It’s been about a month since Adele made her grand return to music with the release of her first single in almost 4 years, “Hello.” Since then, Adele has taken significant strides to reclaim her rightful throne overseeing the seas of scandal-hungry and mediocre-at-best pop stars with a handful of live performances (which were all fire, by the way), new album teasers, long-anticipated interviews, all leading up to the release of her first full-length record in over four years, 25.

Although it’s been a little under 5 years since the release of her last record, 21, the music industry has been moving and evolving, seeing the growth, demise, and rebirth of musical artists in the industry. In lieu of Adele’s new release, 25, here are 25 things that were going on in the music industry the last time Adele was climbing the charts.

1. Britney Spears releases her seventh studio album, Femme Fatale, and last album under the record label, Jive, before its dissolution.
2. Lady Gaga releases her first single, Born This Way, off of her upcoming album of the same name. The song remained in the number one position of the Billboard Hot 100 for 7 weeks.
3. Beyonce releases her fourth solo studio album, 4, the first album she would release since severing professional ties with her father and then-manager, Mathew Knowles.
4. Selena Gomez releases her third and last album, When The Sun Goes Down, with her band, The Scene.
5. Vanessa Carlton releases Rabbits on the Run, her first studio album after a four-year hiatus.
6. Foster the People releases their debut studio album, Torches, featuring the single, Pumped Up Kicks.
7. Jay-Z and Kanye West release a collaborative album, Watch the Throne, featuring the single, Ni**as in Paris.
8. Demi Lovato releases Unbroken, her first album after finishing treatment at a rehabilitation center.
9. Joe Jonas releases his first solo record, Fast Life.
10. Britney Spears embarks on the Femme Fatale Tour, her last concert tour to promote an album.
11. Taylor Swift embarks on the Speak Now World Tour, her first concert world tour to be playing in arenas and larger venues.
12. Miley Cyrus announces the Gypsy Heart Tour to promote her album, Can’t Be Tamed. Cyrus also announces that she would not be taking the tour to the United States.
13. One Direction places 3rd in The X-Factor UK, and begin working on their debut album, Up All Night. Their debut single, What Makes You Beautiful is released in September 2011.
14. Hilary Duff announces her pregnancy with her first child with then-husband, Mike Comrie.
15. Beyonce announces her pregnancy during her performance of Love On Top at the MTV Video Music Awards.
16. Avril Lavigne releases Goodbye Lullaby, shortly after announcing her divorce from her then-husband, Deryck Whibley.
17. Friday by Rebecca Black goes viral, thus marking the beginning of a lucrative YouTube career.
18. Justin Bieber’s first concert film/documentary, Never Say Never, hits theaters.
19. Katy Perry completes 69 consecutive weeks in the top ten of Billboard’s Hot 100 with the release of Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.), the most weeks on the Hot 100 any artist has ever completed in history.
20. Scotty McCreery is crowned the winner of the tenth season of American Idol.
21. Blink-182 releases Neighborhoods, their first release since their indefinite hiatus in 2005.
22. The Black-Eyed Peas are announced to be the headliners of the Super Bowl XLV half-time show.
23. Miley Cyrus hosts Saturday Night Live for the first time, with musical guest, The Strokes.
24. Walk The Moon signs with RCA Records and begin work on their first major label studio album.
25. Ed Sheeran releases his debut single, The A Team, along with his debut album, +.

If you haven’t already, make sure you give Adele’s new album a listen. Fair warning, though: You are sure to sob into your Thanksgiving dinner while contemplating all those who have done you wrong, so make sure you have several boxes of tissues handy.

I hope you all are enjoying the holiday season, and have a fantastic Thanksgiving!