- Well, let's call in my first guest,
he's the front man of Queen, no small feat
and a former finalist on American Idol.
You can see him streaming across the globe on January 29th
and Adam Lambert live at the Roxy.
Give it up for Adam Lambert everybody.
(audience cheers)
What's up you handsome devil? Look how good you look.
- What's up (laughs) ?
- I mean, I have to ask you this,
are you ever gonna come out with a makeup line?
'Cause you do your makeup so well.
- Well, thanks, I'd love to, I think that'd be really fun.
I've been playing with makeup since I was a little kid.
I remember 'cause I was in theater,
so it was part of getting ready for a show.
And I just loved getting to sit in front of the mirror
and transform my face,
and cover up all my freckles at the time
'cause I was ashamed of them.
I wish I had them today but...
I love makeup, I think it's so much fun.
- I wanted freckles so badly
because they said when I was a kid
I used to hear people say freckles were angel kisses,
and I was like, "I've never been kissed by an angel,
I don't have one freckle."
(both laugh)
It's like, I used to be so down about it.
But every time I run into you, you always look so handsome,
and I'm always like "Is that what I'm supposed to be doing?
(laughs) I'm I supposed to be able to do that?"
(laughs) Anyway, you look amazing but...
Did you see Lou Berlin's song? Did you see that?
- Yes, yes, I was like, "Now I need to see more,"
because I didn't understand what it was at first,
I just watched the song and I'm like, "What's he saying?"
And then I saw on the top of the screen,
the screenshot of the feud and I was like,
"Oh my God, that's brilliant."
- Have you ever been in a virtual feud like that?
- I mean, probably.
(both laugh)
I learned a few years back that what could be considered
a healthy debate for some, is not for others.
And, when you're doing it on Twitter,
you're really leaving yourself open
to all those different versions
of how they feel about a debate so.
I know I try to keep it for a private audience (laughs) .
- It is a hard thing because I think sarcasm gets lost.
A lot of things can get lost
when you're being funny or whatever,
and everybody always has their different world
and how they're receiving it,
and, so it's so hard.
So what's it like just fronting Queen,
you've been doing it for how long? Over a decade?
- It's been eight or nine years now.
Yeah, we met on the finale of Idol actually.
- Oh my God, is that true?
I didn't know that that's how that happened that has-
- Yeah, they came and performed
and it was like something felt like it clicked,
but I couldn't tell you what
'cause you know how the finale is,
it's very, very confusing and very chaotic.
- Yeah.
- But then not too long afterwards,
they got in touch with my team and that's where it started.
Every time I get on stage with them I'm like,
"Oh my God, this job is the coolest job in the world."
And, all the audiences we see around the world
are so fantastic, they know the words to every song,
they're dancing, there's so much nostalgia floating
through the audience. - Yeah.
- So, I'm very excited for things to get back to normal
for us to be able to go on tour again.
- I know, I keep making that joke that not one artist knew
that they were on their farewell tour,
the last tour they did (laughs) .
'Cause we're not able to actually tour,
we didn't know it, we didn't.
I mean, I gotta say this too, you're not only makeup man,
you always look so fly, so is it hard for you?
'Cause now we're only on Zoom,
and everybody can only see this much of you, is it hard?
Do you think 'cause you wanna get dressed up?
- Yeah, it's weird.
I mean, on one hand it's sort of a relief,
because the quarantine 15 is real.
(Kelly laughs)
And- - Yeah (laughs) .
- Chest up, I'm good with that (laughs).
- I don't know what you're referring to.
- Hiding the problem areas,
let's be honest, let's de-stigmatize it.
(Kelly chuckles)
But, I'm wearing sweat pants with elastic waistbands
more than I ever have in my entire life.
- Oh, see, now when people started saying,
"Oh I'm looking so relaxed all the time,"
I was like, "So welcome to my life,
that it's been for like ever."
(Adam laughs)
I was like, "There's no new clothes are worn,
it's the same old clothes that I'm wearing (laughs) ,"
and it's like, "Well."
But you were an Idol 12 years ago,
and I know we were on different seasons,
and I know that they were different things too,
like different times, but I really enjoyed it,
and I enjoyed the comradery within the contestants,
all the artists on there. Did you enjoy it?
- I did, I had fun.
- Me too. - I had a great time.
I mean, I was in a place in my life
where I had just sort of like...
I had this sort of shift in the way I saw the world,
in that I realized very graphically
that I had been scared of so much.
Fear was holding me back in a lot of areas in my life,
including my professional life.
And, that year before I auditioned
I just kinda had this breakthrough where I was like,
"I'm not scared anymore.
I don't have anything to lose,
so I might as well throw myself at things."
And, Idol was one of the things that came up,
I saw the audition and I was like,
"Yo why not? Keep saying yes to as much as you can
and something will happen."
