Adele's latest video for her new single has broken viewing records for a first day release, with 27.7 million views. The video takes the top spot from Taylor Swift, who had previously held the record with her "Bad Blood" video from earlier this year.
"Hello", which is available for viewing on YouTube via Vevo, racked up 27.7 million views in its first day of release on Friday, easily shattering Swift's prior record of 20.1. Before Swift, another female pop star, Miley Cyrus, held the top spot for her "Wrecking Ball" video.
"Hello", a haunting ballad from the perennially heartbroken singer, eschews color for deep sepia tones, and is also the first music video to be partially shot with IMAX cameras. Director Xavier Dolan explained his use of the technology. "The shots on IMAX are two shots: mostly the finale on that pond, and there's the shot of her opening her eyes. I love an introduction like that," says Dolan. "It just seemed nice: she had been gone for three or four years. So she's settling in and taking all of those curtains and sheets off, ripping them down from the walls. It's like Adele coming back home."
The song is also available for streaming on Apple Music and Spotify, although the availability of the full album , entitled "25", on the latter, upon it's Nov. 20 release, is unclear. Adele famously withheld her last album "19" from the streaming service for 18 months until finally releasing it on Spotify.
While Adele easily shattered Swift's first day viewing record, it remains to be seen whether she can overtake another of Taylor's video viewing achievements. The pop star's "Blank Space" is the titleholder for most viewed video on Vevo ever, with a whopping 1.2 billion views on the service. It's unclear whether "Hello" will have the staying power to approach that record, although if the controversy over her flip phone continues, viewers tuning in to see her using the device could give her a shot. Already, 2.5 million have checked out the silly mashup below of the singer hanging up on Lionel Richie with it, when the iconic performer calls her to say-you guessed it-"Hello".
