Adele releases ‘Hello’, her first song/video in years: are you sobbing too?

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Considering I’m already in tears listening to Adele’s first single in years, I’m probably in no condition to type properly. Okay…*sniff*… let’s do this. These are some photos of Adele earlier today outside the BBC. She did her first radio interview to promote her new album, 25, which she just announced will be released on November 20. In addition to her releasing the single and giving her first interview, Adele also dropped the video for “Hello.” This is the song that we heard a preview of when a commercial dropped Sunday night on British TV.

You need to prepare yourselves for this song and video, you guys. The video is directed by wunderkind Canadian auteur Xavier Dolan. Adele loved working with Dolan and she says that he made her want to be an actress. Here you go.

When she unleashes her voice… OMG. I missed her so much. This is actually a perfect first single, I think. It’s got a power-ballad feel and it’s about Adele apologizing to someone whose heart SHE broke (as opposed to Adele singing about her own broken heart).

Adele also released the track listings for 25go here to see. She’s also on Instagram now – go here to see her first three Instagrams.

What else? She was greeted like GD royalty when she arrived at the BBC. I’m surprised all of the news outlets in Britain and America didn’t do breaking-news coverage. She told the interviewer that 25 will likely be her last “age”-named album, that her future albums will be called something else (25 is her third age-named album).

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Photos courtesy of WENN.

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157 Responses to “Adele releases ‘Hello’, her first song/video in years: are you sobbing too?”

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  1. J says:

    I have missed her, and this song is beautiful! Her voice is just something else, the power behind it is stunning. I am so happy she is back!

    • enuff said says:

      Sooo excited…already purchased the single and pre-ordered the cd. She’s stunning..her voice has matured…better than ever!! Love her!!

    • phlyfiremama says:

      I got goosebumps from the first 2 notes I heard! Ridiculous~

  2. Heat says:

    *sob*
    Thank God Adele is back in full-force! I was getting really sick of the crappy music being released, lately.

  3. Jenni says:

    Haunting and beautiful.

  4. Loopy says:

    I didn’t expect her to do such an aggressive promotional campaign, thought she would just release the music( ala Beyoncé) since she is so private.

    • Sam says:

      There is nothing aggressive about her promo. This is the first day she’s going out to promote. Adele is not too precious to go and actually do her job. Although I don’t think she’ll go to a million radio stations like last time

      • Sarah (another one) says:

        That’s because she won’t have to go to a million radio stations to promote. Love the “precious” comment. So very true! But beware – the Hive may come for you.

      • Josefa says:

        I know this will sound odd, but I always got the feeling Beyoncé is actually kinda shy and introverted outside of her stage persona. Awkward interviews with her go back all the way since her Destiny’s Child days. I think she figured out that people know her and like her because of her performances and music and not so much because of her personality, so she’s just skipping the whole talking part. And I don’t blame her for it.

      • Sarah says:

        @Josefa YES I HAVE THOUGHT THIS TOO FOR QUITE SOMETIME. (If you believe in this stuff..) One only has to look at her astrology chart to see she’s quite introverted in expression.. which is why her DIVA erm i mean Sasha Fierce alter ego comes off so robotic and emotion-less. Pretty sure Beyonce is a virgo so the “robot” thing is something she can’t help.. all viragos tend to come off that way.

    • Liv says:

      Agressive? Do you even know what promotion is all about? It does mean that you have to put yourself out there and be available, so that journalists can meet you and find something they can write about you and your music. It’s not like she brought her son to the interview or something.

  5. zan says:

    She looks really good in the video… but I’m sorry, I’m not impress by this song, it reminds me of a song katy perry would try to sing :p

    • Joss RED says:

      Liked the song but WTF was all that chitchat the whole video? Just want to hear the song, not all that DRAMA/FACES/FRYING PAN/CHITCHAT!

      I hope she releases a dialogue free version of it so we can hear the song.

    • Louise says:

      you have to be kidding… lolz

      • Joss RED says:

        @Louise:

        I’m not, I swear! I know it might seem that I’m making fun of it, trolling, etc, but it really annoyed the hell out of me!

