Adele is proving 25 is the new 21. After nearly three years since her mega-hit record “21,” the English crooner is back with a long-awaited triumphant return to music. Her newly released single, “Hello,” teases the arrival of her third studio album, “25,” out Nov. 20. 

The hit song has already crashed airwaves and streaming services, reaching more than 100 million YouTube views in fewer than five days. It’s clear that when Adele sings, fans listen. 

Since the single’s release only two weeks ago, the music industry is already predicting “25” to be even more of a success than her previous albums “21” and “19.” With songs like “Rolling in the Deep” and “Someone Like You,” Adele broke onto the music scene with her haunting, heartbreaking songs. 

The now 27-year-old is one of the few artists to sell record-breaking full albums, with 13 million copies purchased for “21.”  The latest one is expected to surpass that, even in a time where purchasing full albums is practically extinct. 

If anyone can do it though, it’s Adele. “Hello” is a powerful ballad exposing perhaps a new era of the singer’s life. Her sultry voice announces her arrival with “Hello from the other side”, a journey about her own transition of growing up and moving on. 

It is a blunt contrast from her previous album, and is not a breakup record but a makeup one. Adele is now the one reflecting on breaking another’s heart instead of mending her own. “Hello” is the introduction of a new, different story Adele is ready to tell.

With a more than three-year hiatus, the artist has been extremely private working on her latest album. She’s stayed away from social media, appearances and interviews to raise her child, but also figure out her new sound. Speaking with Rolling Stone, the singer unapologetically revealed she doesn’t want to bask in the fame. 

“People think that I hate being famous, and I don’t,” she said. “I’m really frightened by it. I think it’s really toxic, and I think it’s really easy to be dragged into it.”

It’s a refreshing course of action, different from many artists who feel the pressure from music executives to pummel out albums to keep relevant. 

The industry today seems to be filled with artists promoting their latest track, rather than actually performing it. Adele, however, is a breath of fresh air. She has patiently and relentlessly waited to perfect her album to explain a piece of herself people can relate to—revealing it mostly in her music, rather than dozens of interviews. Drawing on her success, she gets that it’s her music that speaks volumes for people, saying, “In most cases, it’s about the song that reminds them of something in their lives. They take you into their heart.” 

While she knows her past hits have provided solace for fans, she is nonetheless determined to keep her music all her own. To people looking for a sad record in “25,” they will be disappointed, because a tragic album would be a lie. 

“Hello” sets the perfect tone to dispel any hint of heartbreak. The tune stays true to Adele’s glossy, chilling vocals with a simple melody but now holds a sense of modernity. 

Over the past few years working on “25,” Adele has been working with the top producers and writers to capture her vision. 

From Bruno Mars to Sia, Adele worked to collaborate tracks but refused to make any changes she didn’t believe in. She meticulously tweaked and replaced tracks that led to more than a full additional album of outtakes alone. 

While painstaking work, there was a desperate necessity to reveal something new in the album. 

Saying, “Some songs are not good enough and I think that’s where a lot of people go wrong, thinking that people will buy any old [songs] from you.”

Now that the album is finally completed, the next steps after the release remain unclear. After cancelling her “21” U.S. tour from vocal illness, she is giving herself until Christmas to decide for “25.” 

Many are also waiting to see if Adele will allow her songs to stream online, a decision that other big-name performers like Taylor Swift and Beyoncé have limited. 

For now, though, while many questions remain as the album drop approaches, let’s all be thankful we get to say ‘Hello’ to Adele once again.