Adam Lambert 24/7 News

Australia is experiencing you for the first time. Who is Adam Lambert?
“He” is really excited to be here. He is looking forward to everyone being so open and liberal and accepting. It’s really refreshing. Even though I have had a lot of support in the States, there has also been a lot of “anti”. As an artist, I am kind of glam, pop rock. I feel like I’m drawn to that spirit of rock and roll from the 60s and 70s. I’m trying to bring back that vibe.

Is this your first time in Australia?
I was here once when I was 19. I was working on a cruise ship and we stopped in Sydney for one day.

You’ve obviously risen to fame through American Idol. Why did you audition?
I was looking for something new; I was bored. I had a dream to make my own music and have people want to listen to it. I was almost 27 and had been working in the theatre on Wicked. I was making money and paying the bills, but I wasn’t saving anything. I thought I needed some stability and security and to build a life – I’m now almost 30. I also felt the need to create my own art and not be directed and choreographed, and told what to say and what to wear and how to do it all the time. I wanted to be my own person.

Did you feel you had that freedom of expression on Idol?
Totally. You’d think the Idol people would try to package you into a certain image. They let me be me, 100-per-cent myself.

You got all the way to Number 2. Were you disappointed not to win?
No. Not at all.

Kris Allen (the winner) said you should have won.
Very sweet of him. He is a real humble guy. It wasn’t really about the title. It was about staying in the competition as long as possible, and I did. And it was about the exposure and the experience and the opportunities it’s created. I’m here.

For Your Entertainment went to Number 3 on the Billboard charts. How did that feel?
Amazing. I was blown away.

You had the chance as a new artist to work on the album with great producers and writers. How did that make you feel?
Just beside myself. That’s what I envisioned for my first pop record, to be collaborating with people that I really respected. Like (Lady) Gaga and Justin Hawkins, Matt Bellamy from Muse, Linda Perry, Ryan Tedder. Great people. In addition to those people, I got to write some of my own tracks as well. That was important to me.

On working with Gaga. Did you just go into the studio one day and come out with something?
Yeah. It was amazing. We all just jammed out. She pushed me to my limit and was like, “Crazier. louder. Go for it. Crazier.” We drank a little bit – it’s so rock and roll.

You are the first openly gay pop star on a major label. It’s never been something you’ve hidden.
No. That’s the thing that’s so funny. It was like, ‘Why did you wait to come out of the closet until after Idol?’ But I’ve always been out of the closet since I was 18.

Do you see yourself as a pioneer for gay artists?
I don’t think of myself that way. I’m just being myself and doing my thing that I’ve always done. During the past couple of years, I’ve been fortunate to do some underground club performances that were creative and costumed and over the top and I’m just doing what I’ve always done on a bigger scale. And if someone wants to label me a pioneer, role model or poster boy they can. That’s cool. It’s flattering, but I’m not consciously trying to be that.

What are you going to do while you’re here?
I’m trying to get the word out about my album. I’m really proud of it. It went to Number 1 on the iTunes pop charts here in Australia. It’s so great. I just want people to hear it.

Is Whataya Want From Me your favourite track?
It’s one of my favourites It was one of the first ones that we completely finished. It just sounded so beautiful when I first heard the demo, I thought the lyrics were so accessible and universal. We all felt that way. It was kind of the perfect second single. It allowed me to say, “I’m doing the best I can. What do you want? I’m trying.”

Do you have any other favourites on the album?
Definitely Fever. And then pretty much all the ones I’ve written, they’re my babies. I think Strut is a pretty great song, and Down the Rabbit Hole, which isn’t on the Australian version, but you can find it on YouTube. They are all great.

Adam Lambert’s debut album ‘For Your Entertainment’ is out now through Sony Music.

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