The photographer behind the next Pirelli Calendar has been revealed, and it’s none other than rock star Bryan Adams. After the calendar was forced to take a year off for the COVID-19 pandemic, it has returned for 2022 with an edition dedicated to musicians.
The Pirelli calendar used to have a somewhat different reputation, being known primarily for being an annual collection of images of scantily clad (or not-at-all-clad) women.
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Since the 2010s, though, it has evolved and has become something of a photographic event. Past editions have been shot by photographers like Steve McCurry and Annie Leibovitz, and have focused on exploring social and cultural issues through photography.
Adams' calendar is titled 'On the Road', and is focused on musicians. It features some of the most famous artists in the industry, and is a recreation of the many facets of life as a musician on tour – something the subjects have, of course, been unable to do for most of the past year.
Adams pitched the idea to Pirelli himself, having been inspired by the enforced shutdown caused by the pandemic. He had already been slated to shoot the 2021 calendar with an entirely different project, but elected to retool the concept following the pandemic.
The subjects of Adams' photographs include timeless stars like Cher and Iggy Pop, as well as newer talents like Grimes, St Vincent and Bohan Phoenix. Each of the stars will depict different aspects of being on tour as a musician, from waiting in the green room to traveling on the tour bus.
"On the road is where I have been for the last 45 years, because the life of a musician is made up of roads, travel, waiting in hotels, hours backstage," Adams said of the project. He shot the images over two intense days of work in Los Angeles, and an additional day in Capri a month later.
Adams has been an avid photographer for most of his life. Some of his previous projects include photographing homeless people on the streets of London for Big Issue magazine, and portraits of young British soldiers who suffered life-altering injuries in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The 2022 Pirelli Calendar will be fully unveiled in November.
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