        I saw the news about the video way earlier than Celebitchy posted about it, and went off to YouTube like an insane person to finally see it. And then, the whole chitchat! I’m not talking about her talking on the phone earlier, before the song starts, but once it does, just let me hear the song! I don’t need to hear what she and the guy are talking about.

      • lower-case deb says:

        @Joss Red,
        if you haven’t already, you can try listening here–start at 8:43 to skip all the interview stuff and get to the singing

        http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p035zwgc

    • Cran says:

      She looks fabulous. The power of Adele for me is the way she sings and the love I have for the sound of her voice more than the lyrics. As another poster has said Adele could sing the phone book and I would listen.

      I like the B&W but she really needed to stop with the hand choreography in the later part. I don’t normally think of pockets when watching videos but perhaps this might be the exception😏

    • V4Real says:

      It’s ok but I don’t see the hype about this, it’s nothing special.

      She’s only 25!! Holy crap she looks much older.

      • WinnieCoopersMom says:

        She is 27 now. She started putting the album together at 25.

      • V4Real says:

        She still looks much older than 27; more like 37.

      • Neah23 says:

        I agree, I just watched the video and found it and the song underwhelming. I think people are just so excited to hear good mainstream pop music that they are over hyping it.

      • Scotchy says:

        Yup and yup, we are starved for decent pop music, because this is kinda generic, but Adele to me is kinda dull, generic and overhyped. She just seems nice and is relatable and well with Winehouse being dead we needed another brit soul singer to fill the gap. I just wish the title could have gone to someone like Laura Mvula. Whatever, it’s good to know I am not alone in my meh feelings on her.

    • BooBooLaRue says:

      whew thought I was alone in this

      • Susan says:

        Yeah. I hate to say this out loud because I will unleash some serious fury but I’m not that into her music. I really like her and all she represents…I really WANT to like her music..I like her voice just not the song choices.
        //ducking for cover//

      • belle de jour says:

        You are not alone.

        Very disappointed. Love her voice, but this is soooooo overproduced that it loses her and makes the whole thing sound like yet another generic, swelling, overblown ballad about not letting go (again).

      • Cali says:

        Happy I’m not the only one not feeling this song, lol and I’m so over the depressing stuff. I’m ready for another Rolling In The Deep.

      • racer says:

        No alone at all. I just cant get with her music and for some reason I feel the people who like it are emotionally unstable or really embrace drama. On a brighter note, I think she is absolutely stunning, I love her body and she has a great voice.

    • eowyn says:

      I can see it. It reminds me of Wide Awake by Katy Perry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0BWlvnBmIE

  6. Tapioca says:

    Love me some Adele! Her voice is so beautiful that girl could sing the phone book and give me shivers, but in literally anyone else’s hands the song itself would be kinda “meh”. Which is ultimately the bar against which true talent is judged, I guess…

  7. Ayra. says:

    My nose got stuffed, my eyes got blurry.. honestly, I’m going to be in a tub of my own tears once her album comes out.
    I missed her, I AM READY FOR 25. (I have boxes of tissues, so I really am.)

    • WinnieCoopersMom says:

      Girl I am with you. I looked up when Nov 20 is. It’s a Friday. THANK GOD. I can have all weekend to absorb it/cry over it without having to take a day off work. A Tuesday release would NOT have worked for me.

  8. Kiki says:

    I really love this song. Thank you Adele. I am so glad that you came back.

  9. Diana B says:

    Sobbing so hard right now. God, I missed her! That was beautiful. Can’t wait to listen the hell out of that whole album.

  10. MG says:

    Wow….love the song, love the video. I’ve missed her. Her voice is perfection and she is so damn gorgeous!!!

    (What’s with the old school flip phones? They made me giggle)

    • antipodean says:

      The old school phones, rotary and flip, gave the whole video a very retro, introspective vibe. It was good to see the old red phone box too. Adele’s voice is spectacular, she never sounds forced or squeezed, just powerful. Mentioning her and Katy Perry in the same sentence is tantamount to an insult to Adele. Katy Perry would have a permanent crick in her neck looking up so far above her where Adele belongs. Also, who is that cute chap, he has the sweetest face. All the dimples!

