Adele is making history with “Hello.” The British powerhouse’s first single in three years enters atop the Billboard Hot 100 this week.
The emotional ballad sold 1.11 million copies, setting a record for most downloads in a week, according to Billboard.
“Hello,” the first single from Adele’s third album 25, dethrones The Weeknd’s “The Hills” after six weeks at No. 1 and breaks the one-week download record previously held by Flo Rida’s “Right Round” in 2009 (636,000).
In anticipation of her album’s Nov. 20 release, Adele will perform a concert at New York’s Radio City Music Hall that will be taped for a one-hour NBC special, “Adele Live in New York City,” airing Dec. 14.
Following Adele, Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” debuts at No. 2 on the Hot 100, Digital Songs, and Streaming Songs charts. The Skrillex-produced song sold 277,000 downloads in its first week. Bieber has simultaneous top 5 singles this week, along with “What Do You Mean?” at No. 5.
Elsewhere on the Hot 100, Drake’s “Hotline Bling” drops to No. 3 after three weeks at No. 2, and The Weeknd’s “The Hills” falls to No. 4 after six weeks on top.
