Look up please in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Please may refer to:

Music[link]

• Please (Pet Shop Boys album), 1986
• Please (Matt Nathanson album), 1993
• "Please" (Toni Braxton song), 2005
• "Please" (The Kinleys song)
• "Please" (U2 song), 1997
• "Please (You Got That...)", a 1993 song by INXS
• "Please", a song by The Apples in Stereo from Velocity of Sound
• "Please", a song by Lamb from Between Darkness and Wonder
• "Please", a song by Tom McRae from The Alphabet of Hurricanes
• "Please", a song by Nine Inch Nails from The Fragile
• "Please", a song by Paul Hartnoll from The Ideal Condition
• "Please", a song by Chris Isaak from Speak of the Devil
• "Please", a song by Robin Gibb
• "Please", a song by Ludo
• "Please", a song by Staind

Other uses[link]

• Please! or Onegai, an anime series
• PLEASE, a keyword in the INTERCAL programming language

See also[link]

• "Please, Please", a song by McFly
• Please, Please, Please (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2012)

Kim Hyun Joong
Kim Hyun Joong at SS501 Persona Concert 2009 Hong Kong
Background information
Birth name	김현중 (金賢重)
Born	(1986-06-06) 6 June 1986 (age 26) Seoul, South Korea
Origin	South Korea
Genres	K-pop, J-pop, Dance, R&B
Occupations	Singer, Actor, Model, Dancer, MC
Instruments	Guitar, Bass, Piano, Drums, Violin
Years active	2005–present
Labels	DSP Media (2005–2010) KeyEast (2010–present) Warner Music Taiwan (2010–present) United Asia Management (2011–present) Delicious Deli Records/Universal Music Japan (2011–present)
Associated acts	SS501 (2005-present)
Website	http://www.hyun-joong.com/

20110816 The Face Shop activities in Taiwan

Kim Hyun Joong (Hangul: 김현중, Hanja: 金賢重) was born on 6 June 1986. He is a South Korean entertainer and the leader of boyband SS501. Kim is well-known for his role as Yoon Ji Hoo in the 2009 Korean drama Boys Over Flowers, winning Best Actor Award at the Seoul International Drama Awards 2009, and Popularity Award at the 45th PaekSang Arts Awards. He is also known for playing in the late 2010 Korean drama Playful Kiss, as Baek Seung Jo. He is a style icon in Korea, winning several icon awards.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

He dropped out of school when he decided to become a singer. During his school days, he played bass guitar in a band. During the years 2001 and 2002 when he was 14–15, while working as a waiter in a family restaurant, located at Jamsil-dong, he was introduced to a new set up management company CEO. Initially he was to debut in a 5 member group. Han Yeon of B2Y (now disbanded) was to be the Leader and Kim the maknae. While the group underwent training together, they were asked by their company to debut in China as a Hallyu project group, but the group rejected the offer and disbanded. Kim proceeded to audition for DSP Media (formerly DSP Entertainment) and became a member and leader of SS501. Kim returned to school and graduated in 2006 after debuting as a member of SS501. In 2011, he enrolled in Chungwoon University to study stage production management.^[1]

2005: Debut[link]

On 8 June 2005, Kim made his entertainment debut as the leader of SS501. The group appeared on the 2006 show, Thank You For Waking Me Up where he was proven to be a heavy sleeper, and the MNet show Idol World in 2007, in which SS501 did various activities in Japan.

In May 2008, Kim joined the cast of We Got Married in episode nine. Known as the "Lettuce Couple", Hyun Joong and Hwang Bo went on to win MBC's Best Couple Award. The couple made their official exit from the show in episode 38, on 14 December 2008, due to scheduling conflicts with Boys Over Flowers.

2009: Acting, Boys Over Flowers and H1N1[link]

Whilst in Japan in 2008, Kim was cast as Yoon Ji Hoo in the Korean drama Boys Over Flowers. A role for which he won the Best Actor Award at the Seoul International Drama Awards 2009 and the Popularity Award at the 45th PaekSang Arts Awards.

In 2009, SS501 released the album SS501 Collection, in which they each sang a solo song, along with being featured in a mini drama music video. Their Asia Concert Tour began in mid-August 2009 in Seoul at the Olympic Park. They continued their tour in Shanghai, Taipei, and Bangkok before returning to Seoul for a closing encore concert. They staged two concerts for the encore closure on 27 February and 28 February 2010 respectively.

In September 2009, during promotions in Yokohama, Japan for Boys Over Flowers, Kim was diagnosed with H1N1. He was treated in a Toyko hospital and was discharged on 15 September 2009.^[2] While recovering from H1N1, he could not attend the Seoul International Drama Awards; to accept the award on his behalf, his band mates of SS501: Heo Young Saeng, Kim Kyu Jong, and Kim Hyung Jun were present for the award show.

He has also been the spokesperson for cosmetics brand, Tony Moly, an established company with numerous branches across Korea and Asia, including Taiwan and Hong Kong. He has since ended his contract with Tony Moly at the end of September 2010, and he had been chosen to be the Spokesperson for The Face Shop. He Did A Video (M et )ru- Black Glasses starring Kim Hyun Joong!

