Adele has posted a string of snaps on Instagram in honour of her 33rd birthday.

The chart-topping singer – who rarely posts pictures of herself on social media – uploaded three rare photos on Wednesday afternoon.

One black-and-white shot shows Adele posing while showing off a planet tattoo on her forearm, while in another she’s seen splashing in the sea. The third picture depicts her in the middle of a twirl in a knee-length dress.

She fittingly captioned the photos: “Thirty Free.”

It’s now approaching six years since Adele last released new music, when she broke records with her hit album 25 in 2015.

The album spawned hits When We Were Young and Send My Love (To Your New Lover), but is probably best remembered for its epic lead single Hello, which topped the charts in 36 countries upon its release.

Adele has repeatedly dodged questions about when we can expect to hear new music from her, dismissing one fan’s suggestion that she would release her long-awaited fourth album during the pandemic.

“Of course it’s not [being released soon],” she wrote. “Corona ain’t over. I’m quarantining. Wear a mask and be patient.”

Adele is renowned for keeping a low profile, so when it was announced that she would be guest hosting Saturday Night Live in October last year, speculation was rife that new music could be on the way.

However, this once again proved not to be the case, with Adele insisting during her opening monologue: “My album is not finished and I’m also too scared to do both [hosting and performing live on SNL].

“I would rather just put on some wigs… have a glass of wine or six and just see what happens.”