Whether you know Adam Lambert from his stint on the eighth season of American Idol or his
larger-than-life performances with Queen, you may think you've heard everything there
is to know about the singer.
But Lambert's story goes far beyond reality TV and stadium tours.
This is his untold truth.
Finding the spotlight
Even at a young age, Lambert was unapologetically true to himself and, as a result, lived his
life as a self-proclaimed "outsider."
"When I was a kid, I remember playing Vogue by Madonna over and over and over again."
He opened up about the tough times he endured growing up, telling the Guardian in 2018,
"When I was in middle school, I didn't have any friends.
I was a weird kid.
Also, as a gay person, it takes your body changing to go: 'Oh right, this is how I'm
different.'"
So Lambert turned to musical theater for solace.
He revealed during his 2009 Idol audition, that he started singing at age 10 when his
parents put him in theater.
"I started doing musical theater.
My parents put me in there 'cause I was hyperactive and I made a lot of noise and I had way too
much energy.
So they had to find an outlet for me and I loved it."
He loved it so much, in fact, that when he was older, instead of going to university,
he accepted a 10-month gig singing on a cruise ship.
And once he was back on solid ground, he returned to his theater roots, snagging a role in The
Ten Commandments: The Musical with Val Kilmer.
Then in 2005, he joined the ensemble cast of Wicked's national tour.
And then this happened...
An Idol scandal?
"The winner of American Idol 2009 is Kris Allen."
Following Idol's shocking season 8 finale, in which fan favorite Lambert came in second,
it was revealed that winner Kris Allen may have had an unfair advantage, as he received
quote "tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of illegal block votes," according to The
Independent.
Dubbed #Textgate, the voting scandal had Lambert's fans crying foul as they learned that one
of the reality show's biggest sponsors, AT&T, actually gave Allen's fans, who attended viewing
parties in his hometown, free phones and texting services, so they could support him on finale
night.
What's more, AT&T employees even showed attendees how to power vote, casting as many as 10 votes
with one click.
Even a mother to one of Allen's university friends, told reporters that she alone was
able to vote over 10,000 times while in an AT&T texting zone.
Lambert fans didn't get the same treatment, but the Fox network, which aired the show,
remained adamant that…
"… in no way did any individuals unfairly influence the outcome of the competition."
Coming out: Fan edition
When Lambert was 18, and told his parents he was gay, his liberal family wasn't surprised.
He recalled to Billboard,
"They kind of went, 'Yeah, no s---.'"
From that moment on, he never hid his orientation, but he also didn't think to announce it once
he found fame.
He told the outlet,
"By the time I did American Idol, I had been very gay for years.
I guess I didn't realize I had to [publicly] label myself."
"I don't think twice about, for example, my sexuality…
It's a funny reminder that not everybody is as comfortable with it as I am."
That all changed in 2009 when Lambert came out publicly in a Rolling Stone cover story.
And some fans were completely shocked by the news.
He told the Guardian,
"I don't think it should be a surprise for anyone to hear that I'm gay.
I had fans of the show saying they felt betrayed.
People were saying: 'You didn't declare it on the show.'
I didn't, but I also didn't realize that I needed to.
I'd already come out…
[Even] the gay press criticized me for not [coming out] right or well enough."
Speaking with NME, Lambert elaborated, claiming,
"Here were members of the gay community saying, 'Why aren't you out?'
I thought, 'I am out!'
I didn't realize when you're in the public eye you've got to declare it…
'This is what it is to be a queer celebrity.'"
Speaking out
Looking back on his Idol stint, Lambert has called out the show, especially head judge
Simon Cowell, for gay shaming, telling NME,
"I realize now that up until my season, anytime someone came on the show that was perceived
to be gay or it was obvious enough that they were gay… they were made fun of."
"Very entertaining.
But I gotta say no."
"I have a feeling we're gonna hear a lot about this one, Amnesia.
Just a hunch."
According to Lambert, Cowell was often leading the attack in poking fun at the contestants.
Lambert added,
"That was the comic relief.
'You couldn't possibly have a career as a recording artist; you're too effeminate.'"
Citing Adore Delano, who went on to find fame on RuPaul's Drag Race, as an example, Lambert
argued,
"He's a good singer.
Simon gave him a real hard time."
Shock value
When Lambert took to the stage at the AMA's in 2009 to promote the title track from his
debut album, "For Your Entertainment," he made jaws drop with a racy performance that
was all kinds of provocative.
From kissing a male musician to flipping the bird, Lambert went over the top and then some.
Audiences were not impressed, and they let ABC know exactly how they felt by filing 1,500
formal complaints, according to Reuters.
Addressing the backlash years later in 2018, Lambert admitted to feeling torn about the
incident.
"With this AMA performance I hear, you know, feedback like we're so offended, and then
yet the flip side of it is yes finally."
He told NME,
"I wanted to have a career that was all of a sudden available to me, so that was a bit
of a conflict for me.
I didn't know exactly what to do and I was scared.
I backed off a little bit and I had some success."
But when he was on tour, he went full-on with his stage show, claiming,
"I was kissing a musician every night on stage just to prove that point."
A love affair with Queen
The first time the world met Lambert he was 26, auditioning for American Idol by belting
out Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," but his love affair with the rock band began long before
that.
Lambert revealed that he became "fully obsessed" with Queen in his early 20s, telling Billboard,
"Freddie was one of my heroes.
