Bryan Adams has released a new album, How's It Goin', and says he is enjoying making music more than ever. The Grammy-winning singer, who has just turned 67, described the record as "a love letter to Canada", inspired by research he carried out for the documentary Canada's Wild Eastern Edge.
A career built on enduring hits
Adams remains closely associated with a string of hits, including 1984's Run To You, the 1985 track Summer Of '69 and the 1991 ballad (Everything I Do) I Do It For You, the theme to the Kevin Costner film Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves. That song spent a record-breaking 16 consecutive weeks at No 1 in the UK, topped the charts in nearly 20 countries and sold more than 15 million copies, although Adams initially did not think much of his "pretty love song".
Asked whether he ever wants to run for the hills when he hears the old tracks, he laughs: "No. I love them more than ever."
Another enduring hit is 1998's When You're Gone, his duet with Melanie C, which the Spice Girl later credited with giving her the confidence to go solo. Adams is said to have originally wanted Sheryl Crow for the song, but after bumping into Mel C in a hotel lift in Los Angeles, he asked her to join instead. "I absolutely adore Mel," he says. "We're very good friends, and the serendipity of how we met was pure magic. I keep banging on that she needs to make a rock record. Please tell her I said so when you next speak to her."
New songs and a Canadian theme
The album came together after Adams was asked to write a song for the documentary on the Maritimes. "Once I'd finished the song, I went back and looked at the other ideas and ended up writing the track When Canada Joined Newfoundland," he says. "After that, the ball was rolling and I started thinking about the whole country."
The record includes the protest song 51st State, a response to US President Donald Trump's threats to annex Canada. Of the song, Adams says: "I think musicians spoke clearly to the invitation of the anniversary of the Freedom 250th concert at the White House. Everyone bailed."
Another track, The Ballad Of Terry Fox, honours the Canadian national hero. "He lost his leg to cancer and at 21 decided to make the best of his disability and created the Marathon of Hope, a run across the country to raise money for cancer research," Adams says. "He got halfway before the cancer spread and he sadly had to stop. But if you ask any Canadian, Terry made it all the way."
Touring, photography and new ambitions
Adams, who has been in the business for more than 45 years, names paying his rent from making music as his biggest career highlight, along with being able to take care of his parents throughout their lives. He is currently on the road with his Bare Bones acoustic tour and says performing has not lost its appeal. "I still love it," he says. "I've got an amazing team that makes it happen night after night. I could never do it without them."
He has also set up his own record company, BAD Records. "I'm having more fun than ever, making records and putting them out," he says. Among his remaining ambitions, he would like to make a duets album, sing with Stevie Wonder and collaborate with Billie Eilish.
Alongside music, Adams has a long-standing passion for photography, using part of his Chelsea home as a studio and having photographed figures from Sir Mick Jagger to the Dalai Lama. In 2002 he was invited to photograph Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip for the Golden Jubilee. He has exhibitions coming up in several places, including one in Rome in December.
