With an album landing this week and a North American and international tour promoting the offering on the books, Bryan Adams is in his comfort zone.
Yet, at the age of 65 and with more than four decades in the music industry, his latest creative endeavour also marks the beginning of a new chapter in his career. Roll With the Punches – which drops on Aug. 29 – is his first release as an independent artist under his recently launched record label, Bad Records.
The venture – which began last August – follows his split from manager Bruce Allen after 44 years together.
“I was expecting an exodus when I left my management, but it was the opposite,” he told Zoomer in a 2024 interview soon after the news broke. “My booking agents called me almost immediately and offered solidarity, followed by my crew and band. It was hugely reassuring.”
The freshly independent artist hasn’t missed a beat with his latest album, a 10-track delight that is quintessential Bryan Adams. He isn’t resting on his laurels either. From tapping longtime friend, actress Elizabeth Hurley, to play his love interest in the music video for one of the album’s singles “Never Let You Go,” to upping his social media promo game, the buzz around the new album has been well earned.
Meanwhile, while on tour, which includes an extensive Canadian leg, Adams says he will take requests from the audience, a unique feature that helps him hone in on a few fan-favourites from his massive catalog.
“This is my 17th album so there’s quite a bit of music, and you can’t play it all,” he said in an interview with iHeart radio, adding that fans have surprise him by requesting some of his “deeper cuts.”
Offstage, the rock icon isn’t afraid to use his heavyweight status to advocate for fellow Canuck musicians looking to get their start in the industry. Since 2018, he’s been fighting to amend the Canadian Copyright Act to allow creators to regain control of their work 25 years after the assignment of rights – instead of 25 years after an artist’s death, as it stands now.
“This would have helped creators as well as their families and their inheritances, including in situations where the person that the rights were granted to is no longer using them,” he told Zoomer. “Or where the artist who was just starting out, or who has been taken advantage of, has made a bad deal.”
More recently, as a keynote speaker at Departure Festival (formerly known as Canadian Music Week), he publicly criticized Canada’s Online Streaming Act, pointing out elements that make it difficult for artists to achieve global recognition.
Whether consciously or not, that fighting spirit seems to have leaked into his new album, especially the title track.
“Roll With The Punches is a song about resilience and the spirit of getting back up no matter how hard you’ve been knocked down,” he said recently. “This song is for everyone who’s ever felt defeated but chose to fight another day. I believe the song captures the idea of getting through things when confronted with challenges and disappointment by simply rocking out!”
With that said, Adams never takes a break from “rocking out.” In an instagram post, the singer, who seems to be perpetually on the road, gave fans a peak at the makeshift recording studio he often erects in hotel rooms while on tour, which consists of recording equipment, guitar, mic and a “soundproof” vocal booth made up of two mattresses. It’s not a new tactic for the rockstar. In fact, his 10th studio album, aptly named Room Service, was recorded almost entirely on tour in various hotel rooms.
With no plans to retire, Adams continues to rack up accolades. After his induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2022, he earned a nomination to the American version this year. He also picked up his 16th Grammy nod in 2023. Plus, his concerts continue to sell out internationally in record time.
As for how the rockstar manages to rock out after more than 45 years in the industry? A vegan diet certainly helps. But the key ingredient may come straight from the heart.
“I don’t sit and think about how I’m going to make myself rock in my old age,” Adams told Zoomer in a 2014 cover story. “I’m grateful and I love singing and I’m going to carry on doing it as long as people like it and as long as I’m loving it.”
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