Chrissie Hynde, leader of the Pretenders, is one of the most widely imitated figures in rock: sexy, unflappable, vulnerable yet tough, a groundbreaking songwriter and performer. In these pages, Chrissie gives us her story. We see her all-American 1950s childhood in Ohio, and her teenage self falling for the rock music of the 1960s. We follow her to London, where she takes a job with NME and makes her way into the churning '70s London punk scene, meeting Lemmy, Sid Vicious and Iggy Pop, living in squats, writing songs, playing in early versions of the Clash and the Damned. Her work with the Pretenders--which melded punk, New Wave, and pop to irresistible effect--would catapult her to instant stardom. Through it all is Chrissie's unmistakable voice, ringing with fearless emotional honesty, a razor-sharp wit, and an enduring belief in the power of rock'n'roll.

'I always thought I would get into painting, but I got waylaid by rock 'n' roll. Finally, I thought, Now's the time. As soon as I was in a situation where I could be alone and paint without any interruptions, I just couldn't stop.' - Chrissie Hynde

'These paintings wake me up, show me life, make me want to get up and do something.' - Brian Eno

'The fact that Chrissie is a great musician underpins her painting in a variety of ways... She learns by doing and in the process her work becomes more distinctive and compelling, an expression of the life force within made visible.' - Tim Marlow, Royal Academy of Arts

In November 2015, Chrissie Hynde, the singer, songwriter and leader of The Pretenders, produced an oil painting of a ceramic vase. Fulfilling an intention that she would, one day, dedicate herself to painting, it would prove to be the starting point for Hynde's first body of work, nearly ­­200 canvases in all. These paintings are shared for the first time in Adding The Blue.

With Forewords by visionary musician and artist, Brian Eno, and The Royal Academy's artistic Director, Tim Marlow, Adding The Blue is captioned throughout with Chrissie Hynde's thoughts and reflections.

Beginning with still life studies and culminating in vibrant abstract compositions, Chrissie Hynde's Adding The Blue is a beautiful volume of paintings that are, in Eno's words, 'full of life, love and discovery'.