Conveying the same transfixing blend of soulfulness, stylishness, independence, and emotion Adele displayed on her earlier record-breaking efforts but showing increased senses of maturity, poise, and agility, the British songstress turned her knockout third album 25 into a statement-making musical showcase that still resonates a half a decade later. Released in 2015 and featuring the smash single "Hello" which shot to No. 1 in 35 countries, 25 went on to win six Grammy Awards – including Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album. With over 30 million global sales to date 25 is one of the century's biggest selling albums.

"My last record was a break-up record and if I had to label this one I would call it a make-up record," Adele explained. "I'm making up with myself. Making up for lost time. Making up for everything I ever did and never did. But I haven't got time to hold on to the crumbs of my past like I used to. What's done is done. Turning 25 was a turning point for me, slap bang in the middle of my twenties. Teetering on the edge of being an old adolescent and a fully-fledged adult, I made the decision to go into becoming who I'm going to be forever without a removal van full of my old junk."

"I miss everything about my past, the good and the bad, but only because it won't come back," she adds. "When I was in it I wanted out! So typical. I'm on about being a teenager: sitting around and chatting shit, not caring about the future because it didn't matter then like it does now. The ability to be flippant about everything and there be no consequences. Even following and breaking rules...is better than making the rules. 25 is about getting to know who I've become without realising. And I'm sorry it took so long, but you know, life happened."