Blog
True love for great sound unites us.
AdELA, is a multi-faceted artist, songwriter, and entrepreneur born in Durban, South Africa, raised in South Florida, who currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia.
“I decided to move to ATL because it’s a super diverse music hub and creative city, in line with NYC, Nashville, and LA. Atlanta is the epitome of “southern hospitality” in that everyone is extremely friendly. As a bonus I am so inspired by the architecture, art on the streets, history and overall vibes. The deciding factor was performing in the A3C Hip Hop Festival, and seeing how tight knit the community was.”
Building a career
In addition to her current environment, AdELA has always been inspired by the long standing hip hop stories of being empowered, chasing success, and winning - from legendary artists such as Lil Wayne, Tupac Shakur, Royce da 5′9″, and more. “If you can see it in your mind, you can achieve it, is something I’ve ALWAYS believed in.”
AdELA has carved out an interesting niche in the music industry lately, as in 2020 she received her first sync placement in a video game called Riders Republic by Ubisoft. A sync placement is when a company uses one’s music in conjunction with picture, i.e. in a movie, TV show, advertisement campaign, video game, etc. “In 2020 I was working with 5-Time Grammy-winning producer STREETRUNNER, and his music publisher Kobalt had an opportunity to use our song as the trailer for the game. It was the most incredible moment seeing my song put to picture. I saw a marriage of music and visuals right on my TV screen”
Aside from the Riders Republic sync, AdELA has also seen her music placed with companies such as Nickelodeon, ABC, HBO, MTV, Netflix, and more. “Some of the coolest placements were my songs being in the 761st Black Battalion - documentary produced by Morgan Freeman on The History Channel, as well as having the theme song for the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2022."
I’m not athletic at all, however, rap is my sport.
Maintaining success
Asked about maintaining her success, AdELA says, “showing up on time with quality work is half the battle, as well as maintaining consistency.” This consistency led to her recording 187 songs in 2020 alone.
With everything else she is doing, AdELA is also CEO of Off The Burner [OTB Music], a collective of producers, writers and artists. “Off The Burner is the title of my first album. I always felt like I was put on the back burner, and this was my way to say it’s my turn now. I brought in other creators who were not only super talented, but good friends. I couldn’t keep up with the demand and needed to expand. The great part about my team is we all know each other strengths and weaknesses, and can lean on each other as a collective to put out the best music we can create”
As far as her gear, her microphone of choice is currently the LEWITT LCT 640 TS.
“ I do different styles from super loud aggressive vocals to a more laid back pop sound - this mic accommodates all my vocal styles with ease- I never have to switch out my mic. I’ve gotten over over 100 syncs with that mic..."
These tools give me freedom to create and realize the ideas in my head.
Conclusion
As for advice for young people coming up, she says, “I was that middle school kid who wanted to be a rapper so badly. I was in the choir in high school.. If you can dream it, it's a possibility. Make sure to ask questions and listen to people who know more than you - your teachers, your mentors, etc. At the same time, make sure to be self-sufficient and your own biggest fan. If you can outwork everyone, have no fear for being yourself, and learn from your own mistakes - you can achieve anything”
Check out AdELA's new EP "Run, Baby, Run" - a manifesto of energy, movement and unapologetic lyricism - at the links below.