Adam Lambert 24/7 News

The runner-up in the eighth season of American Idol, Adam Lambert now seems to be more popular than the winner of the show, Kris Allen. His debut album, For Your Entertainment, has already shipped over a million copies, since its release in November (2009). In this interview, he talks about what he’s all about, as opposed to how the world sees him, his debut album and androgyny.

Lambert is reportedly the first openly gay musician to sign a record deal with a record label. About himself, he says, “I’m a contemporary popstar who draws a lot from the past. I have a lot of '70s and '80s influences and I'm inspired by some of the philosophies of the late '60s as well. That hippy mentality and psychedelic open-mindedness is something that appeals to me. People like Bowie and Freddie Mercury are my major influences as a vocalist and as a frontman, in addition to people like Prince and Michael Jackson of course.”

At a performance during the American Music Awards, the singer kissed a male keyboardist onstage, danced provocatively with another dancer and grabbed the crotch of another. He says, "I don't think of myself as controversial - that's not what's going through my head when I'm getting ready. To me, it's like I get to play dress-up for a living! I like to wear crazy clothes and make-up and do the whole glam thing. I think a little androgyny is really interesting and it's a part of who I am. So I don't think of myself as controversial - that's everyone else's job!”

His stage get-up is always interesting, with heavy make-up and lots of accessories. About getting ready for a performance, he says, “Like an hour, but it's always a different thing. Sometimes I have make-up and hair people working with me and sometimes I don't. I'm not really into rituals or routines. I'm a creature of novelty and impulse and I go with what I'm feeling.”

Throughout American Idol, Lambert earned votes consistently. Now, too, his fans seem to be more loyal to him than Kris Allen’s are to him. About this, he says, “I think they (the fans) see that I'm completely dedicated to being different and to being something that we haven't had in a while. People get excited by that. I'm so excited to meet some of the Lambrits when I come over there actually.”

The title track of the album, 'For Your Entertainment', he says, is him telling the people that he’s just doing all that he’s doing to entertain. He says, “It's real sexy, very contemporary dance-pop. It has a dark, mysterious electro sound to it and lyrically there's definitely a double meaning. It's me saying, 'Here I am, I'm going to put on a show'. It also shows my musical theatre influences - it's almost like that song 'Wilkommen' from Cabaret - and I think in many ways it sums up my thing. That's why I wanted it as the first single, because it's a great introduction.”

For the album, Lambert worked with Lady GaGa, Pink, Matt Bellamy, Justin Hawkins and Max Martin, among other big names. Lambert says he was surprised by this, but doesn’t think that he didn’t deserve their support. He says, “With each person added to the roster of writers and producers, my jaw would just drop! I think part of it had to do with being on a really good label and having great A&R people working with me. Maybe the writers saw something different in me as well - something that hasn't been going on in a while. Either way, I'm honoured.”

American Idol judge Randy Jackson has said that the album covers too much ground, thus not focusing on anything. He says, “I understand where he's coming from and everybody has their opinion. For me, I was just so excited that I had the opportunity to make an album that I wanted to experiment and put a lot of different colours into it. I made a conscious decision to make it eclectic because that reflects who I am as an artist.

For Your Entertainment is like a sonic dress-up party - each track has a different colour and a different vibe. If you look at my run on Idol, from week to week I changed it up a lot, in terms of going for a different sound or look. Having done that, if I'd come out with an album that was one colour, I'd have been throwing away all the diversity I showed I could have.”

Lambert says that his third single, ‘If I Had You’, is more honest than his others and sends out his only message, that of joy. He says, “I think it's got a great message. It does sound a bit cliché but I love promoting love and acceptance and I think the song definitely gets that across. In the pop market we're so sex-saturated and a lot of the big artists are popular because they're "so fierce!" and badass. I love that and get a kick out of that - people like GaGa and Beyoncé especially - but that's the ground I was trying to cover with 'For Your Entertainment'. The thing about 'If I Had You' is that it reflects what I'm really about, which is joy.”

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