ADÉLA Breaks Boundaries and Twists the Narrative with “KGB”
ADÉLA just dropped her new single “KGB” today. The song leans more toward electronic house music than her previous releases, and draws inspiration from her Slovak roots. The title is a reference to the KGB, a secret police agency in the Soviet Union, known for monitoring and holding the reins of citizens. ADÉLA twists the narrative in the music video to show that she is the one in charge.
Born Adéla Jergová in Slovakia, the singer grew up sheltered from American culture and values. She exposed herself to pop culture and studied English to make her dreams of becoming a pop star a reality.
ADÉLA sings, “Just a lil European girl was plotting on my rise”, referring to her work ethic and ambition.
On the podcast “In Your Dreams With Owen Thiele”, Jergová recalls learning English by watching Disney Channel shows and YouTube videos from creators like Emma Chamberlain. She also mentions that when she was young and studying ballet abroad, she would stay up for hours practicing to perfect her craft.
This era of her life is reflected in lyrics like, “Staring at a TV screen till I got bloody eyes” and “I was like 8 working the night shift to learn English”. The former ballerina worked consistently to reach where she wanted to be.
The KGB music video begins with ADÉLA on stage performing ballet, which is inspired by her years practicing the art. With ballet being popular in Slovakia, the singer grew up with it as her main form of expression and creativity. She eventually quit ballet and devoted herself to becoming a singer.
The video then leads to her chasing a spy (used to represent a KGB agent) and becoming the one in control; This reflects her leaving ballet and her sheltered roots to take control of her own life and career path.
Singing, “I’m like a spy, I studied this shit”, Jergová plays loosely on the concept of the KGB and relates it to her own upbringing. After learning English, she went on to audition for Pop Star Academy while hiding it from her parents, as she mentioned on “In Your Dreams With Owen Thiele”. ADÉLA did what she could to reach her achievements, both in secret and out in the open.
The music video ends with a message stating that though ADÉLA is pulling from the surroundings she grew up around, she does not endorse the actions and political stance of the Russian government.
Watch the video for KGB below.