[ot-caption title=”The music video for ‘Hello’ was filmed entirely in sepia, mirroring the atmosphere and mood that Adele portrays in her single. (via, Adele Website)”]

After all the impatience and the rumors circulating for most of 2015, Adele has finally returned to the music scene with “Hello,” her first single off her upcoming album 25. With the single, came a music video filmed entirely in a light sepia tone and focused around the heart-wrenching and relatable lyrics that Adele is famous for. With singles such as “Someone Like You,” “Chasing Pavements,” and “Rolling in the Deep,” the British soul singer had already established her reputation as a female power icon in the music industry. Nonetheless, this new single marked Adele’s explosive comeback and made it impossible to ignore around the globe.

The music video for “Hello,” the first music video to be filmed in IMAX, was directed by Cannes-acclaimed director Xavier Dolan and shot in Montreal’s countryside. In it, Adele is recovering from what seems to have been a messy breakup, trying to contact her ex on the phone but losing signal. The most impactful and effective aspect of the video, however, is her entrance. After a minute of no music and her face unfocused, Adele finally settles herself in the center, rolls her head on her neck, and looks straight at the camera with thick-lashed eyes as the first lyric plays: “Hello, it’s me.” That itself, summarizes Adele’s comeback: intense, dramatic, shameless, and completely her.

In fact, everything about the song perfectly reflects Adele’s comeback. The title itself can be interpreted as a greeting to the general public, as if she’s saying, “Hello, world. It’s me, after all these years.” Critics may argue that “Hello” is just a breakup song typical of the British soul singer, but they neglect to realize that is why it’s so genius. The song perfectly reflects who Adele is as a singer, as a person, as an icon in every sense of the word. The simple fact that it’s “just” a breakup song accompanied by an “unoriginal” music video is beyond impressive, because Adele inarguably returned with a huge bang, while simultaneously staying true to herself and being unapologetic about it.

In any case, Adele’s success during the past few weeks has spoken for itself. Just in the first week alone, “Hello” sold 1.1 million downloads, effectively becoming the first song with more than a million downloads within its first week. The music video reached 100 million views on Vevo within five days of its release, beating Miley Cyrus’s “Wrecking Ball.”  The music video also set a new record for most views on the site within its first 24 hours of release- 27.7 million. On November 20^th, the same day that she released her album 25, Adele’s first performance of “Hello” will be broadcast on television as part of the hour-long special Adele at the BBC hosted by Graham Norton. She is also scheduled to perform on Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and Today, all this month.

At this point, there’s nothing left to say but: hello, Adele. It’s nice to have you back.

Sources: New York Times, Billboard, The Guardian, Pitchfork, Adele Website