There’s been a big void in our hearts, yearning for sappy love songs by a British lady with a large voice, and after a four year hiatus, Adele just came back to fill it. Though you may not have realized you needed a good cry this week, Adele’s recording breaking music video debut for her latest single “Hello,” proves we were missing all the feels.

Adele’s first music video in four years smashed records at Vevo.com, garnering more than 27 million views in the first 24 hours of its release.

Vevo representatives said on Monday that the video, which debuted exclusively on its site on Friday, beat the previous record holder, Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” video by more than seven million views. Swift’s video was seen 20 million times in the first 24 hours after its release in May.

And dethroning Taylor Swift from her position wasn’t the video’s only achievement. “Hello” is also the first music video to be partially shot using IMAX cameras. Director Xavier Dolan talked about how he used the cameras in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

“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,” Dolan said. “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.”

“Hello” went viral within hours of its release and as of today has been viewed more than 73 million times. It is the first single from Adele’s upcoming November album, “25,“ the first since “21” won six Grammy awards and sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. We were talking about internet sensations though, and the video still has a ways to go if Adele wants to unseat Swift’s other big Vevo record. “Blank Space” was recently named the all-time most-viewed video on Vevo, with 1.2 billion views and counting. It remains to be seen whether “Hello” will make it to the next Vevo milestone, but as a whole the song is doing extremely well.

While figures for early downloads of the heartfelt ballad probably won’t be available until next week, music website Billboard.com said digital sales could also break records.

Billboard reported that some music industry sources estimated that “Hello” sold about 450,000 in its first two days on sale, and could top the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts next week.

MAY 14- The second the lights dimmed at the Fonda Theater, shrieks from teenage girls filled the room. As James Bay took center stage at the Los Angeles venue, with his long brown hair under his signature wide brimmed hat, and bright red guitar against his chest, the booming bluesy guitar riffs for “Collide” invigorated the crowd. Even on a cold and rainy Thursday night, there was excitement in the air.

Immediately, after he took lead in front of his band, it was easy to see why this 24-year-old from Hertfordshire, England is taking the music scene by storm, Bay has a presence that is undeniable. Bay combines his soulful voice, bluesy guitar solos, and contemporary songwriting into a unique sound that brings a wide range of genres together. You can’t quite pin him down into one area, because the mood and style from one song to the next is so different. It’s just James Bay.

James Bay Opens With “Collide”

Bay emerged onto the scene in 2013, after being discovered through a YouTube video and by the end of 2014, he had won the Brit award (the British equivalent of the Grammy Awards) for Critics’ Choice. Past winners include Sam Smith, Ellie Goulding, Florence and the Machine, and Adele, all of which have had massive success in the US. Clearly in good company, Bay has followed in his predecessors footsteps. But Bay knew that if anything, his early success just meant he has more to prove. In an interview with The Independent, Bay said of his Brit win: “I’m hugely appreciative of the recognition. But then I’ll go away and work on how great my live set is gonna be. I’ve got stuff to prove. That’s the crazy thing about the Critics’ Choice Award, you get it before you’ve really done much.”

Photo by Rosemary Vega

But Bay has definitely been doing “much” since his win. His debut album, Chaos and the Calm, was released in March and peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200 chart. Right before the release, he embarked on his very first headlining North American tour, starting in New York and ending in L.A.  Acknowledging that it was the last impression he’d make for the tour, Bay made sure to tell the crowd he’d give his “everything” for it. And alas- he did. His determination to prove himself was evident in every note, movement, and smile. Following “Collide,” Bay moved on to “Craving,” another song which showcased his guitar skills, skills that may not have been as obvious in his more popular songs, “Let It Go,” and “Hold Back the River.”

Towards the middle of the show, Bay gave his band a break and began an acoustic section of songs, “Running,” “Let it Go,” and “Move Together.” The slowed songs showcased the troubadour’s rasp and gritty vocals, mixed with beautiful falsettos that sent chills up and down arms. But the most powerful and emotional song was the folky, “Scars,” a song that he was only able to finish after two years of healing (and a reunion with his girlfriend). Bay really did seem to give his all to the performance, his voice echoing through the venue as the audience stood in silence taking in all his emotion.

