By: Blen Asres

     On October 23, Adele released the new song, Hello, for her upcoming album that is going to be released on November 20. Rumors that she was coming back were proven when a commercial during the U.K. X-Factor ran the beginning 30 seconds of her song Hello. This is her first single in three years and its unexpected release caused the world to go crazy. Then after the song was released the full video went out as well and Adele once again broke a record; within the first day of its release the video received 27.1 million views on VEVO beating the previous high of 20.1 million views.

     The music video for Hello was shot in Montreal, Canada by Director Xavier Dolan. It gained a lot of attention for not only being the first video released by Adele in three years, but also because it was the first video that used IMAX video cameras. This gained a lot of attention from the cinema scene due to what this type of advancement  now means for the future of music videos. Along with the improved video quality of IMAX cameras, in the video, Adele used a flip phone which caused social media to go crazy. Many GIFs and memes went out mocking that the flip phones instead of Adele was the one to come back. When The Los Angeles Times asked Dolan why they used the flip phone, he said,“If you see an iPhone or a Toyota in a movie, they’re anti-narrative, they take you out of the story.” He continued to say, “If I put an iPhone or a modern car in a movie it feels like I’m making a commercial.”

     Artists also shared their love and excitement for the major comeback that Adele has made. Artists such as Katy Perry, Sam Smith, and Kate Hudson were just some of the few that shared their love and appreciation of the song through social media. Even Oakland Mills students shared their love and obsession for the new song. When asked about the new IMAX technology on the video in comparison with Adele’s other videos, sophomore Ashara Wilson said, “I liked this one more, and the quality was fine.” She also added, “I liked how the video told a story and how a person of color was featured.” Along with the video, the lyrics also hit a chord with many people. Ashley Harvey shared that the lyrics “felt personal and intact”  compared to many songs that are out in the mainstream media right now.

     Adele is back and with the release of her album in November is sure to break more records. She shared in a personal letter that she released on social media that her album “25” will be about her life as an adult and her journey to self-acceptance. She also said,“My last record was a break-up record and if I had to label this one I would call it a make-up record,” she said. “I’m making up with myself. Making up for lost time. Making up with everything I ever did and never did.”

A review on the album, that was released today,  will be coming up soon in the December issue of The Scroll.