With her sleazy and hypnotic dance floor anthems, Adéla Jergová is a rising artist driven by an insatiable hunger to keep all eyes on her. But before the 21-year-old pop princess started garnering attention from power players like Demi Lovato and Grimes, she had humble beginnings in Slovakia. As a kid, she’d watch modern pop divas like Miley Cyrus and Ariana Grande make a name for themselves as child stars. It was at that point that the performer—who is publicly known as ADÉLA—understood she was meant for the stage, too.
“They’re the reason why I know pop stars exist and were my first introduction that I can sing, dance, and be on a show for a living. I literally learned English by watching their interviews,” she tells Cosmopolitan in between her first-ever headlining shows for early adapters in London, New York, and Los Angeles.
This may be the beginning of her budding music career, but ADÉLA has been hustling toward stardom for a minute. At 15, she auditioned for the English National Ballet School in London before she made it to the States a few years later. When she was 19, she moved to L.A. as one of 20 hopefuls who competed for a coveted spot on HYBE and Geffen’s global girl group, KATSEYE, on Netflix’s Pop Star Academy. She was one of the first performers to be eliminated from the competition, but she didn’t let go of her dream as she actively pursued a solo career.
Spoiler alert: Her efforts paid off. After Pop Star Academy, she released singles like “Homewrecked” and “Superscar,” proving she was in it for the long haul. And eventually, Capitol Records took notice and signed her to release her debut EP, The Provocateur, on August 22.
She now has an army of 1 million monthly Spotify listeners, so it’s safe to say demand was incredibly high for her intimate live shows on The Provocatour, where she performed in a round surrounded by 700 people. ADÉLA caught up with Cosmopolitan after her show at (le) poisson rouge in the heart of New York’s Greenwich Village, where she discussed her inevitable rise to fame, meeting her childhood idols, and being “bonded forever” with KATSEYE.
This was only the third show you’ve done as a solo artist, and it was the biggest one yet. How did it feel to play in New York City for the first time?
I’ve romanticized New York my entire life. The last time I was here was 10 years ago, and I was tiny. I remember feeling like the city was the coolest place to be, and now getting to play there was so sick. I’d freak if I were a kid and I knew that 600 people wanted to see me in New York. I loved being in the round of the stage and being watched from all angles.
Your stage places you in the center of the crowd on a round platform. How did you conceptualize the setup? Did you always envision yourself blurring the lines between performer and audience?
When me and my team had conversations about the four little shows I’m doing, I knew I wanted to be in with the people. I didn’t want it to feel like I was performing on a stage but more interactive, integrated, and closer with the crowd. I loved getting to play. When you dance and you’re in the round, it can be a little scary because everyone can see every angle of you. But that’s also the draw of it. I can look anywhere and there are people to connect with, which I really, really liked. I wanted all the shows to be like that, but it ended up just being New York because the other stages weren’t big enough for me to dance.
Speaking of dancing, you carried the show entirely yourself with some sick choreography and lighting elements. There were no screens, backup dancers, or outfit changes. I’m wondering what it was like from your perspective because, to us, it was very impressive.
I don’t feel like I need anything. Here’s the real truth: These shows are small, but they’re my first four shows. There were conversations like, “Should we maybe have two background dancers?” I’d rather go all in. I don’t want to go halfway. I liked the idea of these first shows being really stripped back. What was really important to me was having rehearsal time. Performers usually have outfit changes, props, dancers, and stage designs. It’s fine if I don’t have that, but that means there’s nothing to hide behind, so I need to be really good at what I do.
It also adds to me just getting started. One day, when I get to have a big set, dancers, and everything, people are going to pull up videos from these shows where it’s just me on stage for 40 minutes. The energy that I got from the crowd was so good, and I feel really at home onstage. I wasn’t afraid.
From your pre-show playlist to your cover of Madonna’s “I Love New York,” it’s abundantly clear that you’re a star student when it comes to pop icons. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned from your influences as you navigate your own rise to fame?
I have studied these people relentlessly, so I don’t even know if there’s only one lesson that I learned from them. I’ve watched every documentary and behind-the-scenes moment from Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Britney Spears, Janet Jackson. What stuck with me the most, and where I felt the most inspired, was seeing them in rehearsals and being so involved with a clear vision. They own it and are relentless in the pursuit of their artistry. They’re able to be really tough—not only on everybody else, but mostly on themselves. That’s how you’re a legend. You keep pushing for more, and you’re never comfortable.
It’s Beyoncé asking, “Why are those candles off-white and not white?” Or Madonna being so real in the Truth or Dare documentary, which is resurfacing on TikTok. People are like, “Wow, Madonna’s really a bitch,” but I’m like, “Wow, Madonna’s so good at what she does.” I love that she’s up front because that’s her job. I love Doechii being like, “Where’s my umbrella?“ Like, yeah, where is her umbrella? It’s that serious. It’s inspiring to engulf yourself in the art and have your fingerprints on everything.
