Despite our propensity for politeness, Canadians are having a hard time keeping our cool as Donald Trump continues to land jabs on our country, from his new round of tariffs to yet another annexation-style social media post proposing the renaming of Lake Ontario to Lake America.

Even our political leaders have had enough with polite diplomacy. Mark Carney’s government has announced $27.6 billion in counter-tariffs on American imports, while Ontario Premier Doug Ford told Donald Trump to flat out “kiss his ass” – and threatened to cut off electrical power to the U.S.

Then there’s our Canadian rocker Bryan Adams who – rather than engaging in a war of words on social media – found inspiration in the chaos. The result: a single titled 51st State – which, of course, Adams sings, “We will never be.” Currently on his 15-date Roll With the Punches tour, the superstar has been dropping the song into his live shows as he crosses Canada. He told Zoomer he plays the rallying cry in the middle of his set, after his upbeat smash hit This Time and right before the emotional urgency of In the Heat of the Night. Doesn’t get more True North Strong and Free than that.

The Kingston, Ont.-born star keeps the flag flying with another new song, The Ballad of Terry Fox, penned for the new documentary Run Terry Run (coming to theatres Oct. 9). The track is just another reminder of the resilience of our land and its people, with a chorus that sums it up: “Yeah, the road was long where he once ran / He did the best any human can / Get across the country, that’s the plan / That’s the spirit of our man.” —Andrew Wright

•••

 

Our Editor-in-Chief Suzanne Boyd chatted with Adams on Canada Day 2026, when he unveiled 51st State.

Zoomer: Well, nice to see you, Bryan.
Bryan Adams: You too.

Z: Have you been watching the World Cup?
BA: Of course.

Z: Did you watch the game, Canada vs South Africa, yesterday?
BA: Sure did. Canada’s in the [knockouts], who would’ve thought it? But it’s brilliant.

Z: How did you feel during the second half hydration break when Summer of ’69 was played?
BA: I didn’t notice that.

Z: You didn’t? How is that possible?
BA: No, it was only after the fact that someone told me about it. I wasn’t watching it on television. I was watching it on the internet. So it was like, you know, they throw a bunch of commercials on it.

Z: Right. Well, you know, those chords just stand out so much. It got me thinking that your music is such a part of Canadiana, but you don’t really write a lot about Canada – except for a song like Alberta Bound. So the 51st State song is a bit of a departure in that you’re focusing on Canada as a place and a nation.
BA: And it is actually part of a series of songs that are going to be coming out about Canada. It was inspired by a German documentary coming out next year I was asked to write for on the Maritimes. They wanted a Canadian to write a song for it, and so I got asked to do it and I thought, “Yeah, that could be cool.” And I just sat down and this song came out.

Z: And was that song 51st State?
BA: No, it was the song for the documentary. And then as I finished that, I thought, “I’ve gone through a whole bunch of research because I wanted to make sure I had my facts right before I got into it.” And then, about a day later, I went back and looked at my research and started working on another idea as a sort of backup, in case the other song was rejected. So now I had two songs.

Z: Wow.
BA: I’d gone off on a tangent and started into different things like, where was the railroad first started? And more about Newfoundland and Labrador and thinking and talking about all these places. Now suddenly I was inspired to write a third song. So, I’ve got three songs, then I thought, “You know what, maybe I should write an album about Canada.” 

Z: Okay, so are we talking about a new body of work?
BA: Yes, a Canada album which hopefully will be released in September or October. 

Z: You did all this research, but you’ve been a touring musician since you were a teenager – and you’ve probably travelled in Canada more than most. Have you been to every single province? To Nunavut?
BA: No, and I haven’t been to the Northwest Territories and I haven’t been to Labrador. But, you know, I’ve been to The Grand Banks [in Newfoundland]. I’ve been as far east as you can get and as far west as you can get.

Z: Exactly. So I feel like you’re more qualified than most to write about it?
BA: Well, I don’t know that you have to be qualified. You just have to be Canadian – but that’s kind of you to say. All the research that I’d done had been more territorial as opposed to the historic. So I started venturing into that, more about the railroad and things about the Gold Rush. And then I thought, I need to write something more current. And the first thing that came to my mind was the notion that had been talked about, a 51st state. And I thought, ‘I’m gonna write about that.’ And so I just dug in.

Z: Shortly after all that “talk” started, you were on tour in the States in March 2025, and you spoke about it on stage in Oklahoma, saying as Canadians “we feel a little intimidated. We’ve got to be honest, alright? We love you guys a lot. But I’m not sure that I love you that much that I want to become you, okay?” So you’ve been thinking about the 51st State issue since then, I take it?
BA: I forgot that I’d done that, actually. Thanks for reminding me.