2010: SS501 comeback, leaving DSP Media, Playful Kiss, and 2010 Asian Games[link]

In April 2010, he appeared opposite Jung Ryeo Won in the music video for Korean singer Gummy's new song "As A Man" (남자라서).

In June 2010, SS501 released an album titled Destination, produced by Steven Lee. Their title song "Love Ya" was well received, rating high in record sales and online music stores, and it went on to top Music Bank's K-Chart. However, they ended promotions after two weeks, because SS501's contract with DSP Media ended.

On 19 June 2010, he appeared at a concert in the Philippines along side BEAST.

On 28 June 2010, it was announced that Kim had officially left DSP Media and joined Bae Yong Joon's KeyEast Entertainment company.^[3] Although Kim has left DSP Media he stated that SS501's activities will be top priority in their contracts^[4] and definitely has not disbanded. Kim explained in an interview that, at the time, there wasn't a company that would accepted them as a whole, thus the group decided to take the chance to focus on their solo activities.

Kim played the lead role in the drama Playful Kiss, a Korean adaptation of Japanese shōjo manga Itazura na Kiss as Baek Seung Jo, an all round perfect genius with an IQ of 200, with co star Jung So Min as Oh Hani. On 7 November, Kim was interviewed by CNN's Anna Coren due to his success in Playful Kiss. Playful Kiss Special Edition is a big hit on Youtube as it is the first Korean drama to air on YouTube. Its first episode garnered 1 million views just in 5 days and it proved so popular that there is a record channel view of 7 million and 26 million total upload views, as of January 2012.

Kim was invited to perform at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou as the representative of South Korea to sing "Sunshine Again" with other 4 other singers from Chinese-speaking countries.^[5] In early December 2010, Kim went to Singapore and Malaysia to promote The Face Shop.

2011: Solo artist[link]

In May, Kim named his official solo fanclub 'Henecia', which is a combination of 'H' and the Latin term 'benecia', which means 'blessed'.^[6]

On 8 June 2011, Kim released his first solo debut mini album, Break Down. It was produced by Steven Lee, who composed SS501's hits, "Love Like This" and "Love Ya". The title track "Break Down", featuring Double K., is a high energy dance track, with a R&B heavy "Please", as the second lead track. The album exceeded 70,000 pre-ordered copies in just 10 days.^[7] It peaked at number one on Gaon Weekly Album Chart for the week starting 5 June 2011^[8] and was the best-selling album for June on Gaon Monthly Album Chart with 100,433 copies sold. It also toped the Oricon chart in Japan in the International Imported Album category for the first week of July.^[9] The album's title track "Break Down" was the first place winner for two consecutive weeks on Mnet's M! Countdown music show, for 16 and 23 June 2011; and also won for two consecutive weeks on KBS's Music Bank.^[10] Break Down is certified platinum in Taiwan and Kim was presented with a platinum record by Warner Music Taiwan CEO Chen Ze Shan in a press conference held in Taiwan.^[11]

Kim was also the first Korean to appear on Taiwanese TV show The Person. In July 2011, he also held the first of his nationwide concerts in Japan. The tour continued from November in seven cities across Japan: Sapporo, Sendai, Hiroshima, Yokohama, Nagoya, Tokyo and Fukuoka.^[12]

On 11 October 2011, Kim released his second mini album Lucky. It debuted at number 5 on Billboard's World Chart.^[13] It topped the Gaon Chart again for the third week of October 2011 and was the highest selling album on the Hanteo Album Sales Chart for the month of October 2011. On 25 October 2011, Kim released a digital single together with Seohyun entitled "The Magic of Yellow Ribbon", which is the theme song for a commercial for The Face Shop. On 28 October, he, along with Ha Ji Won, acted as MC at the 2011 K-Pop Super Concert held at Gwangalli Beach in Busan, which was broadcast on SBS on 6 November.^[14]

In November 2011, Kim won the 2011 KIA Soul People’s Choice "Style Icon Award" for the third consecutive year.^[15] On 9 November, Kim announced at a press conference for his Japan Tour that he had signed a deal with Universal Music Japan for his Japan-based music activities.^[16] Kim successfully completed his Japan Tour that started on 9th of November, attracting over 30,000 fans. Kim won the Best Male Solo Artist at the 2011 Mnet Asian Music Awards that was held in Singapore.

On 15 December 2011, Kim released his digital album : Marry You/Marry Me. The digital album consists of 4 songs, namely Marry Me, Marry You, Marry Me (instrumental) and Marry You (instrumental). The music videos for Marry Me and Marry You were both released on his official Youtube account on 15th December 2011 12 AM KST.

2012: Upcoming Drama, 2012 Fan Meeting Tour[link]

On January 26 2012, Kim Hyun Joong released his first Japanese single (Kiss Kiss & Lucky Guy) (Japanese version). The singer who has focused mostly on his album promotions after his drama ‘Playful Kiss‘ which came to an end in 2010 has recently been confirmed for a role in ‘City Conquest‘. Kim Hyun Joong is going to be the main lead for the upcoming drama, "Conquest for City" which is also known as "City Conquest". Kim Hyun Joong will be playing the role as a wild man (Baek Mir), a strong individual who experienced and went through many kinds of hardships and difficulties and lived through a harsh life, growing up without parents, but a man who becomes infinitely weak when it comes to love. ‘City Conquest’ is a drama that’s been adapted from the original comic by author Shin Hyung Bin. This new project brings together humanism and action, and it tells the story of main character Baek Mir who grew up resentful towards his father who left his mother and himself. He takes revenge against the evils of society which drove his family into destruction.

