"Ain't in LA" is a song by Slovak singer and songwriter Adéla, released on 23 July 2026 through Capitol Records as the third single from her debut studio album Prima (2026). It topped the charts in the Philippines and reached the top ten in Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, Slovakia, and on the Billboard Global 200, the top twenty in Australia, Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom, and the top forty in Austria, Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands. It also reached the top forty in the United States, where it became the first song by a Slovak artist to chart on the Billboard Hot 100.
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Background and release
In May 2025, Adéla announced that she had signed with Capitol Records and Polydor Records. She released The Provocateur, her debut extended play (EP), on 22 August 2025. Starting on 8 April 2026, she performed as the opening act for Demi Lovato's It's Not That Deep Tour, during which she performed a number of new tracks including "Ain't in LA". She released the first two singles from her upcoming album, "KGB" and "Red Bottoms", on 17 April and 12 June respectively. On 23 July, Adéla announced her debut studio album Prima and released its third single "Ain't in LA".
Composition and lyrics
"Ain't in LA" is a synth-pop song featuring heavy synths and a deep bass voice that starts off the song. Lyrically, the song is a homage to Adéla's hometown of Bratislava, Slovakia. She rejects the idea that success is confined to Los Angeles and encourages her listeners to pursue their ambitions no matter where they come from. The chorus declares that "Maybe tonight, we don't gotta run away / It's all a lie, the baddest bitches ain't in L.A.", challenging the conception the city is the only place where dreams can come true.
In a live performance of the track, Adéla explained that it was inspired by her experience as a Slovak immigrant living in Los Angeles and that she wanted to highlight all the immigrants and transplants who contributed to the city. She also has said that it was inspired by discovering photographs of her mother at age 18 posing in front of a wall filled with Western pop-culture imagery, which led her to reflect on "beautiful girls with dreams" who never received recognition. As a result, it transformed the song from not just a rejection of Los Angeles exceptionalism, but also a tribute to her mother and other women whose dreams existed beyond the industry’s view.
"Ain't in LA" has drawn comparisons to Miley Cyrus' song "We Can't Stop" (2013). Theron Thomas, who co-wrote both songs, acknowledged the similarities, referring to "We Can't Stop" as a "cult classic" and joking that they may have "stumbled upon it again."
Music video
The accompanying music video for "Ain't in LA" was directed by Fred Gervais and filmed in Adéla's hometown of Bratislava, Slovakia. The video surrounds the singer in imagery of American celebrity culture in a Slovak setting "thousands of miles from Hollywood", reflecting the song's themes of ambition not being exclusive to Los Angeles.