Coolest Person in the Room: Adéla

Popularity is relative, especially in the digital age. For our series, Coolest Person in the Room, we pinpoint all the people whose energy is contagious regardless of their following count or celebrity. This week, we're catching up with white hot pop superstar Adéla, who talks her new album, breaking free of "cuntiness" and the lessons she's learned from Demi Lovato.

You're on tour with Demi, you're getting ready to cut your first album and finish it. Looking back at the kind of whirlwind year and a half you've had, how are you doing?

I'm doing awesome. I'm feeling… pretty much… epic, feeling like I am doing my job well and I think I have a long way to go so I don't feel too awesome or too epic. I think I feel appropriately like the shit, but an appropriate amount.

There's the headline, “Adela Feels Appropriately Epic.”

Yeah, I do because I think the EP was some of the first stuff that I put out ever. I feel like I made those songs go as far as they possibly could go with what it was and where I was at that point. I am proud of it all. I think it's awesome that I took things into my own hands and then made a career out of it. I think I'm just so proud of that, but I think I really want to go so much further and there's so much more work to do and so much more things to learn, especially with songmaking and songwriting. This album… I'm so excited because I think those things have really leveled up for me and I have amazing collaborators that I got to learn so much from, but also bring my own flavor and translate them into really great songs.

So I feel good, but I also feel like I'm just starting, if that makes sense.

I remember watching you stack vocals on one of your very early songs on TikTok and in our conversation you mentioned how you said you can't imagine receiving a pre-written song and feeling completely satisfied with it. Do you feel like, especially now that you're cutting this new album, that your creative involvement has only intensified and leveled up since then?

I think what is important sometimes is you have to assess your own strengths and weaknesses. And I think bringing collaborators in that are great at the things that you might be weaker at is what a smart person does, and what a smart artist does.

I think the first EP was me very much being like, this has to be me. And I'm still in everything, but I think now I'm smarter. I'm working with Julia Michaels, and Julia Michaels knows how to write a fucking pop song. So I go to Julia and I go, "This is what I want to say. What are your ideas?" And then obviously if I don't like them, I'm like, "I don't love that. Let's try something else." And I bring ideas to her and it's much more of a collaborative process.

I've gotten better at being a collaborator on this album. I feel like with the EP, because I came off a show that was about conforming to something, I really needed to feel completely like, this is basically all me. It was just an emotional thing that I had to do. I think those songs are good, but they're not Julia Michaels level good pop songs, and it's not what it was supposed to be and that's okay. But with the album, I think I felt much more at peace. I'm really wanting to learn and I'm wanting it to be completely me, but also,you are great at this, you are great at that. Let's make this together. And my collaborators have been so good.

Dylan Brady and Blake Slatkin are EPing the album, and they have been so great at listening to me. And at one point I was kind of starting to listen to what the people might want from me and to the fans and also the not so much fans. And I started to read into the external voices of it all and they were just like, "You cannot do that. What do you want to say?" They've been so great at encouraging me to stay truthful to myself. And that's the whole point of this album: it is completely me, but I do think it's better because I'm using everybody's superpowers to help me get there.

It's interesting to hear you talk about the way all those voices can come in, the good voices and also the bad voices, and how that can steer an artist’s direction. You obviously came from the show, and started as a ballerina, but it wasn't like you grew up in LA and had all these industry connections and knew the way the world worked. Did you see that as a disadvantage, coming into this world where suddenly there's so many people with opinions and thoughts?

I think my disadvantage is really an advantage, because when you're from a place where no one is doing what you want to do, the only way you survive is you go, well, you guys don't know what the fuck you're talking about and this is what I like and this is what I'm going to keep doing. So I do think it's easier to build that point of view because the outside voices haven't been there since the start, if that makes sense.

How did you tune all of that out or how did you find the strength to just lock in and be like, no, I have to be myself. I can't be this for anyone else.

So actually, and again, I was so lucky, because when I met with Blake for the first time and he started talking about the album and whatever, I am so me and he was like, "You can never lose that, because a lot of people that try to do this shit that are from here lose because there is so much valid criticism because they're surrounded by people that know what they're talking about.”

When I would do things in Slovakia, I would write a song or I would listen to songs, and I'd think, jokingly, you guys don't know what the fuck you're talking about, when people would say things. But if they were people in the industry, I might've given that thought, I might've given that some validity, and that would've affected how I think and how I develop my taste and the things that excite me. So I think actually being from the middle of nowhere is kind of awesome because you are just secluded and you just have to ferment on your own. It's such a gross way to say that.

I totally get it. I mean, I'm from Farmville and it is exactly like that. Everyone has their set path in life and if you break or step off the path, everyone has opinions on it, but you're like, I don't give a fuck what you think because you don't want to do what I want to do. So why would I ever listen to you?

Exactly. I have a lot of friends that grew up in LA, and I think that's interesting, because in talking with Blake and talking to my friends, it's like they do think about the external so much and what other people in LA like and what they think is cool. I don't quite do that at all. So when I did start doing it, that's why my friends and my collaborators, Dylan and Blake were like, "No, you can't do that because this is what makes you good and different is because you are not tainted by all of that noise."