In related news, Kim Hyun Joong will be holding his ‘Kim Hyun Joong Fan Meeting Tour 2012‘ in May, making stops in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, and more.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• 2008 – Digital Single Thank You
• 2011 – 1st mini album Break Down
• 2011 – 2nd mini album Lucky
• 2011 - Digital Single Marry You/ Marry Me
• 2012 - 1st Japanese Single "" [Kiss Kiss/Lucky Guy] (Japanese Version)

DVDs[link]

• 2010 – Ready,Action! Spain Photo Book
• 2010 – Kim Hyun Joong's "First Love Story DVD"

Soundtrack Contributions (OSTs)[link]

• 2009 - Because I'm Stupid Acoustic Version - Boys Over Flowers (KBS drama)
• 2009 - A Thing Called Happiness - Boys Over Flowers Special Edition (KBS drama)
• 2010 - One More Time - Playful Kiss (MBC drama)
• 2012 - If You're Like Me - The Marriage Plot (tvN drama)

Filmography[link]

• 2005: Nonstop – ep 208 (MBC)
• 2005: Can Love Be Refilled? – as William (KBS2 sitcom)
• 2006: Pi Story – (voice)
• 2007: Hotelier – with SS501 cameo ep 7 (TV Arashi)
• 2008: Spotlight – with SS501 cameo (MBC)
• 2008: We Got Married – ep 9 to 38 (MBC)
• 2009: Boys Before Flowers – as Yoon Ji Hoo (KBS2)
• 2009: Samsung Anycall Haptic Mission with F4 and Som Dam-Bi
• 2009: Family Outing – guest ep 64–65 (SBS)
• 2010: Playful Kiss – as Baek Seung Jo (MBC)
• 2011: Running Man – guest ep 46–47 (SBS)
• 2011: Dream High – cameo ep 1 (KBS2)
• 2012: Kpop Star conquering the world Documentary (MBC)
• 2012: Conquest of the City/City Conquest - as Baek Mir (SBS)

Music videos[link]

• 2005 2Shai – "She Laugh"
• 2006 Eru – "Black Glasses"
• 2009 Kim Joon – "Jun Be O.K"
• 2010 Gummy – "As A Man"
• 2011 Kim Hyun Joong – "제발" (Please)
• 2011 Kim Hyun Joong – "Break Down"
• 2011 Kim Hyun Joong – "Kiss Kiss"
• 2011 Kim Hyun Joong – "Lucky Guy"
• 2011 Kim Hyun Joong - "Marry You"
• 2012 Kim Hyun Joong - "Kiss Kiss" [Japanese version]
• 2012 Kim Hyun Joong - "Lucky Guy" [Japanese version]

MC[link]

• 2005 – M! Countdown – Mnet
• 2006 – Music Core
• 2011 – Super K-pop Busan Concert

Endorsements[link]

• Samsung Anycall Blue
• Mighty Mac
• Elite Uniform
• Lotte Milkshake
• Converse
• Samsung Anycall Haptic Pop
• T.I For Men
• NongShim
• Le Coq Sportif
• Samsung Anycall Jet
• Dinamic Kin (Coca Cola)

• Hotsun Chicken
• Samsung Card
• MVIO
• Basic House
• I'm David
• Tony Moly
• The Face Shop (with Seohyun)
• Hang Ten
• Coupang Spring Campaign
• Lotte Duty Free
• Aeon Heatfact (Japan)
• Aeon Coolish Fact (Japan)
• Seoul Ambassador to Tourism
• Slim Beauty House (Japan)
• March 2012 Honorary Ambassador of the United Nations Millennium Development
• Centerpole

Awards[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Kim Hyun Joong's Official Website
• Kim Hyun Joong's Official Japanese Website
• Kim Hyun Joong's KeyEast Profile Page

Bryan Adams
Background information
Birth name	Bryan Guy Adams
Born	(1959-11-05) 5 November 1959 (age 52) Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Rock
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, photographer, actor, record producer, social activist
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano, bass, harmonica
Years active	1977–present
Labels	Polydor
Website	bryanadams.com

Bryan Adams, OC OBC (born Bryan Guy Adams, 5 November 1959) is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. For his contributions to music, Adams has many awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations, 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television in 1992. He has also won MTV, ASCAP, and American Music awards. In addition, he has won two Ivor Novello Awards for song composition and has been nominated for several Golden Globe Awards and three times for Academy Awards for his songwriting for films.