  11. Prettykrazee says:

    What a week! First a new Star Wars Trailer. Now a new Adele video/single. I just can’t! 😭

    • WinnieCoopersMom says:

      Umm..and what about the news of Gilmore Girls reunion? This has been an amazing week for pop culture.

  12. Sixer says:

    SACRE BLEU! She put a tagged teabag into a cup! Sacrilege.

    She’s so pretty.

  13. Mimi says:

    I am SO happy Adele is back. Can’t wait to hear the rest of her album. She is a REAL vocalist and such a wonderful alternative to the talentless, wannabe Bratz Dolls that the music media is constantly shoving down our throats.

  14. HK9 says:

    God I’ve missed her.

  15. GoodNamesAllTaken says:

    She has a set of pipes, alright. I loved it.

  16. tifzlan says:

    She’s beautiful and that voice! Although i must say my favorite thing about this song is the video. Stunning video!

  17. Guesto says:

    Love Adele, and she looks fierce, but not feeling either the song or the video. Something very ‘generic’ about it. Hope the rest of the album is better than this.

    • Macey says:

      same here, this just didint do much for me and I LOVE Adele. I was hoping it would be something I would want to replay over and over but it’s not. it’s not bad, it’s just not all that.

    • Jess says:

      This. She is so fuc*ing talented that is crazy, but I was expecting more from her

      • bella says:

        same here.
        her voice is incredibly beautiful and she is just gorgeous.
        i cried but it just didnt get quite “there” you know?

        also…
        the first few chords remind me of lional richie’s “Hello” song…
        i thought it was a remake for a minute…
        then it does change, but, really?

      • Scotchy says:

        hmm, bella you are right it does sound a lot like Lional Richie, I wonder if he gets writing credit, or some royalties like Tom Petty did from Sam Smith…

    • Samtha says:

      Yeah, same here–it’s a good song, but not fantastic. She looks beautiful in the video, though.

    • Josefa says:

      Yeah, Im not crazy about it either. I feel like I’ve heard this before several times.

    • Alyce says:

      I think her voice is beautiful but I don’t actually like most of her songs. Power ballads aren’t really my thing. (Loved Rumor Has It though)

  18. Manjit says:

    Her interview with Nick Grimshaw (BBC Radio 1) this morning was really interesting and good fun. She’s fab, a real breath of fresh air.

  19. Jess says:

    I love it but at the same time I’m almost underwhelmed? I was kind of expecting her to change her sound or the topic of her songs, I don’t know.
    I still love this so… it’s good that she is back!!

  20. caro says:

    *tears* SHE IS BACK

  21. ladyg says:

    Who is the guy in the video? I absolutely recognize him, but can’t put my finger on from where…driving me nuts!

  22. Happy AM says:

    Love Adele but not liking the song. Sorry

  23. Miss V says:

    That voice. I love her. The very first thing I did this morning was download this song, and I’ve listened to it so many times that I already know all the words!!!

  24. Christina says:

    OMG – beautiful. She’s beautiful, her voice is beautiful, the video is beautiful. So proud that Canadian Xavier Dolan directed this as well!

  25. M.A.F. says:

    I like that she uses her age as the album titles. Did she even tour off the last album? It seemed she had to keep cancelling tour dates because of her vocal cords then she got pregnant.

    • WinnieCoopersMom says:

      Yes she did. There is even a DVD (which I have and it is LIFE CHANGING): “Adele Live at Royal Albert Hall.” and she sings all her hits from 19 and 21. Do yourself a big favor and buy it. I have watched it probably 8 times and it never gets old. Her personality really shines between the songs too.

  26. shinymarbles says:

    *Cries* This song isn’t very good. Her performance is A+, but to me, the song is lagging. She was SO good with Paul Epworth (Rolling in the Deep) & Dan Wilson (Someone Like You) and it feels like she went very LA/focus group with this one. The product sounds to me like what probably happened in the room: “It’s gotta be classic Adele so we’ll try and create Someone Like You #2, and we’ll produce it like Video Games without the strings. Both of those were HUGE! Concept can’t be complicated because this is LA, so how about, simply, ‘hello?’ And let’s flip the usual woe-is-me script and make her the heartbroken heartbreaker. Yeah.” You can feel the effort. I still love her and am hoping for other gems on the record but I’m not feeling this.

