It kind of goes without saying that Adele had a huge impact on 2015. It's even more incredible to think about the fact that before Oct. 18 — when she cryptically teased her single "Hello" [1] — we hadn't heard a peep. Since then, it's been a flurry of new music, stellar performances, shattered records, and pure love for the singer. Keep reading to see just how big her short year was, then check out a collection of her little-known facts [2].
A Record-Smashing New Single, Nearly Out of Nowhere
After more than three years, Adele blindsided everyone with a beautiful, powerful new song called "Hello." In just over a month, the video is well on its way to 1 billion views. What's more, it inspired heartbroken responses from celebrities [3] and the Internet alike [4]. Basically, no one was OK.
Her Most Candid Interviews to Date
As soon as "Hello" debuted, Adele began giving tons of interviews, revealing more about her life than ever before. She talked about her 3-year-old son, Angelo, in i-D [5]; finally opened up about her family life in Rolling Stone [6]; totally gushed about her boyfriend, Simon Konecki [7]; and even got real about sadness [8].
A Hilarious, Heartwarming Prank on Some of Her Biggest Fans
Adele's album wasn't the only amazing thing that dropped on Nov. 20. A new clip showed the songstress disguising herself as a woman named "Jenny" [9] and auditioning to be an Adele impersonator. It's a guaranteed day-maker.
A Slew of Live Performances, Including on Saturday Night Live
Almost immediately Adele began singing her new songs left and right. She performed "Hello" and "When We Were Young" on SNL [10], belted out "Million Years Ago" on Today [11], and even pick up classroom instruments with Jimmy Fallon [12]. And she killed it every damn time, by the way.
The Release of Her Highly Anticipated Album, 25
Not only is 25 one of the best albums of 2015, but it's shattering records [13]. It toppled *NSYNC's 15-year-old record for fastest selling album in one week. The number of sales? A whopping 2.4 million. It's OK if you cried your way through every song [14].
Casual Hangs With Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone
In additional unfair news, she'd had dinner with Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth [15] in the same week. Oh, to be a fly on the wall.
Under-the-Wire Inclusion in DJ Earworm's "United State of Pop"
"Hello" and the rest of 25 really came in at the tail-end of 2015. Perhaps a testament to that music's instantly iconic status, though, is that "Hello" is the first word sung in DJ Earworm's "United State of Pop" mashup for 2015.
A Live Special on NBC
Don't be sad about the fact that Adele hasn't announced any tour dates in the US yet. She has a live special on NBC [16] coming up — at the Radio City Music Hall, no less. What a perfect cap on the year for her, right?