Adams was awarded the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia for contributions to popular music and philanthropic work via his own foundation, which helps improve education for people around the world.^[1][2]

Adams was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, with the 2,435th star in March 2011 and Canada's Walk of Fame in 1998,^[3] and in April 2006 he was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at Canada's Juno Awards.^[4] In 2008, Bryan was ranked 38 on the list of All-Time top artists by the Billboard Hot 100 50th Anniversary Charts. On 13 January 2010, he received the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award for his part in numerous charitable concerts and campaigns during his career,^[5] and on 1 May 2010 was given the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for his 30 years of contributions to the arts.^[6]

Early life[link]

Adams was born in Kingston, Ontario, to parents Conrad and Jane, who had emigrated from England in the 1950s.^[7] From his grandmother, he also inherited Maltese ancestry. Originally a soldier in England, Adams' father became a Canadian diplomat, latterly attached to the United Nations.^[7] Adams grew up traveling around the world with his parents, with his father's diplomatic postings in Europe and the Middle East. He traveled through the United Kingdom, and the Middle East, and spent more than four years in Lisbon, Portugal and a year in Vienna, Austria. After his parents divorce,^[7] in 1973 Adams and his mother returned to settle in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Music career[link]

Early career[link]

Around the age of 14-15, Adams worked as a dishwasher to save money for a proper guitar. He quit the job after a year and started auditioning as a guitarist while rehearsing his own band in his mother's rented basement in North Vancouver. Adams elected to sing until they found a singer, but they never found one, and his auditioning landed him a few jobs, with bands like Shock and Sweeney Todd, who in 1976 released If Wishes Were Horses with the 15-year-old Adams as the singer.^[8] He quit school to play nightclubs and go on the road and upon his return he settled into the Vancouver studio scene, working as a background vocalist for the CBC and working with keyboardist Robbie King, whom Adams attributes as having given him his first paying session.

In 1978, at the age of 18, Adams met Jim Vallance introduced by a mutual friend in a Vancouver music store. Vallance was the former drummer and principal songwriter for Vancouver based rock band Prism and had recently quit that band to focus on a career as a studio musician and songwriter. They agreed to meet at Vallance's home studio a few days later, which proved to be the beginning of a partnership which still exists today. Later in 1978, Adams signed to A&M records for the paltry sum of one dollar.^[9] Some of the first demos written in 1978 have surfaced over the years, most notably "I'm Ready" (recorded for both the album Cuts Like a Knife and later his release for MTV Unplugged) and "Remember," which was recorded on his first album. Both songs were covered by other artists even before his first album was released. Also recorded during this time was Adams' first single, "Let Me Take You Dancing," which made the Canadian RPM chart in March 1979 and it's B-Side Don't Turn Me Away, which has never appeared outside of the original 7" and 12" singles. An early version of "Straight From The Heart" was written during this period. The song was later recorded for Adams' third album "Cuts Like A Knife" in 1983 and released as a single, becoming Adams's first top ten record in the US in 1983.

1980s[link]

Adams' self-titled debut album was released in February 1980, and marked the beginning of what was to become a long songwriting partnership between Adams and co-writer Jim Vallance. With the exception of "Remember" and "Wastin' Time", most of the album was recorded from 29 October up until 29 November 1979 at Manta Studios in Toronto and co-produced by Adams and Vallance. The album was certified gold in Canada in 1986.^[10]

Adams' second album, You Want It You Got It, was recorded in New York City in two weeks and it marked Adams' first album co-produced by Bob Clearmountain.^{[citation needed]} It was released in 1981 and contained the FM radio hit "Lonely Nights," but it was not until his third album that he achieved international recognition, popularity and sales.

Adams also co-wrote many songs for other bands during this time including "War Machine" and "Rock and Roll Hell" for Kiss, and "No Way to Treat a Lady" for Bonnie Raitt.^{[citation needed]}

Cuts Like a Knife, which was released in January 1983, was Adams' breakout album due mainly to the lead singles. "Straight from the Heart" was the most successful song, reaching number ten on the Billboard Hot 100.^[11] Another single, "Cuts Like a Knife" charted at number 15. "This Time" also placed on the Hot 100. Music videos were released for four of the singles from the album. "Cuts Like a Knife" arguably became Adams' most recognizable and popular song from the album. Its music video received heavy airplay on music television channels. The album peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200 album chart and achieved three times platinum status in Canada, platinum in the United States and gold in Australia.^[10][11][12]

Adams' best-selling album, Reckless, co-produced by Adams and Bob Clearmountain, peaked at number one on the Billboard 200. The album was released in November 1984 and featured the singles, "Run to You", "Summer of '69", "Heaven", "One Night Love Affair", "Somebody", and "It's Only Love", a duet with Tina Turner. All the singles had accompanying music videos and all charted on the Billboard Hot 100 but only "Run to You", "Summer of '69", and "Heaven" peaked in the top ten. "Heaven" became the most successful single from Reckless at the time of its release on the pop charts, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and number nine on the mainstream rock chart.^[11] "It's Only Love" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. In 1986, the song won an MTV award for Best Stage Performance.^[13] After the release of the album, Adams was nominated for Best Male Rock Performance.^[13] The album is Adams' best-selling album in the United States and was certified five times platinum.^[14]

