Rock legend, a photography enthusiast and the pinnacle of Canada’s music scene – Bryan Adams has shaped the musical palate of countless millennials and still boasts of a relevance unknown in such in-and-out spheres. Introduced to me by someone super special who harbours sound knowledge about fretboards and time signatures, Bryan’s perennial appeal runs in congruence with his black-and-white aesthetic and curt yet warm demeanour.
All set to tour a few cities in India in the coming months, the Run To You hitmaker sat down for a quick chat with us and reminisced about his time back in Bengaluru in 2001, collaborating with Ed Sheeran and his love for Coldplay.
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ELLE: What’s different every single time you come to India?
Bryan Adams: Everything changes all the time everywhere. I can remember taking a photo of the audience when I played in Bengaluru in 2001 and there were no phones. Things sure have changed.
ELLE: What goes into creating a set list? How do you determine what makes the cut?
Bryan Adams: My set list is primarily all the songs that are popular and a few new songs that no one has heard, just to keep it fresh and current.
ELLE: What’s that one song you had the most fun working on and why?
Bryan Adams: I loved working on So Happy It Hurts which is the title of the latest album. I wrote it during the lockdown imagining being out back out on the road, which at the time seemed like it would never happen again.
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ELLE: What was it like collaborating with Ed Sheeran?
Bryan Adams: Easy. I’d gone to see Ed at his show and we got a chance to chat and exchange email addresses. Not long afterwards I sent him the chorus for a song I was working on, called Shine A Light and he sent me a verse. It was quick and fun, and all done via email.
ELLE: Any Indian artists you’d like to collaborate with?
Bryan Adams: None have ever asked me.
ELLE: What would your ideal supergroup be?
Bryan Adams: I’m in my supergroup and we’re coming to India!
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ELLE: Who were your musical influences when you were starting out and cut to today, which ones are your influences now?
Bryan Adams: Today I love Coldplay a lot, but growing up I loved loud rock bands and I still do.
ELLE: What’s the difference between playing your hits then and playing them now? Have they taken on a different meaning?
Bryan Adams: That’s an interesting question. I think the songs take on a life of their own but are especially helped by the internet in making things more accessible to people all over the world.