  27. Cinderella says:

    She can sing in a way that gets to you, that’s for sure.

  28. Skins says:

    Of course

  29. Veronica says:

    I just listened to the full track and I had goosebumps! It’s been so long (Im glad she took time for herself after her baby and to do thibgs in her own schedule) and there is nothing and no one like Adele. Cannot wait for the full album!

  30. Melymori says:

    Yeap….I’m crying. I freaking love her. She’s absolutely the most talented singer right now and her beauty is breath taking. LOOOOOOOOVED IT!

  31. Jayna says:

    I wasn’t blown away by the actual song.

  32. co_ra says:

    And I’m turning 25 on November 20. It’s a sign lol.
    Thanks for the birthday gift Adele.

  33. Mommarazzi says:

    I’m really not impressed with the song at all🙈 I love Adele, but when I first heard the song I thought it was a cover of Lionel Richie’s Hello & then kept listening and wasn’t really impressed. Her voice is stunning though.

  34. CommentingBunny says:

    Pavlov’s Voice: As soon as I heard her sing the first word, I had tears in my eyes.

    • misery chick says:

      @ COMMENTINGBUNNY- This is OT, but when I hear any song from “Les Miserables” ESPECIALLY the very beginning 🎶 🎶, I have the same exact reaction! My heart breaks WIDE open and I see the infinite and incredible God and the beauty of heaven…

      Sappy, corny and so true 😍

  35. Sunshine says:

    Love, love, love the song.

  36. grabbyhands says:

    Somewhere, Taylor Swift is sticking pins in an Adele shaped doll.

    • WinnieCoopersMom says:

      A soon as all this info and the song/video dropped this morning, all I could think was Hello, Adele. Goodbye, Swifty.

  37. Dawn says:

    I heard it this morning and I swear to god that woman’s voice just gives me goose bumps! It is indeed a wonderful song.

  38. Lori says:

    This girl is so ridiculously talented! Missed her and so happy she’s back. Hello is simply …. WOW! 🙂

  39. eileen says:

    That was an awesome return to the music charts! Definitely a number 1 hit sooner than later!

  40. Mmtahoe says:

    Everything…..

  41. Laura says:

    I love this song. It was strange and sad for me to listen to it as it is an accurate portrayal of my situation with my ex-husband. I left him, broke his heart, regret it but he’s over it and won’t speak to me anymore – and it kills me.

    Can’t wait to hear the rest of Adele’s new album…

  42. Mich says:

    But…but….it just sounds EXACTLY the same as the rest. It could’ve been on ’19’ or ’21’. I don’t know of any other artist who can get away with just rewriting the same songs over and over and over again and not only get away with it but be celebrated in such a way. Don’t get me wrong, I think she’s very talented, but she needs to move away from this same formula. It’s boring.

    • Laura says:

      Because she has a good voice, is gorgeous but not perfect, and her songs are simple. Plus, she is different than any other pop star, although Jessica Glyn seems to have a very similar voice. Adele is one of the only pop stars (actually probably the only one) who doesn’t use her body to sell her music, so she has a lot of older fans too.

      • Mich says:

        I accept that and I accept that she has a unique talent, a unique voice and is one of the most likeable female stars out there today. But, I think the song is lazy and formulaic.

      • Neah23 says:

        @ Laura she is not the only pop star that doesn’t use her body to sell music, unless your talking about mainstream pop even then she not the only one.

    • Nik says:

      @ Mich

      +1000

    • Cynthia says:

      Sade does exactly the same thing. You know exactly what you are getting when you buy a Sade Album, and Sade is a Legend. Why mess with a working formula?

    • Mollie says:

      This is how I feel too. Shes beautiful, her voice is superb, song is formulaic. Just like all the others. Hope there is more variety on the whole album.

    • Samtha says:

      21 was a big step up from 19, IMO, and not all that close sonically. But this song would fit right on 21 with no problem.

