Theron Thomas Co-Wrote ADÉLA’s Breakout Hit ‘Ain’t in LA’ & Miley Cyrus’ ‘We Can’t Stop.’ Does He Think They Sound the Same?

As KATSEYE’s constantly rotating lineup dominates headlines, another alumna from Dream Academy, the reality show on which the group was formed, has emerged as one of the buzziest and most exciting new names in pop music: ADÉLA.

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For her opening set, ADÉLA performed a few then-unreleased songs, including “Ain’t in LA,” which went on to make her the first Slovak artist to reach the Billboard Hot 100 .

Currently sitting at No.

68 on the chart, “Ain’t in LA” has quickly become one of the most-talked-about singles of summer 2026.

From its anthemic chorus heralding the ambitions of underdogs and outsiders to its late 2010s-reminiscent production, ADÉLA’s breakthrough has racked up over 4.1 million TikToks and over 23.8 million official on-demand U.S. streams through Sep.

2, according to Luminate.

Academy Award-winning actress Nicole Kidman, whose name inspired the title of a track on ADÉLA’s PRIMA debut LP (out Sep.

4), even chose “Ain’t In LA” to soundtrack her TikTok debut .

Thanks to its chopped and screwed intro, “Ain’t in LA” has drawn many comparisons to Miley Cyrus’ 2013 career-rewriting Hot 100 No.

2 smash “We Can’t Stop.” Grammy-winning songwriter Theron Thomas, who co-wrote both tracks, says, “I’m grateful Miley’s song is such a cult classic… and I’m definitely not mad if we mistakenly stumbled upon it again!” Thomas, who’s written hits for Rihanna, Lizzo and ROSÉ, got connected with ADÉLA through a trade of sorts.

His friend Blake Slatkin, the Grammy-winning producer who helmed the Slovak star’s other two 2026 singles, requested he join them in the studio.

Coincidentally, Thomas was in the studio with Sekou, a British R&B singer signed to his and Jeff “Gitty” Gitelman’s Haven Houzin House label, so the two superproducers simply traded sessions.

“Ain’t in LA” was the only fully formed song to emerge from it.