This week saw the premiere of the video for Adele’s 'Easy on Me', the first track from her forthcoming album 30, one of the most anxiously awaited releases of the year. Written and directed by Cannes Grand Prix winner Xavier Dolan, with production company Scheme Engine and Sons of Manual, the video was shot in the Eastern Townships of Quebec in September. 

The location is a familiar one, having also served as the setting for Adele and Dolan’s first film collaboration, the iconic 2015 video for “Hello” which broke several records including being the fasted video to reach 1 billion views on YouTube.

“I was honestly hoping for this to happen,” noted Dolan. “For me, there’s nothing stronger than artists reconnecting after years apart.  I’ve changed.  Adele’s changed.  And this is an opportunity to celebrate how we’ve both evolved, and how we’ve also both remained faithful to our dearest themes.  It’s all the same, but different.”  

Dolan’s films are known for their female leads’ powerful performances; he has said, “in my childhood, I was surrounded by women, and they are the figures who I have seen fighting for who they were and are. So, naturally, I do write a lot for women and mothers.”