Adéla's debut album, “PRIMA,” released Sept. 4, shows that the singer has fully embraced the “pop princess” aesthetic she introduced in her 2025 EP, “The Provocateur.” "PRIMA” contrasts Adéla’s hyper-femininity with the dominant side of her personality, seemingly holding more control over her own life and making amends with the past.
Born in Bratislava, Slovakia, Adéla trained in ballet, going to lessons in Moscow before expanding her talents to music. Her love for pop music began during her childhood, while watching “Hannah Montana” inspired her to become a singer.
Here are my six favorite tracks featured on “PRIMA”:
6. “KGB”
If you want to hear a snippet of Adéla’s upbringing and personality, I highly recommend listening to the track “KGB.” Here, Adéla compares her initial need to succeed and be a stereotypical “pop princess” to being a part of the Soviet Union’s former secret police and intelligence agency. She characterizes herself as a spy, learning English from a young age and figuring out how to reach pop success.
Adéla has stated she does not stand for the actual KGB’s actions, and mentioning it is one clever way she nods to her Slovakian roots in this album. The song is super catchy and danceable, and its lyrics show that she couldn’t care less about the haters that attempt to limit her.
5. “Hitachi”
At first listen, I didn’t think much of this track. However, after a couple more, I really felt the emotional weight of the song. In the lyrics, Adéla questions why her partner no longer seems to desire her sexually and laments its effect on their emotional connection. Throughout the last chorus, the singer raises her voice higher, conveying her desperation from a lack of affection.
Her calm, solemn voice and the touching, stripped-down instrumentation throughout the song make the track’s intense finale that much more impactful.
4. “I'm The Man”
This song’s theme of female empowerment is combined with what feels like a mix of Miley Cyrus and Beyoncé’s 2000s pop sounds that inspired Adéla’s artistry, and the current pop landscape. On the track, Adéla establishes herself as the dominant partner in her relationships, defying stereotypical gender roles and power dynamics while cheekily addressing her attraction to feminine men.
The title perfectly conveys her point, providing a sense of relatability to any female listener that also wants to feel empowered. As she sings “In my itty-bitty dress, yeah, I'm the man / It's true, I like my boys a little feminine,” this track sounds like a standard catchy pop song with its simplicity. I enjoy how she turns stereotypes on their heads, challenging what it means to be a man or a woman.
3. “Nicole Kidman”
Like “KGB” and “I’m The Man,” this track exudes feminine confidence. However, in “Nicole Kidman” Adéla compares herself to the famous actress many have seen in her iconic AMC advertisement. The singer references Kidman’s roles in various movies, singing “Moulin Rouge, my corset is so tight / Babygirl in control, I feel like Nicole.”
Adéla uses her bubbly falsetto voice in each verse while adopting a more relaxed tone in the chorus, truly showing that she is that girly yet bold popstar. I also really enjoy the tonal break in the middle of the song where Adéla sings, “Don’t interrupt me.” This catchy and bold line shows that she is not one to be played with.
2. “Ain’t In LA”
“Ain’t In LA” hits harder for me than other album tracks as it centers around women who didn’t grow up in the illustrious city of Los Angeles. The track serves as an anthem for underrepresented populations globally, especially women like Adéla whose home countries aren’t often portrayed in Western media.
Through this song, Adéla proves anyone from anywhere can be influential and beautiful, despite society’s emphasis on the importance of major cities as hubs of social and economic diversity. The song's catchiness is further amplified by a refrain sung by Theron Thomas, who previously featured on Miley Cyrus’s “We Can’t Stop.” His adlibs bring the song back to music in the 2010s, heavily matching the decades' electronic vibes.
1. “Red Bottoms”
“Red Bottoms” expresses Adéla’s vulnerability in her relationship, where she compares her tattered past and emotional scars to the worn bottom on a pair of red-bottom heels. Through these clever lyrics, the album reaches its emotional peak as Adéla sings lines such as, “Nobody wants dirty shoes / Nobody wants dad issues.”
This line expertly ties the ideas together, and I like how the singer uses fashion as a metaphor for the emotional pain she carries. Likewise, she sings, “I can’t talk in feelings, but I can talk in fashion,” showing the wall she's created to protect her fragile emotional state.
Adéla’s “PRIMA” proves to me that if she sticks to her pink bubblegum yet edgy popstar aesthetic, she can reach a level of fame her idols possess. Because she performs with such high energy, I think her ability to blend her background in classical dance and hip hop makes her stand out.