In December 1984, Adams and his touring band, which consisted of Keith Scott, Dave Taylor, keyboarder Johnny 'Blitz' Hannah and new drummer Pat Steward, played concerts in Chicago, Detroit, New York and Philadelphia.^[15] In early 1985, Adams started a tour throughout the United States, then later Japan, Australia, Europe and at last Canada.^[15] After winning four Juno Awards, Adams started a Canadian tour through major cities across that country. Later he headed south towards the American West Coast, culminating with 2 dates at the studded Paladium in Los Angeles.^[15]

After the tour in the United States, Adams took part of a grand ensemble of Canadian artists named Northern Lights, who recorded the song "Tears Are Not Enough" for the African famine relief effort. Adams later headed back to Europe for a fifty city concert tour with rock singer Tina Turner culminating in April with his return to London to headline three sold-out shows at the Hammersmith Odeon.^[15] Adams began the first leg of his tour entitled "World Wide in '85" which started in Oklahoma and ended in October 1985.^[15] Adams later visited Vancouver, Canada, and afterward returned to the American East Coast to play 2 sold-out concerts in New York.^[15]

The follow-up album to Reckless was Into the Fire which was released in 1987. The album was recorded at Cliffhanger Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia and mixed at AIR Studios in London and Warehouse Studio in Vancouver. This album contained the hit songs "Heat of the Night" and "Hearts on Fire" and hit the Top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic.^{[citation needed]}

In 1989 Adams did backup singing on Mötley Crüe's album Dr. Feelgood and also on Belinda Carlisle's song "Whatever It Takes" which appeared on her Album Runaway Horses.^{[citation needed]}

1990s[link]

Adams' next album, Waking Up the Neighbours, co-produced by Adams and Mutt Lange, peaked at number six on the Billboard 200.^[11] It was even more successful on the other side of the Atlantic, reaching number 1 on both big European markets, the UK and Germany. The album was released in September 1991 and featured "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You", his second 1 hit single in Billboard Hot 100. This song was featured on the album and a movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, starring Kevin Costner and Alan Rickman. The single topped the charts in numerous countries around the world including big markets such as the US, the UK, France, Australia and Germany. "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" spent a record-breaking 16 consecutive weeks at number 1 on the UK Singles Chart. It also achieved record-breaking sales in the US.^[14][16][17] Canadian content regulations were revised in 1991 to allow radio stations to credit airplay of this album towards their legal requirements to play Canadian music.^[17] Adams won a Grammy Award in 1991 for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television.^[18][19]

Adams further supported the album with his tour, Waking Up the World which started on 4 October 1991, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. On 18 December 1991, Adams played two first-ever shows in Reykjavík, Iceland and then performed in the U.S. with a concert at the Ritz Theatre in New York City on 10 January.^[15] It was a sell-out in less than twenty minutes.^[15] In attendance were music legends Ben E. King and Nona Hendryx.^[15] The Canadian leg of the Waking Up The World Tour kicked off in Sydney, Nova Scotia on 13 January 1992, and wrapped up with a standing room only concert in Vancouver, Canada, on 31 January. In February 1992, he started touring in New Zealand and Australia for seven dates—kicking off with a press conference in Sydney. On 21 February, the tour headed to Japan for approximately a dozen shows in six cities. The tour continued through several European countries in June 1992, including Italy, Germany, Holland and Scandinavia, and in July 1992, Bryan performed for the first time in Hungary and Turkey (where he filmed his video for "Do I Have To Say The Words?"). During the long tour, further singles from the Waking Up the Neighbors album were released: In the US, the rocky "Can't Stop This Thing We Started" peaked at number 2, and "Do I Have to Say the Words?" reached number 11. In the UK, "Thought I Died and Gone to Heaven" was the most successful single behind "(Everything I Do) I Do it for You" by reaching the Top 10. In September through December 1993, the tour took place in the US. The Asian tour headed to Thailand, Singapore, Japan, and Hong Kong in February 1993, before returning to the US during March through May.^[15][19]

In November 1993 Adams released a compilation album entitled So Far So Good, that again topped the Charts in numerous countries such as the UK, Germany and Australia. It included a brand new song called "Please Forgive Me", that became another number 1 single in Australia as well as reaching the Top 3 in the US, the UK and Germany. In 1994 he collaborated with Rod Stewart and Sting for the single "All for Love" written for the Motion Picture Soundtrack of the movie Three Musketeers. The single topped the charts worldwide. It was followed in 1995 by, "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?" (song released with the Motion Picture Soundtrack of the movie Don Juan DeMarco). It became another number 1 in the US and Australia as well as a Top 5 hit in the UK and Germany. Released in June 1996, the album 18 til I Die contained the UK Top 10 singles "The Only Thing That Looks Good on Me" and "Lets Make a Night to Remember". The album peaked at number thirty-one on the Billboard 200 in the United States and held that position for three weeks.^[11] It was more successful in Europe and Australia and reached the top spot on the UK charts for Adams' third number 1 in a row.^{[20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]} The album has been certified platinum in the United States and is Adams last studio effort which has been certified by the RIAA.^[14] 18 til I Die was certified three times platinum in Canada and Australia and two times platinum in the UK. On 27 July Adams performed at the Wembley Stadium in London in front of a crowd of about 70,000. It was his second sold-out concert there and it is often considered as his biggest concert ever as it went out live to 25 countries and fans from all over the world came up to watch the performance.It also received rave reviews from critics and fans alike.^[10][12][30] In December 1997, Adams released MTV Unplugged with three new tracks: "Back to You", "A Little Love" and "When You Love Someone". "Back to You" was the first single, followed by "I'm Ready", an acoustic version of the Cut's Like A Knife track. The album was a top 10 success in Germany while both singles reached the top 20 in the UK.

