NICOLE KIDMAN HITS IT
Homages by ADÉLA + Troye Sivan
She’s one of the biggest names in Hollywood, with roles that have garnered critical and commercial acclaim over the past few decades — it’s no surprise today’s pop stars have Nicole Kidman on their minds.
Slovak artist ADÉLA, born Adéla Jergová, has celebrated the release of her debut album PRIMA with a scorching video for album track “Nicole Kidman,” and it’s a fascinating, very watchable clash of neon pink and urban grey, with the singer spectacularly kitty-katting across the floor of an unspectacular apartment. She finds herself in the bath, surrounded by what could be depressing white tiles, were it not for her own dizzy joy. This sort of urban oxymoron won’t be unfamiliar to anyone living the city life on a budget — surrounded by extravagance while keeping an eye on the balance.
Of course, these aren’t the sorts of things that superstar actress and song subject Kidman has had to consider for a while, lending the tune an aspirational vibe.
“Somehow, I got invited to a Golden Globes event,” ADÉLA said of the track. “I’ve never been in a movie, but I got all glammed up, put into a dress, had my hair done, and I looked really good. My hair was super bouncy, and my corset was so tight that I thought, ‘I feel like Nicole Kidman right now’. I actually watched Eyes Wide Shut, and became obsessed with her. To me, she is ‘the’ movie star.”
Apparently, Kidman was taking notice. The actress recently made her own TikTok debut, and she chose ADÉLA’s song “Ain’t in L.A.” to soundtrack her first post.
ADÉLA isn’t the only artist who has chosen Kidman as their muse. Indie-pop artist Troye Sivan’s recent video for “She’s the Best” enlists Kidman herself to play a stylish, aloof, gorgeous DJ in black sunglasses. She dances through the video, downing shots with Sivan and hanging in the dressing room of a drag show. This is actually a reunion for the two Aussie stars; both starred in the 2018 film Boy Erased.
“It’s a very important song to me,” Sivan told Interview Magazine of the track. “I spent so much time psychoanalyzing myself and then also writing about love and sex and men. I’ve never expressed this other huge part of my life and huge feeling that I have that’s awe and appreciation for the women in my life,” listing Kidman and Janet Jackson, as well as his sister and a former teacher.
The film juxtaposes hyper-feminine iconography with glamour, sensuality and fluid expressions of femininity, all framed through an unmistakably editorial, high-fashion lens — and reminding us that Nicole Kidman is the best.