ADÉLA Cements Herself as a One of a Kind Solo Pop Star in 'The Provocateur'
Photo: Jason Renaud
ADÉLA is that girl, and her debut EP The Provocateur is proof that she is the next big thing in pop music. A year after her first brush with the public eye on Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE, a Netflix series about crafting an international pop girl group, she's building a career as a wildly exciting and daring solo artist. Across seven tracks, she opens up about her lived experience and lifelong dream of being a pop star. Each track on the project is a deeply emotional journey of a young woman willing to do what it takes to achieve her dreams. ADÉLA recounts several experiences, ranging from betrayal, defiance, and exploitation, all set against a larger-than-life backdrop.
The record opens with a total banger. "Superscar" is deliciously catchy with intoxicating pop beats leading the charge as ADÉLA croons, "Tap, tap your stiletto / Pretty girl, go on and cause a scene / Prove how bad you need it / Put on a show for me." She grapples with the realization that, as an up-and-coming hot commodity, there's no shortage of people who will want a hand in her career, and she initially allows them all to "touch" and mold her into whoever they want her to be. In the explosive chorus, she fully gives herself over, singing, "Tie me up / Pull my strings and make me sing... Bite my tongue / What you need, come take from me... / Tell me just how far / Push right past the bar / Cut right 'round my heart / Superscar."
"SexOnTheBeat" is a high-octane commentary on the oversexualization and manipulation of women in the music industry. Hypnotic synths are layered with euphoric, chopped-up, moaning samples, laying the foundation for ADÉLA's whispery vocals. She croons over the beat, "Give me rage / Give me stage/ Give me cage," asking for all the things she wants for her music career—the space to feel her "rage" and channel her emotions into her writing, a "stage" for her to perform and so people can feel her feelings, and then, a "cage" so she can seclude herself and do the cycle all over again. On the hook, she continues to utilize her tongue-in-cheek humor to deliver meta commentary on the long-held industry mantra, "sex sells," that has literally defined what it means to succeed as a pop star.
Other standout tracks include the Grimes-produced "MachineGirl," the pulsing Euro-pop banger "Homewrecked," and the all-gas-no-brakes "Go." The previously unreleased track blends together sonic elements reminiscent of Ashnikko, Marina, and Charli xcx, and sees ADÉLA's vocals at their best as she effortlessly transitions between soft and breathy to powerful and demanding. She belts into the void her deepest ambitions, singing at the top of her lungs, "I just wanna go / Baby, I'm a dreamer, I just wanna go / Hair stuck to my face, I put on a show / Make you a believer," and promising that she'll do whatever it takes to make her fantasies a reality.
The record's finale, the ironically named "FinallyApologizing," subverts expectations by first exploring more sonically mellow pastures as she asserts that she "won't do anything I don't want to do / And maybe that's why I don't work too well in groups." Electroclash buzzsaw synths reminiscent of Charli's "von dutch" are paired with an unapologetic, bratty vocal delivery, combined with a Gwen Stefani-esque playground chant of a chorus, making for a brilliant closer to what can be considered a no skip record.
ADÉLA was clearly born to be a star. Her single run leading up to this record proved that creative freedom is one of, if not the most important, aspects of her artistry. In an industry where many musicians fail due to a lack of artistic vision, it's very clear that she knows what she wants to make, and she'll make it regardless of whether you like it or not. The Provocateur lives up to its namesake. It's daring, unapologetic, and undeniably ADÉLA.
Listen to The Provocateur below:
