True Blue

HERO 13: Justin Bieber covers the new issue, out now!
Art | 30 April 2015
Photography Hedi Slimane
Above:

Justin Bieber shot by Hedi Slimane for HERO 13: True Blue

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Small town. Undiluted, visceral energy prevails, an epoch away from the flickering vanities and empty promises of bright lights. Sleepy days with soft winds, long shadows and time stretching for eternity.  Connect and disconnect at your own pace, air so thick you can chew it. Let the nurturing heat warm your bones. Reject the tired Xerox of success. Summer haze. Astro turf. Still lake. Distant freeway. Burning oak. Frenzied running. Dried tracks. Turquoise dusk. Turn life inside out, and realise it fits better that way.

Justin Bieber shot by Hedi Slimane for HERO 13: True Blue

Justin Bieber by Hedi Slimane

Global pop phenomenon Justin Bieber finds himself on the precipice of career-defining gear change, attempting to master the transition from kid-star into respected adult artist. Shot for this issue by Hedi Slimane, Bieber discusses his new-found passion for writing as a release, and his nerves about putting out a new album under the world’s watchful gaze.

Also in this issue

Legendary photographer Bruce Weber creates an exclusive series: Photo Annual, 1982–2015, combining new pictures taken for this edition with iconic images from his archive – celebrating over 30 years of small town guys with big time dreams.

Designer Kevin Carrigan chats about the cult of Calvin Klein and its universal language. Canadian diving champion Vincent Riendeau stands on the verge of greatness in a striking documentary photo essay. Unstoppable YouTuber Troye Sivan already cranks up over 10m views a month – now he’s plotting the next step in his burgeoning music career: “Getting ready to perform on stage without peeing myself.”

Curran Hatleberg, artist and lecturer at Yale, takes us for an eye-opening ride on his latest journey across unseen USA, documenting iconic and unscripted moments, and actor Thomas Mann chews the fat with celebrated director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon over their groundbreaking new film Me and Earl and the Dying Girl which premiered at Sundance and sparked a distribution rights bidding war.

On the cusp of a new album, DIIV frontman Zachary Cole Smith explains how ‘shit got really real’ since the last release, and how his tumultuous life experiences are feeding his music’s soul. Young, enthralling British actor Max Irons (Riot Club, Red Riding Hood) ponders LA’s unhealthy microcosm, cultural inequality and Russell Brand, while Texan soul singer Leon Bridges walks us through his smooth tones and sudden rise to fame. Actor Timothée Chalamet (Interstellar, Homeland) deftly treads the line between ‘assertive emerging star’ and ‘regular insecure teenager’, while photographer and filmmaker Larry Clark answers our 50 questions in his own inimitable style and designer Astrid Andersen up-luxes her men’s line with an agenda-setting bespoke collection.

Also interviews with five of Hollywood’s most watched young stars – Dylan Sprayberry (Teen Wolf), Jack Falahee (How to Get Away with Murder), Miles Heizer (The Stanford Prison Experiment), Casey Deidrick (Eye Candy) and Travis Tope (Independence Day 2).

Plus over 300 pages of fashion and interviews, including a deep-field documentary project from Danielle Levitt shot on location in Plant City, Florida, Sebastian Kim captures forgotten town timeless vision in Brother and Dario Catellani shoots Home Hair Cut – a tribute to those slightly un-perfect hometown 
chop-jobs.

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