Photo by Rosemary Vega

Changing the tempo completely, Bay picked things back up with “Best Fake Smile,” arguably the catchiest song of the record. The audience clapped and danced along to the booming chorus. At the culmination of the evening, Bay “ended” his set with “Get Out While You Can.” Again, Bay’s ability to switch from gritty vocals to beautiful high pitched falsettos was showcased in this Springsteen-esque rock song. Bay cleverly used his band to amplify this song, and they were able to showcase their talents in this one as well.

After some loud screams from the teenage girls and just about every “type” of person you could imagine in L.A. that made up the audience, Bay came back for his encore. After Bay sang “Incomplete” and a stunning cover of Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You” (with an incredible guitar solo in the middle), there was no denying it: James Bay isn’t going anywhere. With his musicality, his vocal ability, his good looks, and yes, of course, that charming British accent, Bay has nowhere to go but forward.

Even though Bay was a man of little words between songs, the crowd’s enthusiasm for Bay was evident as everybody- women and men, young and old- sang along every word to every single song throughout his set. All of Bay’s emotions, musicianship, hard work and passion was left for all his fans (and some celebrities- Nick Fradiani, Niall Horan, and James Marsden were all in attendance) to see and feel as he ended the night with the song that began most people’s admiration, “Hold Back the River.” “Let’s do this again soon, Los Angeles” Bay said, which I don’t think anyone would be opposed to.

When you think of female soul artists you might picture Amy Winehouse, Adele or Lauren Hill, Elaine Faye and the Big Bang probably isn’t a name you’d put in there or even one that you’d recognize, but it’s one you want to put on your radar.

The band, lead by Elaine Faye (with Kyle Rector on percussion, Oliver Lee on the keyboard, Luis Munoz playing guitar, Enrique Hinojosa playing bass, and Cheyenne Melton doing back up vocals and tambourine), has been playing their unique alt soul sound at venues throughout the country for a couple of years and their fan base expands with every performance. In 2011, Music Connection Magazine named them “one of the best unsigned bands to see live.” The Pasadena Weekly said Faye’s voice is, “equally reminiscent of Amy Winehouse and India.Arie, but there is nothing derivative about her sound or style. Whether she’s covering Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” or confessing her woes with her self-empowerment anthem “Get Back Up,” the folky twist she puts on soul-pop is refreshing.”

Photo credit: Gary Burns

With such a high amount of praise you may be surprised to hear that Elaine Faye and the Big Bang have yet to release an EP. Faye released her own self-titled EP in 2011, but fans haven’t had a chance to listen to what the group can do together. If you didn’t know about them before today, it is the perfect time to get to know the band because they plan to release their first EP “Fever” this fall and HTS got an exclusive first listen of their upcoming single “Not Good Enough.”

“Not Good Enough” opens with an upbeat intro that kind of sounds like it could be placed in the opening credits of an 80s teen movie (and we mean this in the best way possible, because 80s movies are awesome – “The Breakfast Club” come on). Before Faye starts singing you almost assume the voice will be very electronic and synthesized, but instead you are treated to Elaine’s rich and soulful sound. It makes for a lovely contrast.

The song will quickly get you grooving and bobbing your head, but do not be fooled “Not Good Enough,” is not a dance song. On the contrary, the song is about heartache and unrequited love. It perfectly describes how frustrating it can be to give it your all and never be good enough. There’s a line where Faye says, “she could be a model” and still not be good enough — heck she even tries to “slay a dragon” that’s a lot of dedication for one person.

This may not have been the intention, but “Not Good Enough” also captures the essence of what it’s like to date in L.A. Anyone who’s lived in Los Angeles for an extended period of time knows how treacherous the dating scene can be. (If you’ve never been to Los Angeles the running theme among people living in the city is that it’s impossible to find a decent significant other, the good ones are all taken and the rest are either extremely shallow or not what you’re looking for.)

We’re not exactly sure what the inspiration for the song really is, but we can say it is catchy and it shows off the band’s talents well.

Anyone who’s ever experienced unrequited love and enjoys soulful voices will instantly be drawn to this track.

Click to listen: Not Good Enough