Adele's emotional letter reveals story behind her new album

Adele has opened up about her much-anticipated third album in an emotional letter to fans.

The singer confirmed her new record will be called 25 and will explore who she has "become without realising".

"I'm sorry it took so long, but you know, life happened," she wrote in a message posted on Twitter and Facebook.

"My last record was a break-up record...if I had to label this one, I would call it a make-up record."

The 27-year-old did not confirm when her new material will be released but reports suggest it could be available to buy as early as next month.

Here's how fans reacted to Adele's heartfelt statement:

It comes just days after she released a 30-second teaser of a new song during the X Factor ad break.

The lyrics were: "Hello/It's me/I was wondering if after all these years you'd like to meet/To go over everything."

Fans have had to wait more than four years for the London-born singer to release new material, after she took time off to give birth to her first son Angelo in 2012.

Her second album '21' - which she describes as a "break-up record" - became the biggest-selling album of the 21st Century.

More than 30 million copies were sold across the globe.