Eric Burdon, frontman of The Animals is the latest musical protagonist to be shot by Hedi Slimane for the on-going Saint Laurent Music Project.

Shot by Slimane in Ojai, CA earlier this year, Burdon is the latest addition to an impressive line up featuring Kim Gordon, Joni Mitchell, Courtney Love, Chuck Berry. In a signature Saint Laurent leather jacket the British singer continues the series’ trajectory and epitomises the brand’s affinity with music culture.

Fondly described by Bruce Springsteen as a singer who looked like “a gorilla in a suit” but had a voice “like Howlin’ Wolf coming out of some seventeen-year-old kid”, Burdon’s role as the driving force of The Animals meant that he was at the forefront of the British Invasion, a pivotal scene that defined rock ‘n’ roll music, and then as founder of multi-ethnic funk outfit War, Burdon extended his influence across genres.

Five decades since Burdon penned the iconic House of the Rising Sun his irrepressible influence endures, the recent psychedelic revival owes a lot to Burdon’s flair for jangly guitar riffs and imposing vocals.

Through this seminal series Slimane continues a lineage that stretches from Yves Saint Laurent himself, having dressed the likes of Marianne Faithfull, David Bowie, and Mick Jagger.