adele has gone through some life changes including a divorce initiated in 2019. However, according to several reports, the singer will dance through the pain with an upbeat collection of pop ditties and club bangers.

With comments attributed to music industry insiders, US magazine People and British tabloid The Sun reported the album will have a euphoric feel.

"She is definitely getting ready both mentally and physically to promote new music. It seems it will happen later this year," People wrote.

The Sun stated the record will be "optimistic, reflective of the good times and about learning to move on from them and make new memories by yourself".

More recognition

In March, the Someone Like You hitmaker was recognised as the UK’s best-selling female artist of the century so far.

She topped a new list compiled by the British Phonographic Industry, coming ahead of some of the world's top artists including Beyonce, Britney Spears and Lady Gaga.

The list takes into account how many albums artists have sold since the year 2000, while also including streaming data. The BPI data also revealed the top 10 albums of the century, with all three studio albums by Adele featured in the list.

Scroll through our gallery below to see Adele's style evolution through the years.

  • Adele, in a tunic and black jeans, arrives at the Brit Awards at Earls Court on February 20, 2008 in London, England. Getty Images
    Adele, in a tunic and black jeans, arrives at the Brit Awards at Earls Court on February 20, 2008 in London, England. Getty Images
  • Adele, in a checked coat, arrives at an afterparty following the premiere of 'Sex and the City' at Old Billingsgate on May 12, 2008 in London, England. Getty Images
    Adele, in a checked coat, arrives at an afterparty following the premiere of 'Sex and the City' at Old Billingsgate on May 12, 2008 in London, England. Getty Images
  • Adele, in Barbara Tfank, holds her two awards at the 51st annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California, on February 8, 2009. EPA
    Adele, in Barbara Tfank, holds her two awards at the 51st annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California, on February 8, 2009. EPA
  • Adele, in a black beaded dress, arrives at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards at Berkeley Square Gardens on June 2, 2009 in London, England. Getty Images
    Adele, in a black beaded dress, arrives at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards at Berkeley Square Gardens on June 2, 2009 in London, England. Getty Images
  • Adele, in a black and gold brocade dress, attends the CMT Artists of the Year event at Liberty Hall on November 30, 2010 in Franklin, Tennessee. Getty Images
    Adele, in a black and gold brocade dress, attends the CMT Artists of the Year event at Liberty Hall on November 30, 2010 in Franklin, Tennessee. Getty Images
  • Adele, in a black dress with embroidered overlay, attends the Brit Awards at the O2 Arena on February 15, 2011 in London, England. Getty Images
    Adele, in a black dress with embroidered overlay, attends the Brit Awards at the O2 Arena on February 15, 2011 in London, England. Getty Images
  • Adele, in a classic LBD, arrives for the Echo Awards at Palais am Funkturm on March 24, 2011 in Berlin, Germany. Getty Images
    Adele, in a classic LBD, arrives for the Echo Awards at Palais am Funkturm on March 24, 2011 in Berlin, Germany. Getty Images
  • Adele, in Burberry, arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards at Nokia Theatre on August 28, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images
    Adele, in Burberry, arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards at Nokia Theatre on August 28, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images
  • Adele, in Clements Ribeiro, attends the Mercury Prize at Grosvenor House on September 6, 2011 in London, England. Getty Images
    Adele, in Clements Ribeiro, attends the Mercury Prize at Grosvenor House on September 6, 2011 in London, England. Getty Images
  • Adele, in Burberry, arrives for the 54th annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California, on February 12, 2012. EPA
    Adele, in Burberry, arrives for the 54th annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California, on February 12, 2012. EPA
  • Adele, in Burberry, attends the Brit Awards at the O2 Arena on February 21, 2012 in London, England. Getty Images
    Adele, in Burberry, attends the Brit Awards at the O2 Arena on February 21, 2012 in London, England. Getty Images
  • Adele, in a lace-trimmed midi, poses with her wins at the Brit Awards held at the O2 Arena in London, England, on February 21, 2012. EPA
    Adele, in a lace-trimmed midi, poses with her wins at the Brit Awards held at the O2 Arena in London, England, on February 21, 2012. EPA
