He's nicknamed the "Groover from Vancouver", with a music career that has spanned half a century. Now, the Canadian rocker Bryan Adams is releasing his 17th album, Roll with the Punches, and this one is particularly special – not least because his long-time friend Elizabeth Hurley stars in the music video for his latest song, Never Ever Let You Go. "It was really easy and fun," he tells HELLO! in this exclusive interview. "Liz has a great sense of humour and that’s why we’ve always been friends. I seem to recall that we met in Vancouver in the Nineties, when she was looking for music for a film."
The album is the first to be produced through Bryan’s own independent label, Bad Records, marking the first time the 65-year-old singer has been in full control of his music since leaving a major record label. "It wasn’t easy getting out of the business relationships I had," the 65-year-old musician says. "The only way to go was to dust yourself down and keep going. It’s a life lesson to all of us."
© Bryan AdamsThese experiences, he says, provided inspiration for the new record. "Some of it came from becoming an independent artist, as I was no longer tied to a major label and I started to manage myself, with the trials and tribulations that go along with that."
Family talent
While Bryan’s fans eagerly await his new album, there are two people in his life to whom he is simply Dad: his daughters, Mirabella, 14, and Lula, 12, with his partner, Alicia Grimaldi. "If I try singing around them, they leap on me to stop," he laughs, although they have clearly inherited his passion. "Both of my daughters love music. Whether they’ll take it up is up to them – I’m letting them figure it out."
In fact, Bryan says he was around Mirabella’s age when he started performing. The role of a lead singer wasn't on his radar, however. "We didn’t have a singer for the basement band I’d started, so I became the de facto singer until we found someone. We never found someone," he says.
Fast-forward to 1985 and the release of fan favourite Summer of '69. Surprisingly, for Bryan, it didn't take off in Britain. "I thought it was a great record, but it never even charted in the UK, if you can believe that," he recalls. “It became a hit a decade later. Despite the lack of any support, the fans made it a hit."
“I used to have a bouncer walk me to the stage because I was too young to be playing the bars"
His breakout single came in 1991, when (Everything I Do) I Do It for You, the theme song to the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, topped the UK charts for 16 weeks. It still holds the record for the longest consecutive run in the top spot.
"I loved that time," Bryan says. "I didn’t stop touring for four years after the album Waking Up the Neighbours came out [in 1991]. It’s a bit of a blur, looking back."
Famous collabs
He is also famous for various hit collaborations, notably All for Love alongside Sting and Rod Stewart in 1993 and When You're Gone with Spice Girls singer Mel C in 1998. How did he pin them down? "They all came about because I asked," he says.
© Bryan AdamsBryan has a series of UK dates coming up, kicking off at Warwick Castle on 28 August and going on to Sheffield before a series of more intimate gigs in Leeds, Newcastle, Liverpool, Norwich and Kingston. He wraps things up at BBC Radio 2 in the Park, in Chelmsford, on 6 September.
"It’s cool to go back and do these kinds of gigs; it’s how I started when I was 15," he says. “I used to have a bouncer walk me to the stage because I was too young to be playing the bars."
There will be a strict no-phone policy in place. "I wanted to make it special, without everyone blocking each other with their phones up, as the venues are so small," the star says, revealing that his pre-show ritual is a quick soundcheck and a cup of tea.
Away from music, Bryan has become an in-demand photographer. He captured Queen Elizabeth II for her Golden Jubilee in 2002 and has just released his latest book, #shotbyadams, which features intimate portraits of the Dalai Lama, Joni Mitchell and Pamela Anderson.
Despite his stellar career, Bryan still has one thing left to achieve – will he ever perform at Glastonbury? "I’d love to! Please put in a word for me," he says.
Roll with the Punches is out on 29 August.
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