On a Day Like Today was released in 1998 and was the first studio album since 1981's You Want It You Got It which wasn't certified by the RIAA.^[14] This release coincided with his contract being sold to Interscope Records. Despite Interscope's involvement or lack of, On a Day Like Today enjoyed tremendous success internationally, entering the Top 5 in Germany and was certified platinum in the UK. It generated two British Top 10 singles: "Cloud Number Nine" and "When You're Gone", a duet with Melanie C of The Spice Girls.

To commemorate the millennium, Adams released The Best of Me, his most comprehensive collection of songs at that time, which also included two new songs, the title track "The Best of Me" and the UK number 1 track "Don't Give Up". The album reached the Top 10 in Germany and was certified three times platinum in Canada and Platinum in the UK. The single from the album, "The Best of Me" was a very successful hit with the exception of the US, where neither the single or the album were released by Interscope Records.

2000–present[link]

Bryan Adams playing in Hamburg, Germany.

In 2000, Adams wrote and sang on a song for Chicane's album Behind the Sun^[31] called "Don't Give Up". Even though his voice is somewhat altered electronically, it is still recognisable. An official music video was made of the song, in which Adams also appears.^[32]

In 2002, Adams wrote and performed the songs for the DreamWorks animated film, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. The songs were included on the film's soundtrack. The most successful single from the soundtrack was "Here I Am", a British Top 5 and German Top 20 hit. The song also gave him his fourth Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Song from a Motion Picture.

In 2004, ARC Weekly released its chart of top pop artists since the last 25 years and Adams came up at number 13 in the chart with four number-one singles, ten top five hits and 17 top ten hits. Six years after the release of On a Day Like Today, Room Service was released in September 2004. It topped the charts in Germany and Switzerland and peaked at number four in the UK, selling 440,000 copies in its first week in Europe and thus debuted at number one on Billboard's European album chart. The single, "Open Road", was the most successful single from the album and peaked at number one in Canada and number twenty-one in the UK. In May 2008, the album was also released in the US but charted only at number 134 on the Billboard 200.

In 2005, Anthology, the first 2-disc compilation was released, containing two new tracks. The US release features a new version of "When You're Gone", a duet with Melanie C. Also in 2005, Adams re-recorded the theme song for the second season of Pamela's Fox sitcom Stacked.

In 2006, Adams wrote and performed the theme song "Never Let Go" which was featured in the closing credits of the film The Guardian starring Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher. Adams also co-wrote the song "Never Gonna Break My Faith" for the film Bobby. The song was performed by the R&B singers Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige and earned him a Golden Globe Nomination in 2007.^[33]

Adams released his eleventh album internationally on 17 March 2008. It was appropriately called 11. The album was released in the US exclusively at Wal-Mart and Sam's Club retail stores on 13 May 2008.^[34] The first single released from the album was "I Thought I'd Seen Everything". Adams did an 11-day, 11-country European acoustic promotional tour to kick off the release of the album.^[35] The album debuted at number one in Canada (making it his first album to reach that position since Waking Up the Neighbours in 1991) as well as reaching number two in Germany. In the United States, the album charted at number 80.^[11] In May 2009, Bryan Adams announced on his Twitter account that he has started writing and recording a new album in Paris. Bare Bones is certified Gold in India.^[36]

Adams was one of the four musicians who were pictured on the second series of the Canadian Recording Artist Series to be issued by Canada Post stamps on 2 July 2009.^[37] The total estimated number of Bryan Adams stamps that were printed is one and one-half million.^[38] In December 2009, Adams wrote, produced and performed the song "You've Been a Friend to Me" for the Disney film Old Dogs.^[39]

In February 2010 he released "One World, One Flame" – a track used as a theme song by the German TV Station ARD for their Olympic coverage of Olympic Games in Vancouver.^{[citation needed]}

On 12 February 2010, Adams performed a duet with Nelly Furtado. The song was called "Bang the Drum" and was co-written with Jim Vallance for the opening ceremony for the 2010 Winter Olympics Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, in front of 60,000 spectators at BC Place Stadium.^{[citation needed]}

Adams performed at a party that Wayne Gretzky and Jaromír Jágr attended during Olympics, this brought all three together once again, following Gretzky's final game in 1999 at Madison Square Garden, when Gretzky then played for the New York Rangers and Jagr was with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Adams then sang the Canadian national anthem and ad-libbed a line to acknowledge Gretzky's departure, singing, "We're gonna miss you Wayne Gretzky."

