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If you haven’t spent your teen years headbanging to ‘Summer Of 69’, are you even a fan of Bryan Adams’ music? Well, there’s also ‘Everything I Do’ and ‘Please Forgive Me’ that you have crooned to. That is what makes the Canadian rocker such a timeless musician in India for all the 90s kids who grew up listening to him through their dial-up song channel on local cable or at parties that ended in a couple dance. It is definitely one of the many reasons why he has been visiting the country over the last 30 years. He will be visiting India for the sixth time this December for his `So Happy It Hurts` world tour. While this is going to be a five-city tour, the first visit still feels like yesterday for the Canadian singer-songwriter.
In fact, Adams, who is known for many other hits like ‘Heaven’ and ‘Run To You’, shares, “My favourite memory of India is the first concert. We played in Mumbai in 1993. It was an absolutely packed cricket ground, and they had divided the ground in half with wooden posts, so on one side you had the audience, many of whom were in the traditional costumes, and on the other side of the wooden fence was the cricket club… drinking tea.” It is reminiscent of the city’s love for music while co-existing with cricket and its many other forms of entertainment. The city faces close competition from another major performance venue. “One of my favourite cities to play in the world is Madison Square Garden NYC,” he adds. So, what keeps him coming back? It is no wonder that Adams says he really enjoys the audiences, but his visits are also sprinkled with travel because he loves seeing new parts of the country because of how enormous India is.
The Canadian took to music very early in his life and has produced many hits for five decades ever since he started out as a 15-year-old with Canadian glam rock band Sweeney Todd. Interestingly, listeners have got to see so many different sides of him with a mix of his smooth and raspy vocals. So, how has he seen his music evolve over time? He shares, “I like to keep things simple, and I usually just record in the same way. In some ways, I think you evolve as a songwriter with the more experiences you have, the larger library of memories to tap from.”
However, he believes that most of them have been hits only because of touring. “I’ve been quite consistent over the years to return to countries that I’ve performed in. As far as the songs go, I’m just glad we put the time in to making the recordings and the songs as good as they could be; that’s probably why they lasted,” he adds.
As the years pass, many fans often try to decipher the meanings of songs, especially if the songwriter and musician haven`t spoken about it. It has not been any different with Adams, as there have been many theories floated about the origins of the song `Summer of 69`. Putting the theories aside, the real summer of 69 had a lot happening, but more than that, it also led to the birth of Bryan Adams, the musician. He reminisces, “I was into music very, very early on. My father had bought me a flamenco guitar when I was around nine years old, and I was already a big Beatles fan as many of my friends had records from them, and we would often sit and listen to them together.”
With that being said, Adams has always thought that songs are meant to be interpreted by whoever hears them. “That, I believe, is the beauty of songs/music,” he adds.
With India on the cards yet again, does he feel the urge to experiment with world musical sounds? He reveals, “It’s so funny that you mentioned whether I’m going to experiment with Indian music, because last week I bought an electric sitar.” Will he feature it? We`ll have to just wait and see as he juggles tour dates and finds time to immerse in the culture. “We don’t have a lot of time off between our shows, but undoubtedly, we will be enjoying some fine Indian cuisine,” he adds.
With over 15 studio albums, ask him if fans can expect something new, and the answer is positive. He concludes, “Yes, I’m working on a new album, and it comes out in 2025. It’s called `Roll With The Punches`. Aside from that, just before Christmas, I will be releasing a box set of three albums recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall.”
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