I’m listening to you talk about how the last EP was good, but this one has to be better. This one is going to be more me. There's room to grow. There's this drive that is such a through line in all of your work, and in the way that you talk about yourself and your art. What do you do to stop yourself from being burnt out at it? Like you say, you have so much more to do now. How do you protect yourself from the rocket ship you've been strapped to?

I think sometimes I don't respond to people, and I just get dinner with my boyfriend and I really shut off. My manager's sitting next to me. I'm sure she can tell you about that sometimes.

I definitely know that I need to make sure that I have some time to just be. But to me, that's also a part of the work, because if I don't have time to just be, then what am I writing about? And when are these thoughts and these feelings going to come if all I'm doing is writing? So really, the only reason why I like resting and doing that stuff, is because I know that it's inspiring more work. I don't know if that's the healthiest way to think, but it's working for me right now and that's how I've always been.

I do get tired, I love what I do and I'm very grateful that I get to do it. I don't think I ever sit down and think too hard about it because again, I don't feel like I'm yet at a place where I want to be, so I don't want to sit down and start to drink my own Kool-Aid before I even got to the point where I should be drinking my own Kool-Aid. But I don't think that should ever happen, especially not at the start. That would be very, very not smart. But then… I don't know when I'm going to realize that I've achieved what I wanted to achieve. Maybe it's not going to come and maybe that's what's going to keep me being good. Hopefully that actually happens.

I mean, they say that about scientists. Science is about the pursuit of perfection, and you're never going to get there. I feel like the same can be said of artists, but people don't take artists seriously like that. You're always thinking the next thing is going to be the best thing.

I would say so. I mean, I grew up loving Beyoncé so much and I feel like she is exactly that and I think she got it from Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson. I feel like the greats think like that. I'm not saying I'm a great, but I do hope one day I will be. When you would see Beyoncé give the best performance to the naked eye that you could possibly imagine, she comes off stage and she's like, "That was not good. This happened, this happened. This needs to be better the next day." It is kind of a prison to live in, I guess, for her and for me and for everybody that feels that way. But I think that's what makes it exciting and makes you keep wanting to work harder and make a better show and do a crazier song and hit a crazier note and do a crazier move the next show.

And it's like, I don't know, not the thing, it's healthy. It's like competition with yourself.

Your EP was called The Provocateur and “KGB” itself is quite provocative. You're pulling on stereotypes and you're talking about being a spy. Where does that provocative spirit come from? Is that just something that you've cultivated as you've grown as an artist? Even as a kid, were you pushing boundaries, pushing buttons?

I think it was always kind of interesting for me to grow up in Slovakia. I became very Westernized very early on, through my pursuit of learning English. I was just ingesting a lot of American media and American philosophies and especially from pop stars, that's who I learned English from. Now very basic sounding ideas, 12 or 14 years ago, in Slovakia, were scary. Being gay is okay, and equality, and not being a homophobic piece of shit, that was scary to Slovakia at the time. So I definitely felt like I was always provocative.

Even with my dad, I would always have these crazy conversations ever since I was really young and I kind of liked ruffling people's feathers through that because I was just like, "You guys need to think differently. You guys have to see what I'm talking about specifically." It's just now reflected in my songwriting because that is who I am and that's because of where I grew up and because of how these ideologies have stuck to me.

I've always been that way. It was even crazy to not wear bras in Slovakia. The only reason why I own bras is for them to show, which is also bad, but I'm never wearing a bra under something that's not seen. These are very basic things that sound stupid to us in LA, but in other places in the world…

I do think “KGB” was the first single because I think it's a melting point between the album and the EP. [The album] is still provocative on some songs, because that's just who I am as a person, but it also feels a lot more vulnerable, which I love. I really made it a point to be that way because I think everyone, including me, is trying to be cunty all the time. I'm kind of getting tired of that. I'm not cunty all the time. So long answer, all that to say, is yes, I've been an asshole since I was a kid and it does reflect in my songwriting because of that.

We just did a cover with Zara Larsson, and in it, she said that the best artists are polarizing. You either love them or you hate them, you think they're an angel, you think they're a devil. I'm curious if you resonate with that thought at all, that to be a good artist, you can't necessarily be loved by everybody?

Absolutely. I mean, that's what I've always been. That's why my EP was what it was. I completely agree with that. I do think there comes a point… I don't like being polarizing just for the sake of being polarizing.

I don't like assholes, real assholes. I'm not going to listen to your music if you're racist, if you're antisemitic, if you're homophobic. There are all these… mainly men… that are polarizing in that way, which I don't think is awesome at all. But I I would say the greats have been polarizing. You think of Madonna, she was so controversial at the time. I think what art is supposed to do is start a conversation and you don't get to start a conversation with just being down the middle, nice, trying to appeal to everybody. And also it's not possible to appeal to everybody. So might as well just say fuck it and be yoursel. And if that's polarizing, then that's awesome. But I wouldn't say make rage baiting music just to make rage baiting music.

