Critically acclaimed rock musician. Seasoned fashion and lifestyle photographer. Passionate humanitarian and animal rights activist. Such is the career trajectory of Bryan Adams, an iconic figure in Canadian pop culture. With an expansive career, conquering many creative endeavours, Adams is a cultural force to be reckoned with. He has directly influenced a slew of musicians, both Canadian and not, and even help shape the evolution of an entire decade’s worth of rock music. Avril Lavigne, Shania Twain, and Nickelback just a few of the Canadian artists Adams’ paved the way for. Whether you like it or not, you (yes, you reading!) know at least one Bryan Adams song – check your karaoke list. Nevertheless, Canadian culture would arguably not be what it is today without Adams’ work.
Most know Bryan Adams as a talented singer-songwriter. With hits like “Heaven,” “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You” and most notably “Summer of 69,” he was a mainstay on the contemporary rock charts. His first few records garnered him a following across North America, but with the release of his third album Cut Like a Knife in 1983, Adams skyrocketed to global fame. After that came tours, more albums, more hit singles, countless awards and nominations – Adams’ music career is no joke. And, he all accounts it back to him first learning guitar – “I’m all about making something from nothing.” Adams says the moment he become triumphant in his music career was when he could pay his rent from doing what he loved. His major contributions to pop and rock music, along with his philanthropic work, have earned him membership status with the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia. It is staggering how much talent this man possesses.
Experimenting with different creative mediums was one of the reasons why Adams first picked up the camera. Of course, being on tour and being around a crew of journalists and photograpers, Adams already had a peripheral view of the art of photography. He was already being shot as a touring artist by hundreds of others; it is not uncommon for the subject to become interested in the craft. But once he took a serious look through the camera lens, Adams discovered himself to be a natural. “I just liked [taking] photos of friends and family, and documenting my trips on the road as a musician,” he explains in this Chloe magazine exclusive. This year, Adams released his thirteenth album, Get Up. His first album consisting of all original material since 2008, this new record features the single “You Belong To Me.” The video for the single was directed by Adams himself.
The real turning point for Adams’ budding photographic career was when he started finding suitable printers for his shots. “Once I found good printers for both colour and black & white, it was like Christmas every time I got prints back,” he says. “That completely inspired me.” That inspiration was heaven-sent, because Adams has taken some of the most iconic photos of the most iconic musical figures around. Mick Jagger, Amy Winehouse, Tina Turner, Annie Lennox and many others are all part of his visual repertoire. Aiming to capture casual, honest moments of his subjects, Adams brings out the vulnerable side of his subject in his photos. Amy Winehouse, in particular, was a memorable subject of his – he says she was so open-minded and easy to work with. But, her vulnerability came from her own sense of self, he just happened to be there to photograph it.
Fortunately for him, there was not much of a resistance in his early dabblings with photography. “There weren’t any that I can think of,” he says. “I had a platform already with doing my own albums and tours, so it was really just where to take it from there.” And lucrative did his photography become – Adams is an award-winning fashion photographer with work in Harper’s Bazaar, i-D, Interview, Esquire, multiple iterations of Vogue, among other fashion publications. He also has many photographic exhibitions globally, with many of his first ones shown in Canada. As well, he has published two photographic books: Bryan Adams Exposed, which is a collection of his best portraiture of his musical friends and colleagues, and Wounded – The Legacy of War, a heavy-handed exploration of the real consequences of war. And this November, Adams is publishing a third book, Bryan Adams Untitled, an abstract visual discussion of the sea in all its grandeur. Clearly, Adams’ double-duty creativity is prolific.
It is interesting to see where and how far Bryan Adams’ career have taken it. Not many musicians can say that their work also appears in various iterations of Vogue. Not many musicians can say that they’ve photographed their biggest influences. Yes, Adams has built an empire under his hit-for-hit discography, but his impressive juggling of two creative mediums is nothing short of inspirational. Much of his his creative endeavours feature heavily cropped ideas and opinions. But, Adams insists honesty and authenticity is the core in all of his work – “after all, doesn’t life sometimes imitate art?”
