ADÉLA 9/4/26

ADÉLA- PRIMA (Album).

 This is ADÉLA, a Slovak pop artist releasing her debut album. Eleven songs, thirty-one minutes, executive produced by Dylan Brady of 100 gecs and Blake Slatkin, following her earlier EP, The Provocateur. She's said she wanted the album to sound like exactly what it is: a 22-year-old figuring herself out, balancing confidence with vulnerability.

It opens with "KGB," which is essentially a flex track from start to finish. She brags about working night shifts as a kid just to learn English, using that as proof of how hard she's worked to get here. It sets the tone for the album's opening stretch, which leans heavily into that "I earned this" attitude.

"Nicole Kidman" runs on a chipmunk soul, hip hop-leaning production, with a line about waking up every day to a world that feels like her own buffet. It's playful and a little over the top, but it mostly works within the album's confident opening run.

"I'm The Man" keeps that same self-assured energy going based on the title, sounding like another track built around asserting herself rather than second-guessing anything.

"Boys" is clubby and leans into a sultry, Britney Spears-style swagger, more focused on attracting attention than saying anything particularly deep.

"Red Bottoms" is actually one of the more vulnerable songs on the record, with her opening up about insecurities instead of flexing, offering a real contrast after three straight songs of confidence.

"Hitachi" stays in that same tender territory, dealing with someone withholding affection, and it comes across as one of the quieter, more emotionally honest moments on the album.

"Fantasize" feels like it likely leans back into a flirtier, more playful register based on the title, probably sitting closer to "Boys" than the more vulnerable tracks around it.

"Starving Artist" sounds like it could be about the grind before actually making it, tying back into that same hustle narrative she establishes on "KGB."

"Marijuana" is about getting high off a new guy rather than an actual drug reference, keeping that lighter, romantic tone going.

"Therapy" is the most experimental song on the record, a bare-bones, stream of consciousness track where she vents about what she's left behind. It has been described as feeling like an exposed nerve, considerably more raw than anything else on the album.

It closes with "Ain't In LA," her actual breakout single and the song that earned her mainstream attention, including a spot on the Billboard Hot 100. It has been compared to Miley Cyrus's "We Can't Stop," and it functions as an uplifting closer about how talent can come from anywhere, which makes sense as the final statement on a debut album.

Overall, this album is fairly average. There is nothing on here that is genuinely bad, and songs like "Therapy" and "Red Bottoms" show she has more range than just party anthems, but a significant stretch of the middle of the album blends; the production stays fairly safe and generic in spots, and it does not push much further than what she already showed on her earlier EP. It works as a decent introduction to who she is as an artist, but it is not a record that stands out enough to leave a lasting impression.

Verdict: Give It A Shot

Personal Favorites: "Therapy," "Nicole Kidman," and "Ain't In LA."