She’s not a mean girl or a machine girl – Adéla Jergová is your next pop obsession.
Best known as Adéla and born in Bratislava, Slovakia, the 21-year-old singer moved to Los Angeles to pursue a music career in 2022. She famously appeared as a contestant on Netflix’s “The Debut: Dream Academy” in 2023 – a talent competition show documenting the creation of global girl group Katseye – where she stood out for her bold solo presence. While she was dramatically eliminated following critiques on her inability to work well with others, Adéla turned the reviews into fuel and began developing her identity as a solo artist.
With over one million monthly listeners on Spotify, Adéla released her debut EP “The Provocateur” in August. The collection marks her bold entrance to the pop scene. It features seven tracks, including singles “Homewrecked,” “MachineGirl,” “SexOnTheBeat” and “DeathByDevotion.”
Through her blunt and self-aware lyrics and her lush vocals, “The Provocateur” tackles themes of ambition, defiance, sexuality, exploitation and industry criticism. The song “Superscar” intensely addresses exploitation in Hollywood with lyrics like “Prove how bad you need it / Put on a show for me / Dancin’ for the devil / Bring your body and your energy / Kid, you got it, go on, flaunt it / Sell your sex and soul to me.”
Her song “MachineGirl” serves as a message to her haters, who claimed she was unkind to the other contestants during her time on the show. In response, she sings, “Mean girl, mean girl / Make-you-wanna-scream girl / Why you comin’ at me, baby? / Yell at the machine, girl.” These lyrics describe misinterpretations of her character and her experience as a product of the music industry’s intense nature.
While Katseye embraced a softer pop sound, Adéla took a completely different route with her work, producing music with maximalist electro-pop and hyper-pop influences. She co-produced several tracks alongside well-known producers and artists, including Dylan Brady (one half of experimental electronic duo 100 gecs), Brett McLaughlin – known for collaborations with major artists like Troye Sivan and Selena Gomez – and Grimes. The EP’s aggressive production perfectly matches the blunt and unapologetic themes of the songs within it. Adéla isn’t just asking you to listen; she’s making you.
The EP’s greatest strength is how it draws listeners in. The lyrics and production inspire a sense of sexual and personal freedom. While it only spans 20 minutes in length, it delivers electro-pop-dance hit after hit, making anyone want to slap on a messy smoky eye, a pair of Pleaser heels and go to the club. These messages are only amplified by the project’s music videos. In them, Adéla’s background as a professionally trained dancer is on full display, evoking a great sense of admiration from audiences. Her ability to combine the beauty of ballet with the grittiness of electro and hyper-pop demonstrates how she can translate her skills across multiple mediums.
Overall, “The Provocateur” succeeds in its mission of aggressively introducing Adéla to the pop music scene, helping her career grow exponentially since its release. She just concluded her first tour, where she spent the last month performing in small venues across cities including London, New York City and Los Angeles. It was recently announced that she will serve as the opening act for Demi Lovato’s upcoming “It’s Not That Deep Tour.”
Adéla is the start of the pop genre’s next generation, and her debut EP is the vocal equivalent of her breaking down a wall with a glittery-pink sledgehammer, walking through in thigh-high platform boots and nonchalantly saying, “I’m here.”
