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Australian journalist “mortified” after Adele interview pulled

By Andy Malt | Published on Tuesday 23 November 2021

Australian journalist Matt Doran has apologised for failing to listen to Adele’s new album ’30’ before interviewing her earlier this month – despite being sent it by Sony Music in advance. The gaffe resulted in her record label refusing to allow the interview to be aired.

All was looking good a couple of weeks ago when the host of Channel Seven’s ‘Weekend Sunrise’ flew from Sydney to London for the interview – beating his Channel Nine rivals to the exclusive. Posting on Instagram, he promised that “this one is going to be pretty special”.

Unfortunately, when Adele asked him what he thought of her new album, which had not then been released, he admitted that he had not heard it. According to the Australian Daily Telegraph, Doran outright declared: “I haven’t listened to it!”

However, he refutes that version of events, insisting he instead admitted to having only heard first single ‘Easy On Me’, which had already been released. He’s also denies rumours that Adele stormed out of the interview as a result of him admitting he hadn’t heard her new record – an outcome that always seemed unlikely.

In a statement, Doran explains that he’d missed the email that contained a link to where he could listen to the album pre-release, adding that he had never been made aware of the fact he was going to be sent an advance copy before the interview.

“When I sat down to interview Adele, I was honestly unaware that I’d been emailed a preview of her unreleased album”, he says. “I later discovered it was sent to me as an ‘e-card’ link after we landed in London on the day prior to the interview. In my lengthy phone discussions with Sony reps in advance I was never told a preview copy was being made available. It was a major oversight on my end but NOT a deliberate snub. This is the most important email I have ever missed and I am mortified and unequivocally apologetic”.

“I’m in awe of Adele’s music and the majesty of her voice, and it’s gnawing at me savagely that I’ve offended her”, he continues. “Of course I’d have listened to the album if I’d known a copy was being released. To deliberately not bother would be unforgivable arrogance. But to suggest that the interview was disrespectful – or that Adele walked out – is incorrect. In fact, it ran well overtime and we had a great rapport. Adele was hilarious, engaging, generous, honest and profound and I’m devastated that her fans are being denied this interview”.

“For the record”, he adds, “I never said: ‘I haven’t listened to your album’. I said, ‘I’ve only had the privilege of hearing [the single] ‘Go Easy On Me’, and already it sounds like you’ve produced something extraordinary'”.

So, hey, it was all very polite, and – by Doran’s account – it was a really great interview. Maybe admitting he’d not heard the record resulted in a stronger rapport. Maybe it was the greatest Adele interview ever recorded. But we’ll never know, because – in exchange for the exclusive – Channel Seven gave Sony the rights to veto the footage before it aired. And that is what Sony has done.

Which means, no interview for you! Still, who doesn’t like flying halfway across the world for no reason, just as the world’s political leaders have gathered together to discuss the climate crisis, and amid a resurgent pandemic? Fun times!

By the way, in the interest of full disclosure, I hadn’t listened to Adele’s album ’30’ at the point I wrote this article. In my case, though, it was a deliberate snub.