Adams was one of several well known Canadian musicians to visit Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper at his official residence. Originally the visit was meant to be Adams's plea to the Prime Minister to change the archaic copyright laws (http://www2.macleans.ca/2012/04/03/straight-from-the-heart/), instead Harper turned it into a photo op for himself and an informal "jam session".^[40] His latest album, Bare Bones, has been certified gold in India, and he thanked all his Indians fans for giving him such support.^[36]

Bryan Adams & Keith Scott during their tour in Bangalore, India in 2011

On 19 February 2011 Bryan Adams and his band played in Kathmandu, Nepal making him the first ever international artist to rock Nepal which was organized by ODC Network (P) LTD.^[41] Bryan Adams performed at the opening ceremony of ICC World Cup Cricket 2011 on 17 February in Dhaka, Bangladesh^[42] and also performed in a solo concert in the next day.^[43]

On 14 March 2011, Adams announced that he and co-founder of his foundation and girlfriend, Alicia Grimaldi, were expecting a baby and on 22 April 2011, Grimaldi gave birth to a daughter, Mirabella Bunny.^[44]

On 10 September 2011, Taylor Swift covered Bryan Adams' song Summer of 69 at her concert at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. On 19 November 2011, Bryan recorded the music video for "Tonight In Babylon" in Southwark, London. On 20 November 2011, he performed on the UK X Factor with the remaining acts in the competition.

On 31 January 2012, Adams announced a 20-date concert tour across Canada between April and June, to be followed by a new studio album expected to be released late in the year.^[45]

Social activism[link]

Bryan Adams during the visit to Nepal in 2011

Most of Adams' philanthropic activity is dedicated to his foundation "The Bryan Adams Foundation", which aims to advance education and learning opportunities for children and young people worldwide, believing that an education is the best gift that a child can be given. The foundation is mostly funded by his photographic activities.

Since the 1980s, Adams has participated in concerts and other activities to help raise money and awareness for a variety of causes. His first high profile charity appearance came in 1985 when he opened the US transmission of Live Aid from Philadelphia.^[46] In June of the next year, Adams participated in the two-week Amnesty International "A Conspiracy of Hope" tour alongside Sting, U2 and Peter Gabriel.^[46] In 1986 Adams performed at The Prince's Trust All-Star Rock Concert in Wembley Arena to celebrate first 10 years of the Trust and again in June 1987 at the 5th Annual Prince's Trust Rock Gala along with Elton John, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and others. The following year Adams performed at the Nelson Mandela birthday party concert at Wembley Stadium.

Adams helped commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall when, in 1990, he joined many other guests (including his songwriting partner Michael Kamen) for Roger Waters' massive performance of The Wall in Berlin, Germany.^[47] He performed the Pink Floyd songs What Shall We Do Now? and Young Lust during the performance of The Wall, and then joined Waters, Joni Mitchell, Cyndi Lauper, Van Morrison, Paul Carrack and others to perform Waters' "The Tide Is Turning" to close the concert.^{[citation needed]} His version of Young Lust, peaked at number 7 at Mainstream Rock Tracks.^{[citation needed]}

During his tours of 1992-1994, Adams successfully campaigned for the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary with Greenpeace Chairman David McTaggart.^{[citation needed]} The two of them distributed over 500,000 postcards at concerts around the world encouraging people to write to politicians of countries blocking the vote, encouraging them to vote yes for the creation of the sanctuary at the meetings of the International Whaling Commission. IWC officially created the sanctuary on 26 May 1994.^[48]

On 24 April 1993, Adams joined Farm Aid VI alongside Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Ringo Starr.^{[citation needed]}

On 29 January 2005, Adams joined the CBC benefit concert in Toronto for victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Twenty years after performing at Live Aid in the USA, Adams played at Canada's Live 8 show in Barrie, Ontario.^[49] Later that year, he performed in Qatar and raised £1.5M ($2,617,000) from the concert. He also auctioned a white Fender Stocaster guitar signed by many of the world's prominent guitarists. The guitar raised a total of 3.7 million US dollars for charity and thus set a record as the world's costliest guitar.^[49] The money went to Qatar's "Reach Out to Asia" campaign to help the underprivileged across the continent.^[49][50] Money raised also went to some of his own projects like rebuilding a school in Thailand and building a new sports center in Sri Lanka, both of which had been devastated by the Indian Ocean tsunami.^[49]

Adams in Karachi, Pakistan

On 29 January 2006, Adams became the first Western artist to perform in Karachi, Pakistan after 11 September attacks, in conjunction with a benefit concert by Shehzad Roy to raise money for underprivileged children to go to school.^[51] Some of the proceeds of that concert also went to victims of the 2005 Pakistan earthquake.^[51]

On 18 October 2007, Adams was billed to perform in Tel Aviv and Jericho as part of the OneVoice Movement concerts, hoping to aid in solving the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.^[52] The peace concert for supporters of a two-state solution to the conflict with Israel was called off because of security concerns.^[52]

Adams supports the animal rights group PETA (People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals) by shooting photos for them and writing letters. He's written to the CEO of KFC restaurants in Canada in November 2007, asking them to become leaders in using more modern and more humane methods of killing chickens.^[53] Adams has been a vegan since 1989 and was also a nominee for PETA's "Sexiest Vegetarians of the Year".