Z: I think you were dug in on it pretty early because you did make that statement. Now in the lead-up to Canada Day, I see that you posted about the song and Linda Evangelista commented: “Don’t poke the bear.”
BA: Yeah. But she also sent another one saying fire, with four or five stars.

Z: I think that it’s kind of funny because the thing with a personality like that person’s …
BA: You mean: he that shall be unnamed?

Z: Yeah. The Voldemort of geopolitics. I guess you have an interest in geopolitics from when you were a kid – and you travelled the world with your father who was an army diplomat – growing up in Portugal and Jordan. So current and world events have always been in your experience, right?
BA: With that kind of upbringing, it entices you to ask questions and be involved. I mean, it’s inevitable when you have a multicultural school and classmates that are different ethnicities. You start to wonder about other things? You know, whether it’s as simple as different types of food, you know, or how is it that the Romans got as far as they did? Whatever it might be.

Z: So tell me a bit more about the song 51st State. You have so many great summer jams and a song that’s synonymous with the season. When I first heard this one, it felt upbeat and happy, even though it’s about a serious topic. So what did you want the message to be – with the lyrics but also with the feel and the vibe of it?
BA: It’s pretty clear, we just don’t wanna be part of that, thanks very much. For us, that whole thought is just noise. 

Z: And making it upbeat?
BA: I don’t know if it was a conscious decision to make the song one way or another, but it just turned out that way. It was just decidedly upbeat from the moment that it started.

Z: Because we’re happy to be Canadian.
BA: That’s it.

 

---

“Awesome, just awesome”

– Prime Minister Mark Carney’s response when Adams’ sent him the new song, 51st State

---

 

Z: In March this year, Prime Minister Mark Carney posted a video of himself jogging in London’s Hyde Park with the president of Finland with Summer of ‘69 as the added audio. Are you going to send 51st State to the Prime Minister?
BA: I already have.

Z: Did he respond?
BA: He wrote back, “Awesome, just awesome.”

Z: How do you think people will receive the song?
BA: Well, so far so good. I mean, as we’re talking it’s two days out and I’m really excited for it to come out. This will be the most significant Canada Day and I really wanted to get this out for it. That was the impetus.

Z: What do you think are the most Canadian things about you?
BA: My studio in Gastown. I love my studio.

Z: The Warehouse Studio, it’s a heritage building. Is that why it’s so Canadian?
BA: Yeah. It’s part of Vancouver’s history. And it was salvaged from the wreckage. 

Z: What was it before you transformed it?
BA: It was a number of things. Originally it was built for the Gold Rush as a sort of dispensary and a grocery store where you could buy pickles and cigars and things like that. I’ve got an old receipt from it – it’s framed and on the studio wall. I’m really, really proud to have saved that bit of Canada. To have the oldest brick building in the city is kind of nice. But, I mean, so many things. I don’t identify as anything really. I kind of think of myself as a citizen of the world. But, you know, I’m very proud to pull out my Canadian passport.

Z: Right, so you are a patriotic soul anyway.
BA: Yeah. I’m not jingoistic though.

Z: But in a way that’s very Canadian, feeling like you are a citizen of the world and part of it. It’s like what Mark Carney has been talking about – let’s experience the whole world.
BA: Exactly. 

Z: Why have we been married to one thing? I think it’s such a fresh approach.
BA: Yeah. And he’s right. He’s a man of the world, too.

Z: Right after 9/11, then U.S. president George W. Bush gave the “Axis of Evil” speech to Congress in which he thanked all the allies, but failed to mention Canada, despite how we rallied behind them and Gander.
BA: That’s outrageous.

Z: And it made me think of this lyric from the new song, “Maybe you’ve forgotten – maybe you just don’t care / But we always stood beside you – for that liberty we share.” And it’s really all about another lyric in the chorus, ”When you’re talking about my home you better show some respect.”
BA: I agree, but I end it with the line: “You’re welcome across the border. But we’ll never be the 51st state.”

Z: So it’s actually an open hand to America. Like we’re still friends, but you can’t be a bully.
BA: Well, you can be whatever you wanna, but you know, show some respect.

Z: What’s your favorite thing about America?
BA: I like America. It’s a great place to tour. It’s always been very good to me. I mean, it’s different than Canada, there’s no question about it. But I don’t have any problem. It’s pretty simple, isn’t it, we’re friends, you know? Let’s keep it that way.