With sultry, soulful lyrics and a devil-may-care attitude, Adar proves that good things still come in small packages. Her undeniably charismatic stage presence and stone cold backing band—including keyboardist Nick Berkin, bassist Andrew Hollifield, saxophonist Aaron Spring, and drummer Brandon Toliver—provide the perfect combination for a contemporary take on classic rhythm and blues. We caught up with her backstage at The Southern Music Hall to talk about her new EP, The Rapids, sobriety, and teleportation, among other things.
Adar - Skeleton Key
- Age? 24
- Theme song? “Empire Ants” by Gorillaz featuring Little Dragon.
- Signature drink? Room temperature water.
- Great book? Jitterbug Perfume. Ishmael. Bossypants. Harry Potter.
- Favorite movie? Blue is the Warmest Color. 16 Candles. Sleeper. Superstar.
- Perfect vacation? Solo adventure in South America.
- Musical mentor? Regina Spektor and Radiohead are old loves of mine. Recently, I've gotten really into Hiatus Kaiyote.
- Total crush? Penelope Cruz—especially when she’s yelling angrily in Spanish.
- Archenemy? My id, also known as Bad-Dar.
- Hidden talent? Picking things up off of the ground with my feet.
- Super power? Honestly, just waiting for teleportation to be available to the masses.
- Personal record? I haven’t had a drink for almost four months now and I’m feeling pretty dern good about it.
- Personal hero? My grandpa, who I think was reincarnated as my cat.
- Love advice? If you don’t have a significant other at the moment, don’t be down about it. Solitude is one of the most magical, creativity-fueled, and empowering things a person can experience. Relish that shit.

Adar will be performing on Saturday, June 24 at Love Fest, a two-day music festival hosted by the IX Art Park and 94.7 WPVC Charlottesville. The Rapids EP is currently available on iTunes and Spotify. Follow Adar at facebook.com/adarsmmusic.
Photography by Tristan Williams