Adele To Release New Single This Year

Could Adele be the next Bond girl? Not, like, in the movie, but on the soundtrack at least?

The singer said in a recent interview that she will release a new single in 2012, which set off speculation that she might join the impressive likes of past Bond movie singers Paul McCartney, Carly Simon, Shirley Bassey, Duran Duran, Madonna, Garbage and Jack White with Alicia keys as the sound of the upcoming 23rd 007 flick, "Skyfall."

Speaking to France's NRJ radio, Adele said a "new song is coming out probably by the end of the year." Though no news has been announced, British oddsmakers have been saying that Adele is the favorite to provide the all-important title tune to the next Bond adventure, which is due in theaters on November 9.

In the meantime, the singer also revealed that she doesn't expect to have a follow-up to her global smash 21
 in stores for several years. "If I didn't write my own songs, I'd be out next week with a new album," she said. "I have to take time and live a little bit. There were a good two years between my first and second albums, so it'll be the same this time."

With 21 still resting comfortably near the top of charts all around the world thanks to global sales in excess of 20 million, the singer said she's not worried about capturing that same magic in a bottle the next time around. "I don't think I'll feel the pressure for the next album to be as big as the last one because I know that's not really possible," she said. "What's happened with this album is very rare anyway."

Adele may have given a small preview of what the next album will sound like, though, when she revealed that her dream duet partner would be Beyoncé. "I adore Beyoncé, I've been listening to her since I was about 11," she said. "I think her work as an artist and a singer is enviable in terms of the length of her career and how she's grown and grown but most of my inspirations are (from) old music and sadly they have all died."