The rock musician and acclaimed photographer Bryan Adams famously photographed Amy Winehouse in late April 2007 for Zoo Magazine N°15. The photo shoot took place in Los Angeles, California, right as Winehouse’s landmark album Back to Black was dominating charts worldwide. Adams, who co-founded Zoo Magazine in 2003, captured Winehouse in a series of striking, raw portraits that highlighted her distinct retro style, signature tattoos, and intense emotion. Some of the portraits from their sessions appear in his photography book Exposed (2012) and in later exhibitions.
Adams and Winehouse developed a private friendship around this time. He later invited her to spend the 2007–2008 holiday period with his family on Mustique in an effort to support her during a difficult stretch; he has spoken about trying to help while acknowledging the limits of what anyone could do. Amidst the attempts to keep her grounded, Adams famously tried to give Winehouse driving lessons around the island. He later humorously reminisced, “The concept of braking wasn’t something that Amy could quite grasp.”
Following her tragic passing in 2011, Adams opened up about his feelings regarding his attempts to intervene. In an interview with The Sunday Times, he expressed tremendous admiration for her individuality but realistically noted the limitations of helping someone battling addiction: “Sure, I tried to help her but, you know, it’s got to come from within. I really don’t know what happened with Amy and it is so sad because she was so, so talented… But did I make a difference? I don’t know.”
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