POP SONG REVIEW - "Ain't In LA" and "Nicole Kidman" by ADÉLA

 

POP SONG REVIEW: "AIN'T IN LA" & "NICOLE KIDMAN"

Pop music has had a very strange year. We've had some interesting stories ("Choosin' Texas" becoming the biggest hit of the year, Olivia Dean's continued dominance, new albums from Olivia Rodrigo, Harry Styles, and Bruno Mars, etc.) and some lulls. Recently, though, I've seen this new up-and-comer have some pretty dominating hits on the charts. As you can tell, that would be one Slovakian singer ADÉLA. She has two songs in the Top 40 right now, those being "Ain't In LA" (#24) and "Nicole Kidman" (#6). That's absolutely insane for an artist I've never heard of before. My first instance of hearing of her was when I saw "Ain't In LA" in a New Music Friday Spotify playlist at the top. My first instinct was to dismiss her as an industry plant, but then I listened to the song.... and I knew she was going to be big. Immediately.

Before I get into why I think that, let me give a quick background on who ADÉLA is and how she got so famous so quickly. She is from Slovakia, as I said before, and she has history in ballet. She worked with Olivia Rodrigo's vocal coach on Zoom during the COVID-19 Pandemic. After that, she applied for the show Dream Academy, whose victors ended up becoming the semi-K-pop band Katseye. I have a lot of thoughts about Katseye, which I'll get into in December when I write my lists, but those aren't for now. All I can say is that I don't think she would've fit well with that group, and neither did the show's handlers, who described her as "more of a solo artist" according to Wikipedia. That, I 100% agree with.

The first single I'm going to be talking about is "Ain't In LA", which I think is quite interesting. It's an anthem about not having to be from LA to be a "bad b*tch", which I find a bit ironic considering the group she didn't make the cut for, Katseye, is based in LA. Maybe that's why she's throwing shots at the city? All I'm saying? But, I do think there's something here. She has a nice singing voice, and the production works well to surround her with something to make her stand out. It's got a reverb-heavy drum line that's simple yet efficient, not really changing throughout. There's also some cool synth production that reminds me of 2016 EDM (which she made a remix to this song based on with Dylan Brady). I also later interpreted it to be about her coming from another country to America to be a pop singer, which was a cool undertone I missed originally. 

In late August 2026, "Ain't In LA" debuted on the Hot 100 at #85. It would continue to slowly climb up the charts and it has reached #24 as of this week's chart. I chalk that up to good will from Dream Academy and the interest she gained from being a genuinely charismatic singer who has an interesting story. I mean, how often do we get pop singers from Slovakia? That's a story. I also think she's just a good pop performer. The cultural references to Nirvana and Destiny's Child give a touch of relatability to people who like those bands, and that appeal is part of it to me. "Ain't In LA" is an awesome song that can be inspiring for a lot of people in the right circumstances. I also really like that high note she does on the last chorus, singing along with the choir to the final line. It's really cool-sounding.

Then, there's the second single, "Nicole Kidman", and there are some more interesting thoughts I have about this one. I'm just gonna start it out with my first thought... why is this 18 spots above the other song on the chart? I think it's considerably worse than "Ain't In LA". Not bad by any means (it's definitely not making my worst list or the dishonorable mentions lol), but I expected more from this one. This beat sounds like something Drake would hop on, with the sampled "ohh"s in the background, and the lyrics exaggerating how much pop stars have to do to look their best seems like it's in a more sarcastic way than genuine criticism. It's also funny because she seems like someone who is trying as hard as possible to be a real pop star. I think if it was a little more toned-out, it'd be better, but it's not a bad song. Just mediocre in my opinion. 

"Nicole Kidman" has worked its way up the charts all the way to #6, which shocked me. This one is the hit? Not the anthemic one about being cool despite where you're from? The pop star criticism? I find that honestly interesting. It feels like either people are missing the point or the point is so powerful that it's causing a stir. ADÉLA's rise feels genuine (not like that of a certain band that claims to be "self aware"), and I like that about her. She's got a good voice. She's been part of some good songs. I'd like to see her do some collaborations. I think someone like Olivia Rodrigo or Chappell Roan could bring out the best in her.

As for which I like better, I've made it obvious. "Ain't In LA" is the better song. I don't think it's really that close. It's the kind of pop song I think could last for a good while, while "Nicole Kidman" is mostly just solid more than anything. Either way, I'm excited to see what ADÉLA does in the future. This is Lando from The Landoman Experiment, signing off. Let me know what you think and your thoughts on ADÉLA and her music. Thank you for reading. Have a good one!