On 25 May 2005, Adams raised £1.3M with cousin Johnny Armitage, from a concert and auction entitled Rock by the River for the Royal Marsden Hospital in London.^[54] On 15 May 2006, Adams returned to London to attend the Hope Foundation's event (hosted by designer Bella Freud), helping to raise a portion of the £250,000 to support the Palestinian refugee children.^[55] The following June, he offered individuals from the public the chance to bid to sing with him live in concert at three different charity auctions in London. Over £50,000 was raised with money going to the NSPCC, Children in Need, and the University College Hospital.^[56] On 28 February 2008 he appeared in One Night Live at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada with Josh Groban, Sarah McLachlan, Jann Arden and RyanDan in aid of the Sunnybrook Hospital Women and Babies Program.^[56]

To support the peace in Georgia, Adams played a special outdoor concert in Tbilisi, on 19 September 2008.^{[citation needed]}

He played at The Royal Albert Hall in aid of the Born Free Foundation at "Wild and Live" on 14 November 2009.^{[citation needed]} His foundation raised £170,000 for Kids Company, a UK based charity that helps underprivileged and abused children in London, England.^{[citation needed]}

As a photographer[link]

Adams accepting a LeadAward for photography in 2006

Adams has had his photographs published in British Vogue, L'uomo Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Esquire, Interview magazine and i-D, among others.^[57] His other photographic efforts include founding Zoo Magazine, the fashion/art magazine based in Berlin, Germany which he shoots for regularly. On 1 June 2005, Calvin Klein published a book of his photos in the United States entitled American Women; proceeds from this book go to breast cancer research for programs at the Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.^[57] Flare Magazine in Canada released a similar book of photos called Made In Canada in December 1999. Both these books were dedicated to his friend Donna, who died of the disease.^[57]

As a photographer, Adams has worked with many of his musical peers, including Sting, Shania Twain, Mick Jagger, Arcade Fire, Ray Charles, Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, Robert Plant, Take That, Joss Stone, Plácido Domingo, Sarah McLachlan, Celine Dion, Billy Idol, Moby, Lindsay Lohan, Amy Winehouse, t.A.T.u., Annie Lennox, Peter Gabriel, Bryan Ferry, Lenny Kravitz, Die Antwoord, and Morrissey to name a few.^[58] On 27 November 2000 Adams played onstage with The Who at the Royal Albert Hall. A DVD of the concert was issued. Adams photographed the band and his photos appear in the DVD booklet.

In 2002, Adams was invited, along with other photographers from the Commonwealth, to photograph Queen Elizabeth II during her Golden Jubilee; one of the photographs from this session was used as a Canadian postage stamp in 2004 and again in 2005 (see Queen Elizabeth II definitive stamp (Canada)), another portrait of both Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip is now in the National Portrait Gallery in London.^[59]

Adams supports the Hear the World initiative as a photographer in its aim to raise global awareness for the topic of hearing and hearing loss.^[60]

He photographed Michael J. Fox and Tatjana Patitz in the 2011 Carl Zeiss AG company calendar in New York City in the summer of 2010. The focus was about the size difference of the subjects in a comedic presentation.^[61]

His photographic exhibitions include:

• Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto 1999
• McCord Museum, Montreal 2000
• Saatchi Gallery, London 2000
• Photokina, Köln (Cologne), Germany 2001
• ICA, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London 2004
• Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto 2004
• Calvin Klein, NYC, Dallas, Paris 2005
• Canada House, Trafalgar Square, London 2005-06
• Il Tempio Di Adriano, Rome, Italy, July 2006
• Photokina, Köln (Cologne), Germany, September 2006
• Leica Gallery, Vienna, Austria, November 2006
• Galerija Fotografija, Ljubljana, Slovenia, November 2006
• H.Stern exhibition, São Paulo, Brazil, March 2007
• PhotoEspana, Madrid, Spain, Fotografos Insospechados (Unsuspected Photographers) Mickey Rourke photographs, May–July 2007
• Nunnington Hall, North Yorkshire, England, May–June 2007
• 401 Projects, New York City, September–November 2007
• The Hospital, Covent Garden, London, England, November 2007 (Modern Muses)
• The National Portrait Gallery, London, England, February–May 2008 (Modern Muses)
• Haus Der Kunst, Munich, Germany, May 2008 (Photos of the German National Football Team)
• 14th Street Gallery, New York City, May 2008 (Hear The World) (plus other exhibitions in Berlin and Zurich with the same show)
• Saatchi Gallery, London, July 2009 (Hear The World)
• Calvin Klein American Women 2010, New York City, September 2010

Personal life[link]

Adams never comments on his personal life:^[7]

A vegan, he has homes in: Canada; Chelsea, London;^[7] and Paris, France.^[62]

Discography[link]

Awards[link]

Bryan Adams' star on Canada's Walk of Fame.

In addition to his success at the Junos and Grammys and other music awards, Adams was also nominated for his fifth Golden Globe in 2007 for songwriting on the film Bobby which was sung by Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige, and has been nominated three times for Academy Awards for writing music in film.^[33][63]

File sharing lawsuit[link]

"Somebody" was one of 24 songs in the first file-sharing copyright infringement lawsuit brought by major record labels in the United States to be tried by a jury.

References[link]

External links[link]

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