Nov
8
2026
The Creative Side of Johnny Depp Beyond Hollywood
While most people know Johnny Depp for his films, music, and visual art have also played important roles in his creative life. Music, in particular, has been part of his life since childhood, long before he became a Hollywood star.
Music
Depp says he got into music at about 12. In a November 2016 interview recorded in Tokyo, he told Louder that after hearing a local band cover Aerosmith’s “Dream On”, he talked his mother into buying him a guitar and taught himself from a book.
His musical work falls into two groups: his own bands and his collaborations with other artists. The table below sorts some of his best-known projects by the role he played in them:
| Project | What he did | Type |
|---|---|---|
| The Kids | Played with the Florida band as a teenager | Own band |
| P | Played in a band with Gibby Haynes, Sal Jenco, and Bill Carter; the self-titled album came out on Capitol Records in 1995 | Own band |
| Oasis | Played slide guitar on “Fade In-Out” from Be Here Now | Guest appearance |
| Hollywood Vampires | Performs with Alice Cooper, Joe Perry, and Tommy Henriksen | Band member |
| 18 with Jeff Beck | Sang on the album and wrote two of its songs | Joint album |
The Oasis and P details come from Stereogum’s 2012 round-up of his rock collaborations. Guest spots such as these show a working musician who was invited to play, which is different from leading a project.
The Hollywood Vampires and Jeff Beck
Hollywood Vampires brought him back on stage. According to Louder, Alice Cooper persuaded him to perform again, and after two shows at The Roxy, the band played Rock in Rio to 100,000 fans, although Depp modestly said, “I just sing backgrounds.” The key facts are easy to sum up:
- The core line-up is Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, Joe Perry, and Tommy Henriksen.
- Their 2019 album Rise features Jeff Beck on lead guitar on a Depp song.
- The band is still active: in summer 2026, it played a 14-date UK and European tour, which Ultimate Classic Rock listed from 12 August at The O2 in London to 2 September in Este, Italy.
Beck’s link with Depp went further on the 2022 album 18, which has 13 tracks, including two Depp originals, “Sad Motherfuckin’ Parade” and “This Is A Song For Miss Hedy Lamarr”, as Rolling Stone reports. The rest are covers of songs by artists such as the Beach Boys, Marvin Gaye and the Velvet Underground.
For many fans, a big gig is a rare night out, and the quieter evenings in between are filled with other hobbies, from listening to records at home to games. Adults who enjoy a relaxed round of bingo can visit Slotozilla’s guide to 25 free bingo bonus offers, which explains how they work and what terms apply.
Painter and Visual Artist
Depp’s art has grown from private sketchbooks into large touring shows that combine portraits, word paintings, poems, and the recurring character Bunnyman. He is relaxed about labels, telling Artnet in New York: “Some may call it art, some may not; I call it mine.” The same article mentions his hand-lettered word paintings, portraits of Marlon Brando, Jack Kerouac, and Keith Richards, and a skull series called “Death by Confetti.”
Where Can Johnny Depp’s Art Be Seen?
His art has been shown in several countries in recent years, and the 2026 shows are the most recent. The table below summarises the exhibitions covered by the sources reviewed for this article:
| Place | Show | Details |
|---|---|---|
| New York | A Bunch of Stuff, Starrett-Lehigh Building | Opened in 2024, with a 13-minute film narrated by Depp |
| Tokyo | A Bunch of Stuff, +Base 0 | More than 100 paintings and drawings, according to Time Out Tokyo |
| Shanghai | Figures of the Fringe, Modern Art Museum Shanghai | 15 August to 13 December 2026, with more than 60 original pieces |
| Düsseldorf | The Art of Johnny Depp, Schloss Benrath | 30 August to 27 September 2026 |
The Shanghai show is billed as Depp’s first solo museum exhibition in China, and the city government’s art website says it features Bunnyman, a character from his childhood dreams. The exhibition is divided into five themed sections:
- Heroes & Idols: portraits of figures such as Antonin Artaud and Vladimir Mayakovsky.
- Masks & Doubles: disguise and loss of self.
- Phantasmagoria: ghostly faces and death masks in red and black.
- First Shadows: the influence of childhood solitude.
- Lovers & Muses: intimacy and connection.
In Düsseldorf, according to Visit Düsseldorf, the exhibition shows original works and editions and was to be opened by Depp in person. Dates and ticket details may change, so check the venue’s site before visiting.
Why Does Johnny Depp Pursue Different Forms of Art?
Depp’s own words show this best. He told Louder that music helped him survive difficult moments in his family life and called it “an instant sort of experience of time travel.” Artnet’s article on his New York exhibition adds that his art reflects a creative instinct he has had since childhood, when he drew on the walls.
His exhibitions follow the same idea: First Shadows, one of five shown in Shanghai, explores how childhood isolation shaped him. Music and painting seem to be two forms of the same impulse, even if, as he admitted, acting kept him away from music for years. His guitars, bands, and canvases all reveal a person who kept creating beyond film.
