Adam Lambert, Idol Top 10 – posts/videos
June 16, 1009
Here’s Adam Lambert’s 20/20 interview with ex-MTVer Chris Connelly from last Friday (June 12th). There was nothing shocking about the interview – Adam came across as authentic and dare I say boy nextdoor-ish. His answers were honest and straightforward and he seems to be enjoying himself. He’s doing what he has always wanted to do – be a rockstar – and is comfortable with who he is both on and off the stage. Nothing political.
One of the best things about Idol this year – besides Adam’s wonder what it will be this week performances – was that the viewing audience got to see Adam’s parents root him on and see how much pride and love for him. And he has an interesting roommate – Kris the missionary – who had to have had his mind expanded – no matter how tolerant he went into it. In their Larry King interview with Ryan Seacrest, Kris said the message of the show was diversity and tolerance.
ALLEN: I think, seriously, like, we are really all different. And we have gotten along, like, amazingly. And so I seriously think that’s a theme. You know, and society is dealing with weird stuff like that right now, you know. And you know, we need to pull together as a society.
June 12, 2009—Combination of video and article.
Courtesy of LuBear
ADAM: It’s surprising, because I don’t think twice, for example, about my sexuality, because I’ve been living this way the whole time I’ve been in LA – the past 8 years. It’s a funny reminder that not everybody is as comfortable with it as I am.
Adam, you gay?
ADAM: Yes. I am.
What does he want to share about his sexuality?
ADAM: That I am gay. And I’m very comfortable with it. And that I have been for a very long time. [laughs] And it’s funny that people say ‘oh, he’s been hiding it.’
Did he think coming out it would limit his chances to succeeed in the competition?
ADAM: I”ve always been out. I just chose to avoid it. I wasn’t ready to address everything that I’ve ever done and reveal the most intimate details of my personality, because I was just getting use to being a figure of the public eye.
I wanted the focus to be on my ability as a singer and as an entertainer — not on my private life. So I chose to kind of ignore the issue until after the voting ended.
He said in the Larry King interview (with Seacrest) that checking out the blog chatter helped him in the beginning because he was able to see that he was getting lots of support. He also said he saw a lot of nasty things that he tried not to take personally.
ADAM: [The AI producer's] were 100 percent supportive the entire time. They asked me, ‘What do you want to do? Would you like to talk about it? No? Fine.’ They respected it either way. They respected my choice.
And now I feel like, ok, people see me as an entertainer, and now I’m willing to let them in a little bit more into my personal life.
How does it feel to be open to the world?
ADAM: It feels really good because I think there was a lot of speculation and talk. And it feels really good to kind of state the fact, and move forward, and not keep wondering about: ‘what does he do’ [laughs] ‘and with who?’
And as clever as he is, he knew magazines [not sure if he was really thinking it would be Rolling Stone] and entertainment shows and the morning and talk show circuit would want to get the Exclusive! Adam comes out! story. That way he stays relevant and in the media and maybe gets a little cash on the side. He really figured it all out before he went on the show and for sure is the first one to know who he is, what he wants to sing, his niche in the market. And then he surgically went about choosing songs that were dissimilar to his fellow contestants so he would stand out. He would stand out if he sang the same song. It’s clear why he waited till he was ready to go on the show and his preparation paid off.
ADAM: I just wanted to stand apart from everybody else. I always have to be different. I wanted to pick songs that I believed in. That was part of my strategy. … If all the other contestants were singing up-tempo songs that week, I would pick a ballad. If they were all singing ballads, I would pick an up-tempo.
His cover of “Mad World” is currently #44 on Billboard’s Hot 100. If you haven’t heard it – here is his Idol performance of it.
He has already signed a contract with 19 Recordings — the production company owned by AI creator Simon Fuller — and hopes to release his debut album this fall on RCA Records. He doesn’t consider himself the loser and is genuinely happy for Kris – as he made clear in their Larry King/Seacrest interview:
The point is not a title. The point is the opportunity. And I feel like we got that opportunity.
And it didn’t hurt that he found his roommate hot.
ADAM: He’s a good-looking guy. I think that a lot of people out there who watch the show can agree with me.
