ADÉLA Sells Out the Fonda Theatre on Red Bottoms Tour

ADÉLA packed the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles on October 8 for the first of two consecutive sold-out nights on her Red Bottoms Tour. The Slovak pop artist delivered a 16-song set that made a convincing argument for where she sits in the current pop landscape. This was only her second headlining show in the city since playing the Roxy last year, and the jump in scale is hard to ignore.

The timing matters. Her debut album, PRIMA, dropped just weeks before the Los Angeles dates and landed at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. Two singles from the project have already charted on the Hot 100: "Ain't in LA" peaked at No. 27, and "Nicole Kidman" climbed to No. 11. She closed the night with the latter, and judging by the crowd's reaction, the song is carrying real weight with listeners right now.

What the Red Bottoms Tour Setlist Looked Like at the Fonda

The 16-song set moved through the full emotional range of PRIMA. Tracks like "KGB," "Boys," and "NastyDirtyGross" brought the brash confidence, while "Starving Artist," "SexOnTheBeat," and "Superscar" leaned into a more provocative pop territory. A trained ballerina, ADÉLA built the show around a hot pink ballet rail that served as the centerpiece for choreographed segments, a setup familiar to anyone who caught her opening for Demi Lovato earlier in the year.

The production was stripped back by design. No elaborate staging or heavy visuals. Just the rail, pink and red lighting, and ADÉLA's movement doing the heavy lifting. That restraint worked in her favor because it kept every eye on her dancing and vocals rather than on production tricks. Her fashion direction stayed consistent with the album's visual identity. Sparkling separates, statement boots, and her signature bright pink hair. Her collaboration with 5 Gum's Stimulating Style Collection showed up at select tour stops, including Los Angeles.

For the LA crowd specifically, she swapped out the unreleased track "Kiss Here," which she typically performs on the trek, and replaced it with "Homewrecked." She framed it as a peace offering before introducing "Ain't in LA," a song whose central lyric about "the baddest bitches" not being in the city required some explaining to an audience that lives there.

Why the "Ain't in LA" Moment Landed the Way It Did

The most talked-about stretch of the night came when ADÉLA introduced that song. She asked the crowd to hold off on booing, then gave the real context behind it. She moved to Los Angeles from Slovakia a few years ago to compete on The Debut: Dream Academy, and when that chapter didn't unfold the way she hoped, she channeled the frustration of watching the industry reward the same familiar names repeatedly. "I'm an immigrant," she told the crowd. "And you know what? LA wouldn't be LA without who? The immigrants."

It reframed the song entirely. What reads on the surface like a dig at the city became something closer to an outsider's observation about recognition and access in a town built on both.

Her former Dream Academy castmates Megan Skiendiel and Lara Raj of KATSEYE, along with Emily Kelavos of Saint Satine, watched the set from the balcony. Their presence in the room was a reminder of where her story started and how different the current moment looks compared to that starting point.

Before closing with "Nicole Kidman," ADÉLA laid out her wishes for the future in front of the crowd: getting the song to No. 1 on Spotify in the US indefinitely, continuing to perform for years to come, and hoping Los Angeles wouldn't hold "Ain't in LA" against her. Given that the room was packed with fans in hot pink outfits and tutu skirts who sang every word, it seems like the city already forgave her.

What This Moment Means for Independent and Emerging Artists Watching

ADELA's trajectory from a reality competition castoff to a sold-out Fonda run with a top five Billboard 200 debut in the span of a couple of years is the kind of arc that independent artists and managers should be paying attention to. She built a distinct visual identity, a performance style rooted in real training, and a project that speaks directly to the experience of being an outsider in the industry.

The second Los Angeles date on October 9 is also sold out. If PRIMA keeps climbing and "Nicole Kidman" continues its run on the Hot 100, the next time ADÉLA comes to Los Angeles she will likely need a bigger room. Keep watching this one.

If you are an emerging artist building toward your own live moment, [check what's coming up on our events calendar](/events) or [submit your project for consideration](/submit).