Adam Lambert is one of the most successful and unforgettable icons that “American Idol” has given us. Despite not winning the competition, Adam defied all subsequent expectations by selling millions of albums and collaborating with legendary music staples worldwide.
Nowadays, Adam’s style and powerful vocal skills are recognized on their own, and so is his preference for eccentric and fascinating visuals. It’s no wonder that artistry has been his conquering the hearts of millions throughout his career, but how different was he before auditioning for “American Idol” in 2009? How much of the theatrical singer is left these days, and did ,or has his life change for the better?
Keep with us to learn more about Adam!
Before The Show
Hailing from Indiana, USA, Adam Lambert was born on 29 January 1982, butgrew up in California, where he attended the local Metropolitan Educational Theatre from a very early age.
As Adam confessed in the podcast “Who’s the A**hole?”, his father insisted on an indoor soccer academy when he was around 10 years old, but decided after scoring one goal that it wasn’t for him . The still young Adam went on to focus on vocal training and acting, spending his teens participating in several creative and music-centered activities. He enrolled at the Fullerton-based California State University to study musical theater but, on his path to experience the workings of the entertainment industry firsthand, he soon left to move to Los Angeles.
Adam spent a huge part of his 20s working in musical theater, performing in works such as “110 in the Shade”, “The Ten Commandments: The Musical”, “Hair” and many others. His last job was as Fiyero in “Wicked”, from 2005 to 2008. On top of that, Adam sang for the rock band The Citizen Vein for a short time.
Rise to Fame
We followed as Adam Lambert as in 2009 he conquered the hearts of millions with his voice when he auditioned for “American Idol”’s eighth season. The then-27-year-old singer impressed the show’s judges with his “Bohemian Rhapsody” performance and despite Simon Cowell’s apparent doubt about his skills, Adam safely made it to the next stage.
The next time we saw Adam in “American Idol” was during the Hollywood Round, in which he performed alongside other contestants on two separate occasions, finally making it to the round’s final stage. Though his previous performances were considered a bit too ‘theatrical’, his daring rendition of Cher’s “Believe” was what he needed to advance.
After making it to the 36 contestants’ group, Adam’s performance of The Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” finally set him in the right direction, as it showcased his non-theatrical vocal skills and rock star-ish flashiness. That night he gained the audience’s favor, and was sent to the final 13 contestants, next performing a rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Black or White” which kept him afloat in the competition.
Adam’s next performances followed a similar line. He was able to add his unique touch to every song, while maintaining its essence. That played in his favor in the end, as Adam made it to the final two contestants, before losing to Kris Allen.
After The Show
Adam Lambert’s loss on the “American Idol” final was received with skepticism, as allegations of the final votes being rigged surfaced days after the final. Though these rumors were denied by the phone network behind the show, and the final decision wasn’t changed, sites such as Billboard reported that there was a general upset about the season’s results.
Nevertheless, not becoming the ‘idol’didn’t deter Adam from pursuing a musical path beyond the show. Just a couple of months after the show’s final, Adam released his debut album “For Your Entertainment,”, which made it to the top three on the Billboard 200 chart. His single “Whataya Want from Me” gained him a Grammy nomination in the Best Male Pop Vocal Performance category.
As Adam’s career progressed, his creative expression became freer compared to his time in the show. His performance at the 2009 American Music Awards gained him thousands of complaints about the content of his show, and the cancellation of several public appearances at the time. Still, Adam went on to appear in several TV shows to promote his music, while also going back to “American Idol” as a guest mentor in 2010, and selling out his first solo concert the year after.
The HEmix version 🥺 https://t.co/Pi2qecrUJ9 pic.twitter.com/OlwZyHx5Eu
— ADAM LAMBERT DAILY (@AdamL_Daily) May 9, 2024
Personal Life
Beyond his overwhelming talent and natural on-stage presence, Adam Lambert’s personal life has been causing mixed comments since his early career. The first known controversy he was involved in was caused by a resurfaced pic in which he was dressed as a drag queen while kissing another man.
The unwilling revelation of Adam’s sexual orientation led him to confirm himself as homosexual during an interview with Rolling Stone, to which he also revealed being ‘proud of’ his sexuality and embracing it as ‘just another part’ of himself. Nonetheless, LGBTQ+ commentators from the time affirmed that Adam’s sexual orientation might have influenced viewers to not vote for him.
That said, Adam has shied away from exploring queer themes in his art, whether that be in songs or live performances, on top of being included in important LGBTQ+ publications such as Out Magazine’s Out100 list.
Regarding his romantic endeavors, Adam publicly dated Finnish entertainer Sauli Koskinen from 2010 to 2013. Later in 2019, he began dating Spanish model Javi Costa Polo but the relationship lasted only around seven months. In 2021, Adam made official his relationship with Oliver Gliese, Danish a fashion insider,or whom the singer wrote his 2024 single “Afters”.
Solo Career & Future
Despite being involved in entertainment activities since his childhood, there’s no denying that Adam Lambert’s participation in “American Idol” was a turning point in his career. Much to the joy of his fans, Adam successfully celebrated his 15th anniversary in the industry in 2024.
This landmark in Adam’s career comes after releasing his fifth studio album “High Drama” in 2023. Previously, Adam also released the albums “Trespassing”, “The Original High” and “Velvet”, among others. Another important accomplishment in Adam’s career has been forming the Queen + Adam Lambert ensemble, which saw him touring as a vocalist alongside Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor on several international tours throughout the 2010s.
Besides his music, Adam has appeared in several TV shows, including “Glee”, “RuPaul’s Drag Race”, “The Voice” and “The Voice Australia”. The year 2024 saw Adam returning to musical theatre for the first time in over 15 years, as he temporarily took the Emcee role in the New York-based Kit Kat Club’s musical “Cabaret” alongside Auliʻi Cravalho.
While Adam has admitted to suffering from impostor syndrome, believing himself ‘undeserving’ of his success at certain points of his career, it’s evident that he’s built a stable career in the entertainment industry, which is very rarely rivaled by other former “American Idol”’s contestants.
