25 (2015)

25 is the third studio album by the English singer-songwriter Adele, released on 20 November 2015 by XL Recordings and Columbia Records. The album is titled as a reflection of her life and frame of mind at 25 years old and is termed a "make-up record". Its lyrical content features themes of Adele "yearning for her old self, her nostalgia", and "melancholia about the passage of time" according to an interview with the singer by Rolling Stone, as well as themes of motherhood, new love, and regret.

In contrast to Adele's previous works, the production of 25 incorporated the use of electronic elements and creative rhythmic patterns, with elements of 1980s R&B and organs. Four singles were released to promote the album, with "Hello" becoming an international number one song and the fastest selling digital single in the US, with over a million copies sold within a week of its release, "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" charted within the top 10 and "When We Were Young" and "Water Under the Bridge" charted within the top 20 across Europe and North America.

25 received positive reviews from music critics, who commended its production and Adele's vocal performance. 25 debuted at number one in 32 countries and broke first-week sales records in multiple countries, including the UK and US. In the US, 3.48 million equivalent album units in its first week of sales, with 3.38 million copies in its first week of sales, marked the largest single-week sales for an album since Luminate Data began tracking point-of-sale music purchases in 1991 at the time, and 25 sold more than one million copies in both its second and fifth weeks. In the UK, 800,307 copies were sold in its first week of sales. According to Guinness World Records, 25 set a first-week record with 5.7 million sales worldwide. 25 was the world's best-selling album of the year for 2015, with 17.4 million copies sold within the year, and has gone on to sell over 22 million copies worldwide, making it the fourth-best selling album of the 21st century, the second-best selling album of the 2010s (behind her own 21), and one of the best-selling albums of all-time. Following 21, it was certified Diamond by the RIAA, making Adele the only artist of the 2010s to achieve this certification with two albums. 25 stands as the third best-selling album of the 21st century in the UK. It is among the best-selling albums in UK music history.

Journalists credited 25 with renewing interest in physical formats over downloads or streaming, amidst dwindling physical sales in the music industry. The album won the 2016 Brit Award for British Album of the Year, and the 2017 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. To promote the album, Adele embarked on her third worldwide concert tour, Adele Live 2016. It started on 29 February 2016 and ended on 30 June 2017. The concert broke numerous attendance records across the globe and grossed $278.4 million.

Background

Following the release of 21 (2011), Adele was considering quitting music. However, in early 2012, she announced she was simply taking a hiatus from music to "take time and live a little bit". Her hiatus from music came to an end after the birth of her first child in October 2012, with Adele stating her son inspired her to start recording music again for him to "know what I do". Before the album's recording came under way, Adele made a conscious decision not to try and create another 21 and would not make another "heartbreak record".