  • Adele, in Burberry, arrives for the 70th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, California, on January 12, 2013. EPA
    Adele, in Burberry, arrives for the 70th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, California, on January 12, 2013. EPA
  • Adele, in Valentino, arrives for the 55th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, on February 10, 2013. EPA
    Adele, in Valentino, arrives for the 55th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, on February 10, 2013. EPA
  • Adele, in Jenny Packham, arrives at the 85th annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, on February 24, 2013. EPA
    Adele, in Jenny Packham, arrives at the 85th annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, on February 24, 2013. EPA
  • Adele, in Stella McCartney, with her MBE at Buckingham Palace on December 19, 2013 in London, England. Getty Images
    Adele, in Stella McCartney, with her MBE at Buckingham Palace on December 19, 2013 in London, England. Getty Images
  • Adele, in Givenchy, arrives for the 58th annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California, on February 15, 2016. EPA
    Adele, in Givenchy, arrives for the 58th annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California, on February 15, 2016. EPA
  • Adele, in Giambattista Valli, attends the Brit Awards at the O2 Arena on February 24, 2016 in London, England. Getty Images
    Adele, in Giambattista Valli, attends the Brit Awards at the O2 Arena on February 24, 2016 in London, England. Getty Images
  • Adele, in Valentino, poses in the winners room at the Brit Awards on February 24, 2016 in London, England. Getty Images
    Adele, in Valentino, poses in the winners room at the Brit Awards on February 24, 2016 in London, England. Getty Images
  • Adele, in Burberry, performs at the Ziggo Dome on June 1, 2016 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Getty Images
    Adele, in Burberry, performs at the Ziggo Dome on June 1, 2016 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Getty Images
  • Adele, in Chloe, performs at the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm on June 25, 2016 in Glastonbury, England. Getty Images
    Adele, in Chloe, performs at the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm on June 25, 2016 in Glastonbury, England. Getty Images
  • Adele, in Givenchy, arrives for the 59th annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California, on February 12, 2017. EPA
    Adele, in Givenchy, arrives for the 59th annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California, on February 12, 2017. EPA
  • Adele, in Zuhair Murad, performs at Domain Stadium on February 28, 2017 in Perth, Australia. Getty Images
    Adele, in Zuhair Murad, performs at Domain Stadium on February 28, 2017 in Perth, Australia. Getty Images
  • Adele, in Elzinger, poses in a photograph to mark her 32nd birthday, posted to Instagram on May 6, 2020. Instagram / Adele
    Adele, in Elzinger, poses in a photograph to mark her 32nd birthday, posted to Instagram on May 6, 2020. Instagram / Adele
  • Adele, in Marine Serre, posts a photo from her home on August 1, 2020. Photo: Instagram / Adele
    Adele, in Marine Serre, posts a photo from her home on August 1, 2020. Photo: Instagram / Adele
  • HER, Adele, in a velvet shirt, and Kate McKinnon film a promo video for 'Saturday Night Live' in New York, US on October 22, 2020. Getty Images
    HER, Adele, in a velvet shirt, and Kate McKinnon film a promo video for 'Saturday Night Live' in New York, US on October 22, 2020. Getty Images
  • Adele, in Brock Collection, appears on an episode of 'Saturday Night Live' on October 24, 2020. YouTube / NBC
    Adele, in Brock Collection, appears on an episode of 'Saturday Night Live' on October 24, 2020. YouTube / NBC
  • Adele, in a metallic gown, on the cover of British Vogue shared on October 7, 2021. Photo: Instagram / Adele,
    Adele, in a metallic gown, on the cover of British Vogue shared on October 7, 2021. Photo: Instagram / Adele,
  • Adele, wearing Valentino Haute Couture, on the cover of US Vogue shared on October 7, 2021. Photo: Instagram / Adele
    Adele, wearing Valentino Haute Couture, on the cover of US Vogue shared on October 7, 2021. Photo: Instagram / Adele
  • Adele, in Chanel, during her 'Vogue 70 Questions' interview, which was released on October 21, 2021. Photo: YouTube / Vogue
    Adele, in Chanel, during her 'Vogue 70 Questions' interview, which was released on October 21, 2021. Photo: YouTube / Vogue
  • Adele, in a Christopher John Rogers suit, with Oprah Winfrey during her CBS interview released on November 14. Photo: Instragram / Oprah
    Adele, in a Christopher John Rogers suit, with Oprah Winfrey during her CBS interview released on November 14. Photo: Instragram / Oprah
How to get there

Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
 

Updated: October 02, 2021, 7:17 PM