AdELA, a South African born, Florida raised, Atlanta native is triple-threat. She’s a singer, songwriter, and rapper thriving as an Independent Artist.
AdELA earned her first RIAA Certified Gold credit as a co-writer and performer on Meek Mill’s “Made it From Nothing.” In 2015, AdELA made her official debut with Off the Burner, followed by her EP Dreamers and Thinkers in 2017, where she decided to feature a well-known rapper on every track. AdELA landed collaborations with Royce Da 5’9, Skyzoo, Torae, Fat Joe, and Kool G Rap just to name a few. Dreamers and Thinkers peaked at number 21 on the iTunes Top 100 in the United States as well as breaking the Top 100 in the UK and France.
AdELA wrote and performed the trailer song “Octane” for Rider’s Republic, a Ubisoft video game. Additionally, AdELA wrote and recorded “Champion” the official song of the 2022 Stanley Cup for the National Hockey League and is featured in their official music video. She has also created custom music for HBO Max, Netflix, Hulu, ABC and more in 2022. AdELA won the Best Newcomer Award for The Production Music Awards in 2022 for her Sync Album with West One Music Group. AdELA is also the CEO of Off The Burner Music, which is a collective of producers, writers and artists.
“Everything is possible for me. I have my own sound, my own style, and my own lane on top of doing it all independently.”
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WHAT OR WHO INSPIRED YOU TO GET INTO MUSIC?
It came so naturally to me at a young age. I was the kid in all the school plays and singing in the choir, so I knew this was it for me. I didn't in my wildest dreams think it would become my actual job!
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE OF MUSIC AND PERFORMANCE? HOW WOULD DESCRIBE YOUR PHILOSOPHY AND STYLE AS AN ARTIST?
I make music based on what I am feeling at the moment. My biggest rules are there are no rules, and create your own lane. I want to leave a legacy behind so when I make music, I think to myself... Is this timeless? Will it still be dope in 10 years, 20, 30? My performances are full of energy and a level of bossiness. When the mic is in my hand, it's my job to control the crowd. I take being the MC seriously whether I am singing or rapping.
YOUR WORK NOW SPANS THE INTERSECTION OF MUSIC WITH TV, VIDEO GAMES, FILM, AND SPORTS, ESPECIALLY AS THE CEO OF OFF THE BURNER MUSIC. HOW DID YOU FIRST GET INVOLVED IN THIS SPACE, AND WHAT NEW INSIGHTS HAVE YOU GAINED ABOUT MUSIC SYNC SINCE THEN?
Creating music in this space was a happy accident. I got a call about a song on my first album “Off The Burner”. The song was this wild, high energy track where I just blacked out and went full rapper mode. A video game wanted to use it in their trailer and when it dropped- this light bulb went off in my head and I instantly fell in love with hearing my songs over these amazing videos. I thought “what a cool way to be a part of these different worlds”. I have written and performed the official song for the NHL, been on animation, made music for ads, TV and film. It has been a fun experience to dive into these spaces and be a different version of AdELA. The insight I gained was to try everything! Give it a shot. It might work, it might fail or you might find a new avenue for music that you didn’t know was possible and have the best time creating it.
MENTAL HEALTH REMAINS A SIGNIFICANT CONCERN FOR MUSIC PROFESSIONALS. A 2024 MUSICARES SURVEY FOUND THAT 47 PERCENT EXPERIENCE STRESS, AND 44 PERCENT REPORT ANXIETY. HOW DO YOU PRIORITIZE YOUR WELL-BEING?
I am part of that 47 and 44%. I live with anxiety and it's insane to think about but, I have lived with it my whole life. I look back in retrospect and I see all the signs. I have never had anxiety making music or being in the business. For me, I feel like it's sort of hardwired into me. I will feel anxious about things that are completely out of my control and then it can absolutely affect my mood in general which is never a good space to be in for creatives. And now that every piece of news is at our fingertips, it's become a breeding ground for anxiety and stress. Things I do to alleviate this are yoga and talking to my friends. I let the people in my circle know how I am feeling and that really does help. Friends are amazing therapy!
HOW DO YOU THINK THE MUSIC INDUSTRY'S APPROACH TO ENSURING THE MENTAL WELL-BEING OF ARTISTS HAS CHANGED SINCE THE BEGINNING OF YOUR CAREER, OR SHOULD CHANGE GOING FORWARD?
It's so difficult when you experience a mental health situation. It's not like breaking an arm where people can see it. It's in your mind which might be worse. Most artists don't share what they are going through but I see that changing. When we share, we allow people to not feel alone and we normalize the fact that this is a thing. It's not something invisible that you have to deal with alone.
LEARNING TO EXPRESS EMOTIONS AND BUILD SELF-AWARENESS IS ESSENTIAL FROM AN EARLY AGE. HOW DO YOUR “HUNNY & KOKO” BOOKS, YOUR NEWLY RELEASED CHASE THE HAPPY MUSIC ALBUM, AND ITS ACCOMPANYING SEL LESSONS HELP STUDENTS FOSTER SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING?
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I created the Hunny & Koko brand maybe 6 months before my sweet Goldendoodle Hunny passed away (she lived to be 14 years old). After she passed, I did not want to make music. I don’t make sad music. I make intense, fun, energetic music and that was not where I was at in my head. I was dealing with a heavy amount of grief and depression. I needed an outlet outside of music to move through my emotions so I wrote children’s books about my dogs, Hunny & Koko to keep their legacies alive forever. I wanted to share the joy they gave to me with the world. After writing 22 books- it literally took that long for me to get through it, I decided it was time for an album for the brand. I called it “Chase The Happy” because every day that Hunny woke up and now Koko & Penny- they look for the good in the world. They find joy in small things. I wanted to invoke that feeling on the project. I am humbled that I have the coolest, most talented friends in the world, who totally went along with me for the ride. And everyone put a million percent into the creation of the album. After we completed it, we came together to create lesson plans and activities for kids that centered around SEL. Each song comes with an activity to help kids move through their emotions, find the happy and be confident in themselves and their uniqueness. These are just resources we wish we had as kids and I am honored to be able to combine my three passions- my dogs, music and mental health wellness and pour it into this album.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU HAVE COMING UP IN 2025, WHETHER MUSICALLY, CREATIVELY, OR PROFESSIONALLY?
Tons! Lots of music will be dropping, a few really cool sync placements. I would love to release another AdELA EP (I have a dope idea brewing that is so different from anything else I have ever done). 10 more kids books and of course this album. I literally can’t believe I created a brand around my three dogs and now they have books and an entire album!
KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW NOW, IF YOU COULD GO BACK AND GIVE YOUR YOUNGER SELF ADVICE, WHAT WOULD YOU TELL THEM?
Just go for it. Don't listen to what anyone tells you. Some people are blind to your vision.
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