Bryan Adams has a new label home, his first since signing with A&M Records for one whole dollar in 1978. The Canadian rocker, who soundtracked a good portion of eighties kids’ lives with hits like “Cuts Like a Knife” and “Summer of ’69,” among many others, has inked a deal with BMG to release his next album.
The new record doesn’t have a title or release date yet, but Adams said in a recent Instagram chitchat that a “rocker” of a single is coming in October. He also teased possible live dates by year’s end, but “so much depends on what happens with COVID.”
“As soon as we met with Bryan and his team to listen to the album, we instantly connected with the songs,” noted Thomas Scherer, BMG president repertoire & marketing in LA and NYC. “This record is the perfect showcase of his exceptional artistry, performing all the music while also producing. We are very proud to welcome him to BMG, his first new label home in 40 years, and provide our best-in-class global service to a global superstar of his stature.”
Adams has clocked 14 studio albums since 1980, the most recent being 2019’s Shine a Light. The first nine were part of his extremely fruitful A&M years and included four straight that cracked the Billboard 200 top ten: Cuts Like a Knife (1983, No. 8), Reckless (1984, No. 1), Into the Fire (1987, No. 7) and Waking Up the Neighbors (1991, No. 6).
His biggest hit came courtesy of the early nineties power ballad “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You,” which topped the Hot 100 for seven weeks and went on to become not only Billboard’s No. 1 song of the summer of 1991, but the top title of the entire year.
Other Hot 100 toppers included 1985’s “Heaven,” 1994’s “All for Love” (featuring Rod Stewart and Sting) and 1995’s “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?”, the latter off his stylish 18 Till I Die album. Over the course of his A&M years he posted several other FM radio staples like “Run to You,” “One Night Love Affair” and “Can’t Stop This Thing We Started.”
It was during this period that Adams got involved in humanitarian work and became a regular at high profile benefit concerts, including Farm Aid and, of course, Live Aid.
After A&M merged with Geffen and Interscope to form Interscope Geffen A&M Records in 1999, Adams began recording for Polydor Records, also part of the Universal Music Group family. His releases with Polydor have included 2004’s Room Service and 2015’s Jeff Lynne-produced Get Up, which includes the standout track “You Belong to Me.”
As for the new deal, Adams said he’s “delighted to join the BMG team,” which includes fellow 1980s stalwarts Duran Duran and Kylie Minogue, as well as ballad specialist Diane Warren. Bruce Allen, Adams’ longtime manager, said he’s looking forward to the “next chapter of Bryan’s career” on BMG.
