ADÉLA: The New Pop Star

Adéla is a Slovakian, 22 year old girl that has been smashing with her releases, ever since the very first one. She was a participant in Dream Academy, the program that formed the global girl-group KATSEYE. She unfortunately, was the first one to be eliminated due to her star power and “individuality”, where judges believed she would rather thrive as a solo artist (spoiler: they were right). Everyone was so devastated to see her leave, since she had a very strong skill set, especially as a professional ballerina. In hindsight, it is the best thing that could’ve happened to her.

Her debut single “SUPERSCAR”, went immediately viral and she was able to establish a strong fan base ever since. A tight budget, some friends, and stunning mix of vocals and choreo, came to demonstrate what a string artist ADÉLA is.

THE RISE OF A SOLO ARTIST

From the get-go Adéla knew exactly who she was and the type of music she wanted to make. This just made it easier for us, as fans, to relate to her music and understand where her inspirations are coming from. We are the same age, and Adéla had a pretty similar childhood then mine in terms of music exposure. Her, me and many other can relate to that exact vibe, which makes it easier for audiences to relate to her.

When she signed with Capitol Records, one of the biggest record labels in the world, and released her debut EP The Provocateur, her pop star status just kept growing. She just ended one of the biggest milestones in her debut era, which is opening for Demi Lovato's tour, introducing her music to thousands of new listeners each night. Since she is not yet a huge name in the industry, these achievements are huge. Especially with someone like Demi, who has clearly been a big inspiration for her growing up. Yet, after all these, I still deeply believe she is capable of so much more.

PUBLIC IMAGE: HER BIGGEST STRENGTH

One of the reasons Adéla fascinates me so much as an artist, is not only her very strong skill set, but the music and persona she has, really makes me think that she’s got it all to be a superstar.

Nowadays, the music industry is so crowded. Every week there are new artists and new waves of trends for all types of music genres. This may play a big role for Adéla though, she clearly has a very branded sound that can keep evolving, but yet sound HER. On the other hand, Adéla has shown time and time again that this is all she has worked for her entire life, it’s not just a project, it’s a passion one.

Her ballet background with the discipline, elegance and technical precision that come from years of training are apparent in every performance. That discipline has definitely carried on in other aspects of her life. She started learning English at only 8 years old, completely self-taught. “I was like eight working the night shift to learn English, I'm like a spy, I studied this shit, call me the KG, b*tch”.

"Just a little European girl was plotting on my rise, 18 immigrated, A star in the making, No, I'm not being c*cky, I just worked my whole life"

The Provocateur EP

Nothing about her image comes off as catered, she is an artist building her own world

and inviting audiences into it. Adéla's image may feel very aspirational but it also gives relatable and professional, she didn’t come to mess around, she’s established and confident about it. That why, she is such a special case in my little pop fan-girl heart, she is the living image of “dreams come true”, but you have to work for it.

THE NEXT MAINSTREAM GIRL

I can’t emphasize enough the amount of talent this girl has. Yes, she has stage presence and amazing choreography, but her vocals are also something to talk about. While doing the pop/electronic/dance style, she still has a very wide range. She consistently demonstrates impressive vocal control and range, proving that she is far more than just a performer.

Nowadays I have seen a lot of discourse online surrounding pop artists and what they excel at. It’s either incredible singers that struggle with performance, or fantastic dancers but lacking vocals. Adéla has a balance of all the different aspects, which is quite hard to achieve. The vocals, the visuals, the storytelling, the choreography and the personality all feel part of her.

As for audiences, she can appeal to many of it. Dream Academy viewers have followed her journey for years, like me. Pop fans are interested in her because of the music and aesthetic. Dancers can relate and admire her technicality and complex choreography. Even casual social media users can become her fans because of her confidence and authenticity. With only an EP and a few singles in her roaster, she’s already getting over 3 million monthly listeners in Spotify ONLY.

Adéla, the girl with pink hair, doesn’t only serve choreography on stage, the vocals are insane”.

HOW I WOULD BRING HER TO A LARGER AUDIENCE

The talent is there, the image is there, the music is there and the label support is there,

why isn't she already a mainstream name?

Personally, I believe that while the skillset is already there, her team has to be able to market in larger spaces. I understand that the hardest part of building an artist is making people care, but Adéla already has that. Fans are emotionally invested in her story. What she needs now is more opportunities to be in front of new audiences.

Opening for Demi Lovato, for example, was a great opportunity to place her in front of more people.. Every night, thousands of people who may have never heard of Adéla before were introduced to her music, and live, which is even better.

If I were part of her marketing team, I would continue focusing heavily on festivals and live performances. Adéla's biggest strength is performing in front of a live audience. One performance is often enough to understand why people become fans, the stage presence is more than enough to make people turn their heads.

I would also set more impact on visual content, like music videos. While some may believe this is a dying for of art, in today’s world, virality is quite important. It Her music videos, styling and choreography can create an entire aesthetic around her music. Social media has made our attention spans short,  which is why having a strong visual identity is one of the most powerful marketing tools an artist can have.

Most importantly, I would stop positioning her as an upcoming artist and start positioning her as a big popstar. With the announcement of the “Red Bottoms Tour”, the venues were pretty small and demand was far more. Her London show sold out in less than a minute, same as it did during her first mini tour “The ProvocaTour” . Yes, having a fully sold out tour is amazing, but she still has the audience to do that, in much bigger venues.

NO LONGER OUR LITTLE SECRET

As someone who has followed Adéla since Dream Academy, watching her growth has been incredibly astounding. For years, she was my little secret artist that only my sister and I listened to. While I wanted to keep her a secret, I really am looking forward to seeing her on the biggest venues around the world. She really can maintain anybody’s attention, and if you listen to her storytelling/songwriting, you will find its much deeper than a catchy beat.

With every release, festival appearance, and new tours, Adéla moves closer to the mainstream spotlight that many fans, like me, have believed she deserved from the very beginning.

So many people connect with her story. She's not an overnight success. She's the result of years of discipline, sacrifice and work behind the scenes. The ballet classes, the move abroad, teaching herself English, surviving elimination from a global competition and still finding a way to build her own path.

Adéla represents an artist who genuinely earned every step of her success, some may now know her story, and I want to let my readers know, if you can take some minutes of your day to listen to her, DO IT!.

Part of me misses when she felt like our little secret,  but another part of me knows she was never meant to stay one, she deserves all the good coming to her.