I love how you blended your extensive ballet background with the grittiness and explosive nature of your songs during your show. Do you feel like you had to unlearn parts of that classical training to find your own performance style?
I quit ballet because I craved freedom and creative expression—that’s not something that I had to learn. I’ve always had that. I had to unlearn when I started on Pop Star Academy, but then that was really structured and rigid in its own way. Spaces like ballet and K-pop are so focused on perfection and a certain aesthetic, which is an art form in and of itself.
Now working with Robbie Blue, I enjoy weird movements. That’s the type of choreography and movement that I’m inspired by the most. Even analyzing the pop stars that I love, like Beyoncé and Gaga, their movements are intentional yet so raw. There’s choreography, but they do different riffs every night and they improvise based off a feeling. I really enjoy that part of it a lot.
Let’s talk about The Provacoteur, which you’ve called “messy, but in a good way.” The EP feels like a timeline of your first year being publicly perceived—from Pop Star Academy to signing with a major label. What was it like creating while listeners were forming their idea of who you are in real time?
The Provocateur is messy because sonically, it’s not very cohesive, but you’re able to follow every chapter of my career and artistry if you go back chronologically. I put out my first song, “Homewrecked,” that’s about infidelity and my family dynamic growing up, but then Pop Star Academy came out and I wrote “Superscar” as a response to that. I started getting a lot of hate from misinformed teens who really love pitting women against each other while the show was on and wrote “MachineGirl.” I got signed, “SexOnTheBeat” came out, and it’s way better quality than anything else.
I hope people can go back and be like, “Whoa, these are the beginnings.” Like, the “Homewrecked” video is terrible. It was just me and my friend Emily [Kelavos] rhinestoning gloves, cutting up tights, and making costumes and the choreo together. It’s so bad, but we live for it.
I understand where you’re coming from, but it just shows how hungry you were for it because you took it upon yourself to take it into your own hands.
It’s almost like a documentary—you can see the dramatic budget change when I [signed with my label] and I still stand firmly behind everything.
Speaking of Emily, I wanted to ask about your bond with her and the KATSEYE girls. How have you guys shown up for each other as you embark on this whirlwind of a solo career?
One of the most important and amazing things that has come out of the show was being introduced to an audience—I got to move out and start my career, and I’m so grateful for everything. But it also gave me a friendship and a connection with these girls that I don’t think anything could have ever given me. It feels very safe because we went through this crazy thing, and nobody will ever understand what we went through except for us. We’ve been bonded forever.
Like, I’m literally seeing Lara [Raj] tonight. We have such a deep appreciation and understanding of each other and want to see each other win so badly. That’s one of the most beautiful things I think has come out of this, and it’s funny because I think people really want to doubt that a lot. The one fact that they shouldn’t doubt about the entire thing is that the girls really love each other.
Another person who’s shown up for you and your music is Demi Lovato. She’s worn your merch and she recently said she wants to collaborate with you. What was your reaction to that moment, and what does her support mean to you?
I met Demi when she invited me to her “Here All Night” music video release party, which is fucking crazy. I cried because she, along with Miley [Cyrus], Selena [Gomez], and Ariana [Grande], truly raised a generation. They’re the reason why I know pop stars exist and were my first introduction that I can sing, dance, and be on a show for a living. I literally learned English by watching their interviews.
Demi was so sweet and supportive to me, and I know a lot of people say not to meet your idols, but every idol I’ve met so far has been really sweet and nice. I’m so grateful and I can’t believe she even said she wants to do anything with me.
You gave us a taste of what’s to come when you performed unreleased track “Nasty Dirty Gross.” Did you work on this as you created The Provocateur, or is this part of a different project?
I just made that song and fucked with it, and we were like, “Why don’t we perform it?” There aren’t any rules to releasing music. I can perform and see how people react, and maybe I put it out. If it fits the ethos of the album, it’s on it. If it’s not, it can be a one-off. We’ll see where she goes.
You’ve shared that you and your creative director, Chris Horan, ask yourselves the question, “What are we trying to say?” when you work together. What’s the core message you want to communicate with your music?
I want to encourage self-expression to the fullest, with a lack of care for being perceived. I’d love to perceive where we are in the world with the art that I make, and I invite all opinions because they’re all interesting and valuable. Do I give all of them a lot of weight? No. I’m going to keep doing what I do, but I encourage conversation. My ethos is pushing people’s buttons but not necessarily in an angry way. It’s more like: “What do you think?”
Parts of this interview have been edited and condensed for clarity.