That is corny. There's a line. There's a thin line.

This is PAPER, the cunty pop star magazine, as it has been said in our Instagram comments a million times. The girls and the gays colloquially have a habit of shoving women into that box. Obviously women aren't all just one thing, like you said, you're not going to just be cunty all the time. That's not truly who you are. How do you protect that other part of yourself, or how do you express that other part of yourself on this album?

I think I'm a very sensitive person. It is weird, because to be an artist, you have to be a sensitive person. You have to perceive things. You have to be aware of your emotions to be able to put them down on paper. I think it was a big goal of mine with this album to feel more like a girl, you know what I mean? Rather than the provocateur.

A diva, maybe.

A diva. Obviously I'm still myself and there's very much songs that are that, because that is who I am. But there's also songs where I feel very, very, very raw and there's some songs with not even rhyme structure. It's really weird and it's just me talking about some shit that's actually very personal to me. And then there's some ballads on the album, which was really important for me A, because I wanted to get more vulnerable, B because I love singing and I just wanted to sing. So again, I think with the EP, I didn't feel the need to show that yet, because I felt like I had so much other shit to say and it felt urgent at the time. With the amount of attention that I'm getting now, it feels urgent for me to feel like a girl and a human in every sense of the word.

There's stupid songs and there's songs about ... Actually, I started writing about love, which I had a big aversion towards at first when I started making music. And even when I started making this album, because especially with female artists, the idea of me just writing love songs for the rest of my life, which means that my entire career revolves around my relationships, that gave me so much anxiety. I was like, that is the last thing I want to do. I think my relationships are the least interesting part about me.

So I had to find a way to write love songs. I had to reprogram my mind to be like, these experiences are a part of girlhood, are a part of the human experience, so they are important. It's not just you pining over a man.

I have a song about feeling like I can't really open up to somebody. And then there's a song where I'm horny and I want to have sex. And then there's a song where I feel really weird about sex and my relationship is kind of falling apart and the sex is not that great anymore and it makes me very sad. I think with all of these things, I've reprogrammed my mind to be like, oh, this is just human and it's important to talk about.

And it's important for me to say right now, because a lot more people are starting to pay attention and I want to be well-rounded as an artist because I am well-rounded as a human, if

In the world of pop stars who have been so many things to so many people and have had so many boxes they've been put in and labels, Demi Lovato has really fit that bill of the pop star who's been everything. Without being too invasive, so feel free to answer this however you want, which is I'm just curious if Demi's given you any advice or talked to you through anything or has imparted any words of wisdom about this point in your career.

Well, she is such a unique case because she has been doing this since she was so young. Having those conversations with her about that part of her career, about the beginning of her career, feels just like such a different thing than mine. I think maybe her second show ever was in an arena opening for the Jonas Brothers. And I was like, oh my God, that's rattling, that's insane. And she shares these stories with me where I almost feel motherly towards her. I'm like, "You are so strong and you have had this career for so long yet, and so many things have happened in the public eye, yet you get on that stage every night and you sound like that, you perform like that, you've made your way through because you love singing and you love music.”

That is, to me, the biggest lesson with her, and from getting to watch her every night. The love for music has to be the North Star, because she has been through so much, way more than I will ever go through, and yet she still wants to get up on that stage and wants to sing and wants to put on a good fucking show. To me, that is the only thing that matters.

I know that she doesn't really look at social media. She doesn't scroll anymore. I think that's also another thing that I've learned from her, because apparently she doesn't really search her name up anymore, which is understandable because for me, it's much newer. For her, she knows that it's just a bunch of bullshit. Protecting your peace, focusing on what you love, what you want to do, bettering your craft — that's what I learned.

Story by Joan Summers
Photography by Diego Villagra Motta
Videography Peter Demas

Styling by Angelina Cantú
Makeup Artist: Jimmy Stam using M-A-C Cosmetics
Hair Artist: John Novotny
Nail Artist: Danny Tavarez
Lighting Designer Peter Demas

Styling Assistants Ana Mendoza & Diana Regla
Photo Assistant Diego Urbina
makeup Assistant Zac Hart

Executive Creative Producer: Angelina Cantú
Sr. Editor: Joan Summers
VP of Brands and Partnerships Jamie Granoff
President: Jason Ve
Chief Creative Officer: Brian Calle

Graphic Design by Composite Co
All beauty by MAC Cosmetics

Used throughout:

• Extended Play Gigablack Lash Mascara
• Pro Brow Definer: Waterproof Eyebrow Pencil - in Fling
• M·A·C Colour Excess Gel Pencil Eye Liner - in Glide or Die

Look 1:

• Lip Pencil - in Stone
• Powder Kiss Liquid Lipcolour - in It’s Personal
• Lipglass - in C-thru
• Mineralize Blush - in Humour me

Look 2:

• Lip Pencil - in Cool Spice
• M·A·Cximal Sleek Satin Lipstick - in Creme D’Nude
• Lipglass - in Clear
• Mineralize Blush - in Happy Go Rosy