Adam Lambert 24/7 News

Our music critic Ann Powers is already campaigning for Adam Lambert to be "American Idol's" next judge (we second that emotion) and the Twitterverse is already aflutter with praise for the Season 8 runner-up, the first former contestant to ever mentor a season in progress.

So how did Adam think it went? Judging from his ear-to-ear post-show grin: fabulously. As for the memories it brought back? "It's nostalgic," he told Idol Tracker on Tuesday night. "When Ryan had me come up [to the stage] with the contestants, I was, like, 'Oh yeah, that's what this feels like -- standing next to Ryan, looking at the teleprompter, at the judges, the audience. ...' It puts it all into perspective. I am so thankful for 'American Idol,' for putting me on the map, for helping me start my recording career."
Adam's last-minute mentoring assignment came as a surprise to some, who contend that a year of post-'Idol' success does not exactly equal the real world struggles that many music artists face. To that end, Adam pleaded humility. "It was a big shock and an honor at the same time," he said. "Obviously, I'm just at the start of my career, so I'm not an established recording artist, but I do know where they are right now. It's fresh in my mind. I was here a year ago. So hopefully, I brought them a sort of insight into the process, and into knowing what it takes to get the judges' reaction, and a positive one, and what it's like to be up there. ... It's a tough process, there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes that the audience doesn't see."

More of Adam's post-show chat with reporters after the jump...
What are the differences between your group and this season?

It's a different group this year. I think there's definitely an emphasis on musicianship, there are a lot of people that play and it's definitely geared toward more of a singer-songwriter genre and sound. They're all great singers, they all have great voices, they're very likable. I think our season was a bit more diverse, musically.

Who were the standouts to you?

Vocally, it would be Michael [Lynche], I think he's probably got my favorite voice. Crystal [Bowersox], then Siobhan [Magnus] and Katie [Stevens] are both really strong singers. It's kind of early to really pick the favorites.
What do you make of the Siobhan "Lady Lambert" comparisons?

She's a free spirit. ... She's definitely a dynamic singer and she takes risks.

How weird can someone be on "Idol?"

How weird do you wanna be? You've gotta trust your own instincts out there as a contestant, no matter what your parents are saying, your friends, family, the judges, the people. ... At the end of the day, it's you up there.

A lot of people chose not-so-obvious Elvis songs. What are the pros and cons to going with the more obscure album cut?

The pro is, you can show yourself as more of an artist because you're not being compared to the original. I think that's always the idea behind doing something obscure. But you run the risk of people not knowing what you're singing, so they're not singing along because it's not familiar. And that's what's difficult: It's a show based on cover music, and that's definitely the transition between going from the show to the recording artist world -- because you're not singing other peoples' music, you're singing your own.

What do you miss about the show?

Having one specific goal every week. I have one and a half minutes to seal my fate every week and it's all gearing up to that. Now, in my life there's like 17 things going on at once. It's a lot more to think about. It's funny, "Idol" at the time was really hard and it's such a challenge and great opportunity to put yourself out there, but now when I look back at it, I go, "Wow, that was easy compared to what I do now." This is a full-time job and I'm so honored to have the opportunity, but it is a job. It's a lot of work.

Did you give the kids advice outside of music?

I said: "Get ready guys if you want this. It's your whole life. It's your everything. You have to put your whole heart and soul, all of your time, all of your energy -- that takes priority if this is what you want as a career."

Why have the last few years been so guy-heavy?

The demographic is mostly women voters.

Women don't vote for other women?

Not as much as the boy they think is cute.

Do you miss being in the bubble and not reading every tweet?

Oh, we got to see what was on the Internet when we were on the show. We were urged not to. We were told, "Don't look, it will drive you crazy," and there's a fine line with that. Sometimes it can drive you crazy and sometimes you have to tune out what everybody says and thinks. But it's also research -- it's a great way to figure out how you're coming off to people.

Any update on your upcoming tour?

It's all being formulated -- the dates are all being confirmed, I have to come up with a concept, the look of it ... the theme, the set list, it's all under development. It starts in June.

How did you enjoy Vegas?

I was in and out and I didn't really get a chance to enjoy it. I mentored and I had a great time doing that, but I flew out the next morning. I spent the rest of the time sleeping. I was supposed to see Muse and [when] I got back to my hotel room and had a little bit to eat, I was just tired. That's another thing about this life, you have to take responsibility and take care of yourself. But I was bummed -- I wanted to see Muse.

How about Coachella this weekend?

I'm busy working, I don't have time to play. I'm working for my fans to give them stuff!

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