“I Almost Deleted the Album”: How Tamar Braxton Rebuilt Calling All Lovers After Discovering Adele’s Heartbreak Theme
OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
In the fall of 2015, Tamar Braxton nearly made a career-altering decision. Just weeks before releasing her third studio album, Calling All Lovers, the Grammy-nominated R&B singer came dangerously close to deleting the entire project after learning that Adele’s upcoming record, 25, shared a strikingly similar emotional core. What followed was a period of doubt, revision, and one two-hour phone call that ultimately saved the album.
A Creative Collision with Adele
At the time, Tamar Braxton was riding a wave of momentum. Known for her powerhouse vocals and unfiltered authenticity, she had successfully transitioned from reality television fame (Braxton Family Values) back into music with Love and War (2013), an album that earned her both critical and commercial success.
Her follow-up, Calling All Lovers, was designed as a concept record—a study of romance in all its stages, from euphoric devotion to heartbreaking loss. But as the project neared completion in late 2015, Braxton learned that Adele was preparing to release 25, her first album in four years, centered squarely on themes of heartbreak, reflection, and emotional recovery.
The news hit Braxton hard. 25 was already one of the most anticipated albums in the world, destined to dominate the cultural and commercial landscape. (When it finally dropped that November, it shattered U.S. sales records, moving 3.38 million copies in its first week.) For Braxton, the timing felt disastrous.
“She realized her most emotional, painful songs—about heartbreak and loss—would inevitably be compared to Adele’s,” said a source close to the singer. “And no one wanted Tamar’s message to get lost in someone else’s spotlight.”
The Five Tracks That Didn’t Make It
Feeling the weight of the looming comparison, Braxton reportedly considered scrapping Calling All Lovers entirely. Instead, she made a compromise: she removed five songs she believed leaned too heavily into themes of heartbreak and despair—the same emotional terrain Adele was about to dominate.
The remaining material, including standouts like “Simple Things” and “Catfish”, reflected a more balanced perspective on love. The album evolved from a portrait of sorrow into a multidimensional look at affection, humor, and resilience.
But that shift didn’t come easily. Braxton later admitted that she was emotionally exhausted and unsure whether she wanted to release the album at all.
The Two-Hour Call That Changed Everything
The turning point arrived during an extended phone call with her then-husband and manager, Vince Herbert. Over the course of two hours, he reminded her why she had started the project in the first place—to share her truth, not to compete with anyone else’s.
“He told her that Adele’s story wasn’t hers—and that’s exactly why Calling All Lovers mattered,” said one insider familiar with the exchange. “Tamar’s version of love had humor, honesty, and confidence. It was real.”
Reinvigorated, Braxton decided to finish the album, focusing on songs that emphasized self-worth and emotional growth rather than sorrow. The result was a record that showcased both her vocal prowess and her personality—intimate, fiery, and unapologetically herself.
A Measured Success and a Lesson in Authenticity
When Calling All Lovers debuted on October 2, 2015, it entered the Billboard 200 at No. 5, selling 43,000 units in its first week. Though the numbers represented a modest dip from her previous album, they underscored her staying power in an industry often dominated by pop juggernauts.
For Braxton, the near-deletion of the album became a defining lesson in authenticity and perseverance. In the shadow of Adele’s global dominance, she learned that the measure of success isn’t always chart position—it’s creative survival.
A Legacy of Resilience
Today, Calling All Lovers is remembered as one of Braxton’s most emotionally complete works—a snapshot of an artist choosing individuality over imitation. Her decision to edit, rather than erase, demonstrated the courage it takes to stand firm in one’s creative vision, even in the face of comparison.
As Braxton herself might put it, the album wasn’t about competing with Adele—it was about finding the space to love, to hurt, and to sing, on her own terms.