  43. WinnieCoopersMom says:

    She just continues to blow all the other female artists of today out of the water. I cant think of any other main stream artist with vocal chops like this. You can kind of dig into the indie scene a bit and find some that are somewhat comparable, but she is really just in a league of her own. I am anxious to hear the whole album and if it differs at all from her previous work. This song sounds very Adele, but I think we want something that doesn’t sound like a clone of 21. Either way, she gives me chills and I will have this album on repeat for a long time.

  44. capepopsie says:

    WOW. . .
    Left speachless. . . .

  45. Maya says:

    The first seconds I thought she was covering Lionel Ritchie’s Hello ! May be we can’t be as impressed as the first time. The song is still good though and her voice is majestuous !

  46. bros says:

    the difference in maturity between her music, lyrics, and voice compared to Taylor Swift is incredible. they are the same ago basically, or at least she wrote this song at the same age that Taylor is now. taylor looks like amateur hour compared to this.

    • Josefa says:

      That’s a very unfair comparison. Taylor writes music for teenage girls. Adele writes music for adults. They work in the same industry but for very different markets.

      • AuroraBorealis says:

        No, it’s a fair comparison. They are contemporaries, both make pop music both are the same age and female, why wouldn’t it be fair to compare them? One is just far more superior to the other and has incredible pipes and actual talent.

  47. elimouse says:

    After 2 minutes, listening to Hello, I rushed to iTunes Store and preorder the album… Sorry not sorry!

  48. Pants says:

    That song gave me chills, and she’s so stunningly beautiful. I love Adele!

  49. Nancy says:

    The song sucks but I still love Adele!

  50. Ella says:

    LOVE that she put the guy from The Wire on her video!!! He’s lovely.

    I love Adele but the song was a disappointment. Very formulaic, very blah, very heard-it-all-before. Hope the rest of the new album is better. I miss her songs like Cold Shoulder, Chasing Pavements etc…

    • Lola says:

      Technically it would be the directors job to find actors although she might have had final approval.

  51. Sarah01 says:

    I love the song, it meaningful and expresses perfectly what we’ve all felt. She is stunning!

  52. Cynthia says:

    So am going say it: am surprised she used a black guy as her love interest. Jut surprised cause I know so many executives had to sign off on the video. I like it, cause it reflects the world we will now, with this generation. But still.

    Please don’t tell me it doesn’t matter, that is 2015, that nobody thinks about these things, that we are color blind. Can you imagine Taylor Swift using a black guy as a love interest?

    • Katija says:

      You should check out Paloma Faith! Very very very Adele/Winehouse vibes and the stunning video for “Only Love Can Hurt Like This” has a black love interest. (And to answer your question, I could see Swift doing it if it was someone famous, but she wouldn’t “go black” if she was picking from a pool of male models. She’d only do it in the “safe” way, which is to use a famous actor.)

    • Jib says:

      I said the same thing before I read your comment, so YES to all you said.

    • Kath says:

      It’s probably because Adele’s a Londoner and isn’t as obsessed with race as people in the US (“Is Rita Ora secretly black”?, “Was Taylor Swift mean to Nicki Minaq?”, “Is statement x, y or z racist?”, “Does drunkenly touching the hair of a guy growing a rooster on his head [The Weeknd] make you a bigot?”)

      I’m sure his choice for the video wasn’t any kind of ‘statement’ to be picked over, but simply “Hey, a cute guy with dimples who can act”.

  53. Katija says:

    My flamboyant office mate has taken to singing “IS IT ME YOU’RE LOOKING FOR?!?!?!?!” whenever she says “Hello,” so I’m thinking I’m not going to get to enjoy this until I get home from work… with some wine… perhaps some tears… 🙂

  54. Lola says:

    Xavier Dolan is amazing. Good taste!

  55. someone says:

    I’ve always wondered if anyone else had that same experience: where you break up with someone and you spend forever obsessing if you did the right thing and wondering what happened to that person etc etc only the other person seems to have moved on and doesn’t think about you in return. I believe if you’ve been in that situation this song will speak to you. Otherwise you’ll find it boring.

