Normani
Bryan Adams/PirelliThe annual Pirelli calendar for 2022 arrived Monday, backed by a star-studded cast of 10 stars shot by Canadian musician, singer-songwriter and record producer Bryan Adams.
For this year’s photo shoot — which follows an “On the Road” theme pitched by Adams himself — features Cher, Iggy Pop, Jennifer Hudson, Rita Ora, Normani, Grimes, St. Vincent, Kali Uchis, Bohan Phoenix and Saweetie posing for portraits at Los Angeles’ iconic Palace Theatre and the Chateau Marmont, as well as Italy’s Capri at the La Scalinatella Hotel.
Continuing the trade magazine’s more subtle image (the calendar was once known for its racy imagery prior to the 2010s), this year’s stars went for glamour, each in their own unique way. Normani posed from the comfort of white bedsheets, Saweetie pushed stacked designer luggage on a bellhop’s cart at the La Scalinatella Hotel, and Grimes stayed true to herself with a technology theme. Iggy Pop, meanwhile, posed in silver body paint, and St. Vincent kept things simple with a close-up shot of her face, her tongue out and holding a Pirelli guitar pick.
Speaking about the inspiration for this year’s theme, Adams told Pirelli, “It wasn’t too difficult, if I’m honest, because on the road is what I’ve been doing for the last 45 years. When I proposed it, I almost thought maybe this had been done before because it’s such an obvious thing, and I thought the symbiotic relationship would be good, the idea of musicians who travel and a company that makes tyres. It makes sense to me. I thought they might have thought it was a bit too much on the nose, but in the end they loved it.”
See photos from the Pirelli calendar below.
At the BTS concert in Tokyo on Friday (April 17), j-hope opened up to ARMY with heartbreaking news. His grandmother, who played a major role in raising him and had always been proud of his journey with the group, has passed away.
Speaking to the packed crowd at the Tokyo Dome, the K-pop star chose to be open with fans about what he was going through. “Honestly, this might be a bit of a heavy thing to share, but I really wanted to express how I’m feeling today,” he said, translated from Korean into English. “Right after we arrived in Japan, I got the news that my maternal grandmother, the one who raised me from when I was little, had passed away.”
“I felt completely stunned and did not really know how to process it at first, but being around the members, sitting down together for meals, and focusing on rehearsals helped me more than I thought it would,” j-hope went on. “My grandmother was always incredibly proud, not just of me but of all the members. She truly believed in what we do. So I feel like if she was watching from above today, she would have loved every second of it.”
He closed by thanking the audience for making his first performance after the loss feel meaningful and full of support.
BTS are currently touring in support of their new album ARIRANG, which has just earned a third week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Following three opening shows in Goyang, South Korea, the group is set to perform twice at the Tokyo Dome before heading abroad for the North American leg. Before the tour wraps in March next year, they will also visit Latin America, Europe, Australia, and several other regions across Asia.
On the same day as the first Tokyo concert, j-hope’s solo interview with Rolling Stone was released. During the conversation, he spoke about stepping into a leadership presence within the group. “I think that’s my role on the team,” he shared. “It just comes naturally. It feels strange to even call it a role, but I just try to handle things as they come and support the other members in any way I can.”
Additional reporting from Billboard Korea.
