Adele - Adele: 'Emotional Songs Are Draining'

The British star admits she struggled to relive the painful experiences that inspired her ballads while promoting her last album, 19, on the road.

So the Chasing Pavements hitmaker focuses on mundane topics onstage to ease her mind.

She tells Billboard, "That's really f**king hard. Toward the end of touring on 19 there were a couple of shows where I'd be singing Make You Feel My Love and I'd just have to start thinking of (Swedish home furnishings store) Ikea or something. You have to switch off sometimes - otherwise it's completely emotionally draining."

But Adele, who is preparing to tour once again for her latest offering 21, loves when crowds are moved by her music.

She adds, "Anything I find difficult, though, is completely thrown in the bin when I see how people respond to my music. I love it when a wife drags her husband to a show and he's standing there like a lemon. You spend the whole night trying to win him over, and by the end he's kissing his wife. That's amazing."