Sept. 24
After months of speculation and years of false alarms, industry sources peg 25‘s release as Nov. 20, though Sony Music executives decline to confirm.
Oct. 18
A 30-second ad featuring a snippet of “Hello” airs in the United Kingdom during The X Factor — the first public airing of Adele’s new music.
Oct. 21
Adele tweets a letter to fans apologizing for the long gap between albums — “Life happens” — and later confirms 25‘s title and Nov. 20 release date.
Oct. 23
The “Hello” video premieres, breaking Vevo’s record for most views in 24 hours (27.7 million) and becoming the second-fastest YouTube clip to pass 100 million views.
Oct. 27
In her first interview in three years, Adele speaks on motherhood and the “toxic” nature of fame for i-D magazine; BBC announces an hourlong special, Adele at the BBC, filming Nov. 2.
Nov. 2
“Hello” debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 — becoming the first song to sell 1 million digital downloads in a week.
Nov. 3
Adele appears on the cover of Rolling Stone, discussing Rick Rubin’s influence on 25, her throat surgery and reservations about touring.
Nov. 6
The first video of Adele performing “Hello” live, taken from the BBC special, is released.
Nov. 17
Adele films an NBC concert special at New York’s Radio City Music Hall and celebrates 25‘s release three days later with a performance at Joe’s Pub, the site of her first U.S. show in 2008.
Nov. 21
Adele kicks off a U.S. TV run with appearances on NBC’s Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Today.
Nov. 24
25 officially breaks ‘N Sync’s one-week record of 2.42 million sales in four days and finishes the surveyed week with 3.38 million in sales.
Nov. 30
In its second week, 25 soars past 4 million in U.S. sales and becomes the fastest album to sell a million units in U.K. history.