The Meaning Behind “Ain’t In LA” by Adéla and the Slovak Singer’s Celebration of the People Back Home

In “Ain’t In LA”, the Slovak singer Adéla offers a celebration of home. It shines a light on the ones who never make it to the big city. And how it isn’t just the famous who have interesting stories to tell.

The single precedes her upcoming solo debut album, Prima, which is scheduled for release this fall.

Madonna on the Wall

The opening verse begins with siblings sharing a bedroom, wearing hand-me-down clothes and idolizing the American superstars immortalized on posters on the wall.

She shares a room with her younger brother,
Clothes secondhand from her best friend’s mother.
Cut ’em all up, yeah, she got her own style,
Madonna on the wall next to Destiny’s Child.

Adéla sings about a young girl who’s convinced she can’t reach her dreams if she stays where she was born.

And she’s all that,
’Cause she knows she’s beautiful.
And she’s taught that,
Her dreams don’t live at home.

As vibrant and alluring as Los Angeles may be, Adéla’s hook describes the people who never make it far from home. And how many of them are likely more interesting than the hipsters roaming the streets of Hollywood.

She was inspired to write “Ain’t In LA” after seeing a photo of her mother as a teen, standing in front of pop culture posters. “It made me think, ‘There are so many beautiful girls with dreams who will never get their flowers like my mom.’ I wrote this for her and the billion other b***hes who are probably cooler than me,” Adéla said.

Maybe tonight, we don’t gotta run away,
It’s all a lie, the baddest b***hes ain’t in L.A.​
Enjoy the ride, I know that you might wanna escape,
It’s all a lie, the baddest b**hes ain’t in L.A.​

I’d Rather Be a Nobody

The song continues in its celebration of global identity and what makes each of us unique. People are defined by much more than the places they live, their careers, or their status. And Adéla would rather avoid fame and professional success than wind up as just another cliché.

All of the girls in them unknown cities,
You’re so unique and your face so pretty.
Don’t look like anyone, you’re not just anyone,
I’d rather be a nobody than to be like everyone.

Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for The Recording Academy