It just came down to personal style preference. On Larry King, Adam and Kris both discounted the Bible Belt/Red state–blue state theory as to why he wasn’t the winner and agreed that Danny Gokey fans probably went with Kris.
ADAM: I think being a sore loser just sucks. I think that’s tacky. We’re two very different types of artists, and I don’t see how people can say one is better. I love listening to Kris sing and watch him play. And I think that he enjoys watching me do my thing.
Susan Boyle looked like a sure bet too and she didn’t win either. Time will tell who does better – the winners or the runner ups. Adam and Susan Boyle are unique stars in their own right – both have the chance to be tremendously successful solo artists – so it was probably better that they weren’t stuffed into a contract. Now they’re free to choose their own paths. One can only hope that Ms Boyle will be allowed to find her own way at her own pace.
As fas as his “coming out”?
His mom, who said she always knew, said from an early age Adam enjoyed dressing up in costumes and performing. He “had a fascination with glitter”. In his old footage, he looks almost unrecognizable. He was a little pudgy and his hair was still its natural strawberry-blond color. And of course no guyliner.
He said he had some regretted he was ‘in the closet” in high school because he never experienced the things most high schoolers do. His mother asked him — after they had seen a play about a gay son lamenting how his parents had treated him — if he had a girlfriend. No. Did he want a girlfriend? No. Did he want a boyfriend? Could be nice. And then he went on to ask her about when she knew, how she knew, etc. She said she had always known but she didn’t want to push him.
ADAM: It was very subtle. … That was the cool thing, is that without actually saying it, I was myself. I always felt support. And I was always able to be creative at home. And there was no taboo.
His mom, LEILA LAMBERT:
I think we stayed up until about 3:00 in the morning and laughed and talked. And it felt really great because there were no barriers.
So what about his female fans not that he’s made clear his sexuality? He enjoys that he has lots of female fans and thinks attraction is just that.
CONNELLY: Women really liked you.
ADAM: I’ve heard.
I think that sexuality is universal. If something is attractive to you – it’s attractive. Sexy is sexy.
I have crushes on women all the time. I don’t have intimate relationships with them, but I find women beautiful. … I think femininity is a beautiful, beautiful thing. And to be the object of desire to a woman is a great compliment.
Although he is presently dating, he says his relationships have been “few and far between”.
ADAM: I’ve had my heart broken. I’ve chased after people and had it not work out. Throughout my entire 20s, I’ve wanted to be in love. That’s what I want. I think everybody deserves that. And I’ve only been in love once. So I’m still looking.
And not just in the same aisle it seems. He describes himself a bi-curious. Now that might be a stretch for Ed and Marge on the farm but it was an honest spontaneous answer. Refreshing.
ADAM: I’ve been kind of toying around with the bi thing in my head. I wouldn’t ever give myself the label ‘bisexual,’ but bi-curious? Yeah, I’ve been known to make out with girls from time to time. Couple drinks involved, you know. It’s fun. And who knows? Maybe it’ll go further someday. I don’t know.
As for his music and career?
ADAM: It’s surreal. It’s really, like, everything that I ever wanted is happening and … I don’t know how to react. I’m thankful. I am proud.
Everybody wants to be a rockstar. Who doesn’t? So I’m looking forward to the idea that I get to do that now. I get to dress up and be a rockstar – it’s fun.
Every time I am tempted to complain about it, or I start getting a little bit like, ‘Ugh,’ I just rewind about a year and a half ago when I was … sitting on my a** and not satisfied.
Worried about his career options now in relation to his sexuality?
I get to be that rock star that every kid fantasizes about being. I get to sing and entertain and make people happy and … hopefully forget about some of their problems, or make them feel better about some of their problems — just take them for a ride. That’s the coolest job in the world.
I don’t think it’s going to limit anything. I can see how certain people might get turned off by it. And if they do, it’s their loss, you know?
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As for Queen? Nothing further as far as I am aware. He admitted to Seacrest that Queen asked if he wanted to come out and sing with them “here and there” and he said yes – it would be amazing. He denied that it was an offer to be lead singer. Here’s Kris and Adam singing “We Are the Champions” with Queen on the finals. It’s perfectly clear they liked Adam and that Adam would do Mercury justice in voice and performance. They couldn’t ask for anyone better.
For more interviews/American Idol performances follow the link at the top.
