Written by Ella Fortine, Editor.
Two new pop albums by burgeoning artists have created conversation about the limits of musical innovation within the constraints of the industry.
On September 4th, both PRIMA by ADÉLA and Age of the Exhibitionist by Rebecca Black were released. These albums come from artists who have had similar stories, and now, have very similar conversations around them. Both are records that have fans debating the place of label influence in artistry, and specifically, in pop music.
ADÉLA and Rebecca Black are both artists that began their careers in an immediate spotlight, ADÉLA with the reality competition show Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE, and Black with her internet viral song “Friday”. From a very young age, these women were subject to internet scrutiny and judgement. Their artistic choices and possibilities were entirely in the hands of label executives, and their reputations in the hands of the internet.
The careers of both these artists have since returned to their own hands, but their relationships with major music labels are very different. PRIMA was released under Capitol Records, and ADÉLA has been signed to the label since May of 2025. Exhibitionist, however, was released completely independently, as have all of Black’s releases in her adult career.
This difference in label relationship is what has drawn fans to criticism. Many have seen PRIMA as a kind of betrayal of ADÉLA’s origins, as the record differs sonically and lyrically from her debut EP, The Provocateur, which had a more distinctly industrial, hyperpop feel. PRIMA leans further toward mainstream pop influences like those of Ariana Grande, Addison Rae, Britney Spears, and Madonna.
ADÉLA has gained a significant spotlight early in her career, and many fans expected her debut full-length record to pulse with the same level of gritty, toothy, unapologetic hyperpop as her EP. Since the album was released fully under a label, this new artistic direction has been attributed almost entirely to “big label influence”. What is often ignored in this conversation, however, is that ADÉLA’s “braver” EP was also released under the same label she’s signed to today. While the first two singles were released independently, full artistic autonomy is not the common denominator between the two releases.
ADÉLA herself has spoken to the sonic difference between her EP and full-length, stating in an Apple Music interview with Zane Lowe that Provocateur “was a reaction to the way I was presented to people that wasn’t in my control,” referring to her time on Popstar Academy, whereas in PRIMA, she “get[s] to be a human.” The feminine rage and raw emotion present on Provocateur through lyrics like “tie me up, pull my strings, make me sing” on “Superscar” are noticeably absent on PRIMA, but that’s not to say that other emotions aren’t present. Although ADÉLA herself has stated a desire to expand her sonic boundaries and thematic material, as she has moved away from the brash, raw sound she debuted with, many have jumped to blame the industry for the loss of her edge.
This is where Age of the Exhibitionist serves to contrast Prima. Black’s hyperpop, near industrial sound and self-assured, explorative lyrics echo the electronic pop rage of Provocateur, while experiencing the same distance from Prima as the EP does. Both projects, Exhibitionist and Provocateur, come from a desire to redefine the artist’s public image in the face of receiving the spotlight anew. There is, however, no doubt that Black has complete artistic control of her record, as she releases independently and is not signed to a label.
In an interview with Zachary Houriane–commonly known as the Swiftologist–on the podcast ProtoPop, Black discussed the benefits and drawbacks of remaining unsigned. While she believes that label connections can provide networks of economic support and resources that are difficult to go without, the distribution deal through which she releases her music “keeps [her] as the independent creative”.
This idea of a more clear-eyed artistic vision that exists solely outside of the label realm is part of what is driving the conversation around pop and the industry as a whole. Fans seek new, innovative sounds, and often those sounds come from niche, under-resourced places where the monolith of the pop industry is not present. Seeing two artists with similar sounds and similar messages, but one signed and one not, one moving mainstream and one not, raises questions about the possibilities for newer, edgier, riskier sounds to flourish and gain the same attention and support as their more “comfortable” counterparts. As the pop scene moves in both new and old sonic directions, fans will surely run into this question again.