After hitting the milestone of fifty issues, Glass Man restructured slightly, readjusting to navigate the path to the next fifty, with Senior Fashion Editor Lily Rimmer and myself taking control. Having celebrated fifty up-and-coming London-based talents across both magazines in the golden issue, we approached the 51st issue keen to celebrate individuals who, despite already considered as established in their careers, were ready to develop further creatively.
John Legend. Photograph: Kat Irlin
Our first Glass Man cover star, John Legend, is the perfect example. The 12-time Grammy award-winning singer and songwriter, and first black man and second youngest individual to have won the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony), recently released his eighth studio album, entitled LEGEND. The 24 song LP is reminiscent of his earliest records whilst also managing to express his sonic development and comes to reflect more mature themes. “I feel like this is a big moment for me,” explains the singer to Glass Man. “It’s a big statement of who I am and what I am musically, and I felt like self-titling, it felt like the right thing to do”.
Jack O’Connell. Photograph: Jack Grange
Echoing a similar tone, Jack O’Connell confesses he was drawn to the script of Netflix’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover, out this month, as it would see him return to his home county, a place typically neglected in literary and film projects. The adaption of the famed tale by D. H. Lawrence will see the British actor, who is best known for his more gritty roles in the likes of Skins, This Is England, Money Monster and Godless, become the love interest in the production – a part he is unfamiliar with playing. “I think it’s fair to say that the part of the country that I’m from isn’t exactly a literary hub. Then I started reading his [D. H. Lawrence’s] book and he is quite enthusiastic about detailing with the locality of that area… That’s a really easy entry point for me,” he reflects to Glass Man. “It became personal”.
The Rose. Photograph: Sewon Jun
With the theme of the issue aptly being The Time is Now, K-pop rock band The Rose join O’Connell and Legend in reaching their own pivotal moment of their careers, with 2022 marking a return to the spotlight after a two-year hiatus. Debuting their first full-length album, Heal, Jaehyeong, Hajoon, Dojoon and Woosung spoke to Glass Man in the aftermath of the success of their headline single, Childhood. Delving into their time spent away making this body of music, Woosung explains, “The three years that we spent when making this album, we matured, and we went through a lot of things both in our personal lives and as a team, and that is really represented through the sound we’re using now and the music we’re producing”.
Lee Dong Wook. Photograph: Yeongjun Kim
Like all of our cover stars in the autumn issue of Glass Man, South Korean actor Lee Dong Wook’s career until this date is rich with accolades and critically acclaimed projects, but when reflecting on all that he has achieved, he is adamant on looking forward. “If I can change anything, I hope to have a smarter and wiser brain”.
In the same breath, we can only wish the same as we take Glass Man on its venture to the 100th issue.
Imogen Clark and Lily Rimmer
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The Rose’s cover is only found on our app, available to download here