    • FLORC says:

      I like to find meaning to enjoy a song. FMORC doesn’t need that. I think some people can enjoy the tune without needing deeper meaning. Still agree with your main point.

  56. Emmygrant says:

    I was quite bored with it; maybe it will grow on me. That said, few pop songs grab me from the first play. Most of the time I have to hear a song a few times before I can decide.

  57. Reece says:

    I am OBSESSED with her brows in this video!
    And that guys dimples! Hello! (pun intended)
    I am also moving to the UK so I can have a coat game. I can’t have serious coat game in LA. js

  58. Tiffany says:

    I was kicking myself trying to figure out who the guy in the video.

    *ding* Mike in The Wire. The 90210 remake will forever be forgotten.

  59. Jib says:

    I love Adele, think this song is OK, the video is beautiful. I love that she has a flip phone and that she is so gorgeous and that a “larger” woman is celebrated! I also chuckled, thinking of Kate Middleton trying out that eyeliner that Adele can wear with aplomb!

    I was also impressed that her love interest was an African American man. He’s so handsome, but I can’t imagine Taylor Swift or many American white singers doing that. I think there is just so much less racism in the UK than there still is in many parts of the US. It made me like her even more.

    I hope this album is a HUGE success!! Taylor is weeping in her friend’s laps right now, trying to get Adele’s text number so she can invite her to be part of her posse and back-up sing and dance for her. LOL!!!

  60. Colette says:

    Disappointing,I expected more from Adele

  61. Bluebell says:

    Beautiful voice! And a beautiful song. I’m not an Adele fan, own none of her music, but I watched the video out of interest and yeah, I liked it. How could you not?! It’s very haunting and quite sad, especially when she sings that it’s clearly not tearing them apart any more. Even though that’s a good thing, obviously, the way she sings it is so heart-wrending. I’m also glad it’s not about her own heartbreak.

  62. Malificent says:

    I love that Adele is a thousand times sexier bundled up in a winter coat than all of the pop tarts who are desperately flashing as much T & A as they can legally manage.

  63. dixon says:

    Her singing is spectacular. But the song sounds straight out of the Celine playbook. Wish she’d be heading in a bit more hip direction. Guess this will sell plenty though.

  64. naturegirl says:

    Heard it today and loved it.

  65. Jesika says:

    Oh my! I’m crying like a child, her voice, amazing.

  66. Camille says:

    Love her and missed her and that song was stunning (like her face).

  67. KayLastima says:

    I never thought I would say this but I don’t like it. I agree about the problems concerning the over production and speaking over the top of the song. Also, in no way did this bring me to tears. It frustrated me and left me feeling confused as to why this was eliciting that kind of reaction. Dang it, I really, really wanted it to make me cry because I have loved her other songs and have teared up over them.

  68. LAK says:

    I’ve listened to this song several times, in different venues, and meh!! Not feeling it at all.

  69. Colette says:

    When I hear “Someone Like You” I am moved to tears.With “Hello”,…. I don’t know I guess my expectations were too high.

  70. Cc says:

    I’m so ready for Adele to take over the music world again. Love the new song.

  71. PoliteTeaSipper says:

    I love her voice and musicianship, but Hello just sounds like a rehash of everything she’s already done.

  72. Veronica says:

    The last album was so overplayed by the time I replaced my iPod that I couldn’t bring myself to buy more than one or two singles off of it, so I’m looking forward to the new one. I enjoy “Hello” quite a bit and hope it’s a sign of good things to come on the album. Smokey altos are some of my favorite female voices. 🙂

  73. megsie says:

    Outstanding voice, beautiful young woman, but the song is like dishwater. Meh.

  74. Amanda G says:

    It’s growing on me, but I’m not totally in love with it yet. I immediately think of Lionel Richie’s song even though they are very different LOL

  75. Hanna says:

    Her voice is fantastic but the song is banal.

  76. A.Key says:

    I like it <3

  77. MSat says:

    I don’t hate it. It just feels very overproduced, sappy, Celine Dion-ish, which is a rather expected path for a female singer to take. I hope this isn’t the direction of the whole album. She is at a point in her career where she has the ability to take some risks.