Bryan Adams, crafting albums amid Grammy Award nomination

New York, Feb. 4: Bryan Adams may have nabbed his first Grammy nomination in over two decades, but he won’t be at the ceremony. He’s got a gig that night.

The Canadian rock star had committed to a concert in Las Vegas on Sunday and he didn’t want to disappoint his fans or his crew by cancelling.“Work is work. I mean, I’ve got 40 people in my tour, so I want to make sure I keep them in hot food and shoes, you know?” he said earlier this week.

Working hard is a theme for Adams, who last year released four albums — his 15th studio effort, “So Happy It Hurts,” the cast album for “Pretty Woman: The Musical” and “Classic” and “Classic Pt. II,” which saw him re-record songs from his catalog and handle most of the instruments.

On Sunday, he’s up in the category of best rock performance for “So Happy It Hurts,” the title track, which includes the lyric “I’m so happy it hurts/I’m so glad, it’s outrageous.” His last nomination came in 1998 with the song “I Finally Found Someone.”

“I’m absolutely gobsmacked to be nominated, especially after such a long time. But, I mean, I’m really appreciative. I don’t think I’m going to win it, but I’m happy to be nominated,” he said.

To win, Adams must beat Beck and his cover of Neil Young’s “Old Man”; “Patient Number 9” by Ozzy Osbourne featuring Jeff Beck; The Black Keys’ “Wild Child;” Brandi Carlile’s “Broken Horses”; Idles’ “Crawl!” and Turnstile’s “Holiday.” Adams suspects “Patient Number 9” will win to honor Jeff Beck, who died earlier this year.

If Adams does win, the trophy will join the Grammy he won in 1992 for best song written for a motion picture for “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You,” which was used on the “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” soundtrack.

This is a remarkably rich period for the 63-year-old singer-songwriter. He says ideas were coming all the time as he crafted “So Happy It Hurts” and he recorded more songs than usual. Faced with the pandemic, he ended up playing most of the instruments by himself.

“I’m not a particularly good drummer, but I sure love giving it every everything I have to try and make it great,” he says, laughing.

The album is filled with gratitude and mature love, with optimistic titles like “You Lift Me Up,” “I’ve Been Looking for You” and “Let’s Do This.” On the song “These Are the Moments That Make Up My Life,” he sings “I like to make the kids breakfast/I like the family way/I like the sound of their laughter/While I plan out my day.” (AP)