Adele Looks Nearly Unrecognizable Amid Her Return to the Spotlight 2 Years After Announcing Hiatus

Adele has been quietly making a comeback after a series of recent public appearances, and her return has fueled remarks that the singer looks a lot different.

After two years out of the spotlight, Adele, 38, has been spotted on three separate occasions in London.

Photographed at McLaren’s Formula One headquarters ahead of the British Grand Prix on Sunday, July 5, the singer wore her long hair down and straight. Large dark-rimmed sunglasses covered much of her face as she rocked a 2025 Constructors’ World Champions tee with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri‘s faces on the front.

One photo snapped from a front view and published by the Daily Mail on Monday, July 6 had many fans pointing out that she looks “unrecognizable” compared to her musical debut nearly 20 years ago.

“What has she done to her face?!” one commenter asked.

Others, however, came to the Grammy winner’s defense.

“I assume you mean unrecognizable and although different, she is recognizable. The blonde hair is the biggest curve. Watching her lose weight and change her appearance in real time, it wasn’t jarring,” one fan posted on X.

“It’s just a bad picture- so rude,” another wrote.

A friend of the artist revealed to the Daily Mail that her return to the spotlight — with appearances at Bad Bunny and Lola Young‘s shows in London — is Adele “going back to her young Tottenham roots and has been immersing herself in ‘young, trendy’ music.”

“She’s going back to her own youth to write something that she hopes people will love,” the unnamed friend told Daily Mail on Tuesday, July 7.

Adele first announced her musical hiatus in September 2024 following her lengthy Las Vegas residency.

“I’m not the most comfortable performer. I know that, but I am very comfortably good at it, and I really enjoyed performing for nearly three years now, which is the longest I’ve ever done, and probably the longest I would ever do,” she shared on stage at the time. “I will not see you for an incredibly long time…It has been amazing. I just need a rest.”