Musically, I loved his attack: He was very aggressive and seemed in control of everything
he was singing.
Later, seeing some live performances [on video], it was also his stage presence, the way he
was so over the top…
I identified with that in him very quickly."
"I couldn't get any more theatrical.
I just think that's the way I want to perform, you know."
Lambert also appreciated that Mercury "never really denied" being gay, noting that the
singer wasn't "shy" about it and just lived life openly.
For Idol's 2009 finale, Lambert performed "We Are the Champions" with Queen founding
members, Brian May and Roger Taylor, who were so impressed that they went on tour as Queen
+ Adam Lambert in 2012.
But despite his deep-rooted love for the band, Lambert was apprehensive.
He admitted to People,
"I definitely had some concerns.
This is not my music that I wrote: This is me, as a guest, with one of the greatest rock
bands of all time, singing the songs that one of the greatest rock singers of all time
brought to life.
And Freddie is irreplaceable."
Freddie would be jealous
We'll never know what Freddie Mercury would have made of Adam Lambert's powerful voice
and electric stage presence, but, according to Brian May, the late legend would have been
proud.
And a little jealous.
May told Louder Sound,
"I always think that Freddie, with a wicked smile, would say something like 'I hate you,
Madam Lambert,' because even Freddie would have been gobsmacked at his range and his
ability to reinterpret these songs which the four of us originally created together."
May and bandmate Roger Taylor also feel the good vibes about Lambert.
May admitted,
"Roger and I have seen literally thousands of singers in our lifetimes including some
great ones auditioning for our We Will Rock You show… but we've never seen or heard
anything like Adam."
"I get up on stage, and I'm like it's like the record, it's amazing.
It's unbelievable.
Their skill and their talent is undeniable."
And it would seem that fans agree.
May pointed out,
"It's been very obvious that not just the old folks, but at least two new generations
around the world have absolutely latched on to Queen music, and love it, and have woven
it into their lives; and they love seeing us play it live with this 'boy.'"
That Bohemian Rhapsody cameo
Even fans with the keenest eyes were likely to miss Lambert's cameo in the Oscar-winning
movie Bohemian Rhapsody.
Back in October 2018, the singer teased a "very, very mysterious" (and uncredited) appearance
in the flick during a red carpet interview with Access at the film's New York City premiere,
but he refused to say any more.
"I'm actually in it for a hot second…"
"Where?
I saw?"
"You'll have to look closer.
It's very, very mysterious."
Speculation began instantly with the outlet pointing to a scene in which Mercury calls
his fiancée from a truck stop while he's out on tour.
As he's on the phone with her, an anonymous truck driver arrives, the pair lock eyes,
and it's implied they hook up in the bathroom.
of that exact character and joked, "Who is he!?"
Making Cher cry
You know you're doing something right when you can bring OG diva Cher to tears, with
her own song!
Lambert hit a real high note when he stepped up to honor Cher at the 41st Annual Kennedy
Center Honors in 2018, belting out covers of "I Got You Babe" with Cyndi Lauper, and
"Believe."
And Cher certainly approved.
As Today reported, she was brought to tears by the ballad-esque take on her song and was
the first one out of her seat to offer a standing ovation.
She was so impressed, in fact, that she continued the love fest on Twitter, writing,
"Tried to write feelings about Adam Lambert singing 'Believe' in words, but can't seem
to.
When your senses are overwhelmed, all can you feel [is] with your [heart]."
Lambert instantly wrote back,
"It was a total honor Cher!!!!
You're a goddess!"
The dark side of fame
Success, and the fame that comes with it, can have a negative impact on even the strongest
artists: that's something Lambert knows all about.
Opening up about his struggles with superstardom in a series of tweets in February 2019, Lambert
revealed,
"There have been many times where I've had to compromise on my artistic vision, with
executives making decisions based on money and not art.
I'm coming out of a dark period of second-guessing my own artistry and having my mental health
suffer because of it.
I started asking myself, 'Is all this hustle really worth it?'
I put all my focus on work and started to feel detached in my personal life.
My self-worth was suffering, I was lonely and becoming depressed."
Crediting Queen's May and Taylor with rescuing him and providing "tons of positive energy,"
Lambert added that working with the band "helped keep [his] head above water," and he noted
for intimacy."
Who needs an Oscars host?
When Variety first confirmed that the 2019 Oscars would have no host, fans were confused.
However, it turned out that the 91st Academy Awards went off just fine without one, replacing
the opening monologue with an electric performance from Queen + Adam Lambert.
Performing a medley of "We Will Rock You" and "We are the Champions," the band set the
tone for the night and, as Polygon pointed out, Lambert…
"… brought more energy than the average Oscars host usually would."
Less than 24 hours later, ABC revealed in a press release that it would be following
up the band's high-octane performance with a two-hour documentary titled The Show Must
Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story.
The doc, which was produced by Queen's longtime manager Jim Beach and writer-filmmaker Simon
Lupton, covers 17 years, beginning with frontman Freddie Mercury's passing in '91 when Lambert
was just 10 years old.
As detailed in the announcement, the flick utilizes "rare concert footage and exclusive,
revealing portraits of the band members" to trace Queen and Lambert's journeys, both separately
and together.
It also features exclusive interviews with Lambert and his parents, as well as May and
Taylor, American Idol's Simon Cowell, and Bohemian Rhapsody star Rami Malek.
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