- Yeah, I feel like, I don't know if you agree,
but I was, I know nobody believes me when I say this
but I was actually pretty shy when I was little,
and then once I started getting on stage and singing,
and kind of finding that, I felt I was good at something,
and it empowered me
and gave me such a different level of confidence.
- So that's what. Do you feel like that?
Do you feel in life art has kind of helped you
become who you are and who you are meant to be?"
- Absolutely. Even if it's many things,
once you kind of find what you love,
it gives you a sense of self.
And I love shoes, I love shoes for example.
Shoes really keep me on track.
- Wait, I love shoes too.
Wait, this is a real thing.
I love shoes, but I'm talking Nikeys,
I have so many Nikeys in my closet.
What kind of shoes are you referring to?
- Well, I like really the most extreme
as I can possibly find, but also-
- We're so opposite (laughs) .
- I'm gonna be turning 40 in a year and a half,
and sneakers are becoming a necessity.
But, I found these the other day online and ordered them
and I wanted to show them to you.
- (sighs) Oh my God, no, but see,
this is what's fabulous about what you're holding.
Okay, see I'm down with what you're holding and this is why.
See, it looks like a huge heel, but it's the platform,
your foot's not actually doing this the entire time
Jimmy Choo.
- I mean they hurt (laughs) .
- They do? Now that I won't wear.
- Yeah, they hurt.
- Nope, I'm getting too old for this thing now.
I look at myself and I'm just like, "No. "
(both laugh)
But they look fabulous (laughs) .
- I think they're like a moment
for one performance for something where it's one song.
- Yeah.
- Maybe seated on a stool (laughs) .
- (laughing) Exactly, exactly.
- Maybe (laughs) .
- I love it, I love it.
Well, how do you feel?
'Cause I feel like you're a bit of a pioneer
in the sense of being on Idol especially, and being gay,
that was kind of a big thing.
Being on the show and having Middle America jump on board
and vote, and I know that had have been hard,
I have friends in the same position.
So, how do you think things have changed
for gay artists since 2009?
- Man, it's a big change.
I mean, I remember coming off of Idol,
and going into the mainstream music industry label system,
and them just...
Even if they were excited themselves,
there was a lot of question marks,
there was a lot of fear, is this gonna sell?
Is this gonna work?
And as you know that's the name of the game
for the commercial music business, it's a business.
- Yeah.
- So, it was a bit of a struggle to kind of hold my ground
and keep focused on my part of the deal
which is being the artist, being a musician,
being the guy that wears those weird shoes.
- Yeah.
- It was a lot of ups and downs,
but I'm really thankful for my experience.
And I think that the world has changed,
I think we're in a place now within the music industry,
within the entertainment industry,
and in the world where yes, there's still discrimination,
there's still problems, there's still work to be done,
but there has been so much progress made.
- I agree, I think it's interesting,
and one of the main reasons
why I signed up to do "The Voice"
was because I'm turned around,
and I can't see what they look like,
I don't know anything about them,
there are no preconceived notions.
And I love like as a kid I was so poor,
I didn't have MTV,
I didn't have any like literally (speaks faintly)
my soul artists were maybe on award shows,
if the one television in our house was allowed
to be on the awards that night.
And so, I never saw anyone, so I fell in love with music,
how they sounded.
It had nothing to do...
I had no idea if anybody was gay,
I had no idea if they were whatever,
I just fell in love with the music,
and I think that that is so important,
because that's the art, it's the music, and it moves us.
And, I don't care what package it comes in
as long as I'm lucky enough to get to hear it
from whatever vessel it comes out of but...
Is it true that you're writing your own musical?
'Cause I find that fascinating.
- Yeah, I am, I've been working on it this year.
I mean, after...
I put out an album out in March called "Velvet,"
and literally a week and a half later,
everything got shut down,
so I was like, "Oh, okay, let's mourn the loss of that."
Obviously there's more important things (mumbles)
on the world than a pop album.
- Yeah.
- And then I kinda had gotten into the works last year,
but when I had all this downtime I was like,
"Okay, now's the time to really buckle down
and work on this thing."
And, I'm so excited about it (laughs) .
- But you're doing two live virtual shows
on your birthday this Friday.
So happy birthday, first of all, that's exciting.
- Thank you.
- And also why two? I'm just curious.
Why are you doing two live shows?
- Doing two because one's at noon and one's at night,
that way people overseas can watch it.
I'm very lucky to have fans in Europe and UK,
so I'm making it a global approach.
- I was wondering, I was like,
"Oh my God, you're really Broadwaying it up
with the matinee and the night,"
and I was like, "that's amazing."
(Adam laughs)
I was like- - A two show deck.
I know, and I haven't been singing much lately, so I'm like,
" (sighs) this is gonna be a long day (laughs) ."
- Oh my gosh. Well, good luck and God's speed on that note.
Be sure to check out Adam's livestream show on January 29th
from the Roxy Theater in Los Angeles.