By: Zenab Saeed ~Staff Writer~

British singer and songwriter, Adele, plans to release her long awaited, third studio album on Nov. 20 after a three-year break from the music industry.

The 10-time Grammy Award-winning artist found tremendous initial fame with her 2008 album “19” and cultivated even more success with tracks “Someone Like You” and “Rolling in the Deep” from her 2011 album “21.” Her latest release prior to her return was her 2012 single “Skyfall” for the James Bond film of the same name, for which she received the Academy Award for Best Original Song, Golden Globe for Best Original Song and a Grammy Award.

Continuing her trend of naming her albums with her age, 27-year-old Adele titled her new album “25” in reference to her age when she wrote it. Although there is still quite some time before fans can listen to the entirety of the album’s 11 tracks, the lead single “Hello” was released on Oct. 23 and received great acclaim and international success.

Adele collaborated with American producer and songwriter Greg Kurstin on the song, whose conception marked a creative breakthrough for Adele, who suffered from writer’s block during her hiatus.

The emotional and powerful ballad, which is comparable to Adele’s earlier work in terms of showcasing her impressive performance and vocal abilities, initially seems to follow her previous songs’ theme of a romantic relationship’s breakup. “Hello,” however, is not a message to reconnect with an ex-lover, but rather to portray a reconnection with herself.

Adele referenced her song’s and album’s foundation through a message she posted on Twitter. “My last record was a break-up record and if I had to label this one, I would call it a make-up record. I’m making up with myself. Making up for lost time. Making up for everything I ever did and never did… ‘25’ is about getting to know who I’ve become without realizing,” Adele wrote.

When acknowledging this important element of Adele’s latest work, another layer of complexity and emotional relevance is added when considering the artist’s single. “Hello” is not a literal song; rather, Adele alludes to and addresses her past self, which provides an even more powerful message.

Furthermore, the song’s accompanying music video directed by Canadian actor and filmmaker Xavier Dolan, which broke records for both shortest time to acquire 100 million views and for most views in 24 hours, initially seems to portray a breakup, with Adele calling an ex-boyfriend to talk to him.

In reality, however, the video’s phone call features Adele calling her past self, an idea that resonates with Adele’s intent for her latest songs.