Express’ Levi Joule sat down with pop sensation
Adam Lambert in a remarkably candid exclusive interview to discuss his
new album, new look and the radically changing nature of the gay scene
worldwide.
Lambert exclaims “The thing that I contribute to the world is music.”
But for us, that is not all he brings. What he has to say about GLBT
culture also makes him one of our biggest current gay icons.
His path from that young, out and proud 20 something on ‘American
Idol’ to the lead singer of Queen, one of the most recognised and loved
bands in the world has given him an exclusive understanding of what it
means to be famous and gay.
Lambert had only arrived in NZ only a few days earlier after spending
a week in Australia. There, he performed on ‘The Voice’ and was also
involved in a minor controversy which was generated over the suggestion
that he should start dating Ricky Martin from shock jock DJ Jackie O.
Headlines quickly ran on across the media, with ‘The Daily Telegraph’
running with the headline ‘Adam Lambert slams radio host Jackie O or
gay jibe’ something Lambert dismisses outright. “That was really funny,
because there was no drama.” “It was click bait. They [the media] made
it such a big deal, but I wasn’t offended at all.”
So it wasn’t an example of ‘double standards’ for the way single gay
artists compared to single straight artists are treated in the media?
“There is a shred of truth in that, but I was having fun with her. I
didn’t think twice about it. Some people invented some other drama that
wasn’t going on.”
Photo | Dan Liu
Lambert says things have changed pretty drastically from his days on
‘American Idol’ for gay artists in the entertainment industry. “We’re
progressing for sure. Being gay, it’s not taboo anymore.
“People aren’t so hung up on it – I think the industry isn’t so
scared about it anymore, they used to think it won’t sell. Now its been
proven that most of the people who buy pop music don’t care.”
More broadly, Lambert credits the entertainment industry, with
helping to further advance GLBT rights. “I think it’s very interesting,
because I think the entertainment industry has really helped push things
further” Lambert says.
“ I think the entertainment community has done a lot to push us
forward as a society. They’ve really opened people’s eyes and told tales
of some of the struggles, some of the realities and also profiled more
diversity within the gay community which allows people to understand
things more. Especially film and television, there are a lot more gay
characters, they’re not the stereotypes anymore, they’re moving past the
stereotypes. It’s amazing how it’s pushed public opinion.”
Levi Joule chats with Adam Lambert Photo | Dan Liu
Lambert says the way gay artists are portrayed has improved and that
at the beginning the ‘gay thing’ was the only issue ever brought up.
“When everything happened with me in the beginning it was a little
out of my control. I was being talked about before I even had a chance
to answer any questions so it was already in the consciences that I was
‘the gay guy’ and so the minute I could get off the show and do
interviews, that was what all the questions were about.”
While the questions now tend to be more about his music, Lambert says
he will always be open about who he is when asked. “I have no shame, I
came out when I was 18, I didn’t mind talking about it, because I’m an
open book and I didn’t want to come off like I had a secret or was
downplaying anything, so I just kind of ran into it head first.
“What I’ve learnt over the years is that it’s tricky because the
media will tell the story however they want to tell it, so it’s still
out of your control to a certain amount.”
‘American Idol’ was a lifetime ago to Adam Lambert and when
questioned about whether “those photos”, showing him kissing another man
might have been the reason he lost the final he responded, “I don’t
really think about that anymore, that was six years ago. I feel like
it’s all in the past.”
Lambert is amongst only a handful of ex ‘American Idol’ contestants
to have gone on to achieve industry success, something he puts down to
the team who support him. “I think it’s a game of chance and having the
right people around you – that makes a big difference.”
Since leaving ‘Idol’ as runner up in 2009, Lambert has gone on to
release three chart topping albums and has recently wrapped up touring
the world with Queen, performing as the band’s front man – an experience
which Lambert rates as one of his best yet. “They are rock royalty and
Freddie Mercury was definitely an idol of mine. He was so boldly
flamboyant and didn’t give a shit. He was ahead of his time in that way.
“It’s funny, because in the 70s and 80s a lot of male artists were
quite flamboyant and camp and kind of seemed to fade out in the 1990s
and 2000s, you didn’t see anymore of that. It’s kind of like we went
backwards a little bit.”
When discussing his style he explained that earlier on during ‘Idol’, Lambert’s genre was dictated by the show’s producers.
“They said ‘we want to see you doing the classic rock thing’… I
thought, I can identify with that, I can pull it off and so I ran with
it. That was that chapter.”
“The second one was more funky pop and I experimented with some other
sounds. My look was a little bit more modern and contemporary at that
point.”
“And now I’m in this chapter and it’s changed. The campy kinda crazy
has been taken down a bunch of notches, I wanted to do something a
little bit more from the heart, I wanted my fans to understand me a
little bit more and understand the stuff I’ve been through emotionally
and the places I’ve been. I wanted to talk about the things I’ve noticed
about the world I’ve been living in. Like this pursuit of happiness;
how do we find it, how does it manifest itself, how we get derailed
sometimes by things while looking for happiness.”
“The [Ghost Town] album is very contemporary; it’s pop –
stylistically I feel like I was dressing up in crazy costumes a lot and
it was really fun, but I’m into more classic Americana now, I like
cleaner looks. I was looking at old pictures of Elvis and George Michael
and Chris Isaac and those classic looks.”
Lambert says this in contrast to his earlier style where he says he
liked to explore and blur the concept of gender identity. “I liked
playing with the contrast of masculinity and femininity, like Boy
George, like David Bowie, like Marilyn Manson.”
While Lambert’s look may be more contemporary and straightforward, he
believes the performance of gender is being questioned like never
before. “There’s a beautiful moment right now where we are understanding
and exploring all sorts of different options and variations on gender.
It’s gotten a lot easier. I don’t feel like it’s an obstacle anymore.”
Lambert says.
“There is an interesting conversation about gender stereotypes right
now.I think things are changing. I think people are starting to
recognise that a lot of these norms are instructed by society. We’re
brought up conditioned to believe ‘this is what a man is,’ ‘this is what
a woman is’ and I think it’s a really exciting time right now to see
that is being questioned and challenged and in some cases rejected. It’s
good. I think it’s limiting to be forced to pick a box to define
yourself.”
Photo | Dan Liu
Lambert again notes the entertainment industry’s role and says that
the media has moved towards more diverse and realistic portrayals of
GLBT people, something he believes has led to positive change within the
gay community.
“I think that’s the exciting thing that the media has been able to
profile different types of gay people. It allows the next generation
coming up to think they have options and that they don’t have to be this
or be that, or stick to a stereotype in order to find an identity,” the
singer says.
Adam Lambert’s insight into being an out and proud gay artist is
unique and rather refreshing – the interview could go on for hours.
Then, sadly, the record label representative gives the signal to wrap
up, not before Lambert makes one final point in which he makes his most
poignant comment yet about how the gay community now views itself.
“You know, you used to go out to a gay bar and people would be like
‘I’m a top’ or ‘I’m a bottom’ and I have to act like this and I
personally think that’s bullshit and I know a lot of young people
growing up right now who think, ‘That’s not how I want to act’”
“There are so many shades of grey, there are so many different ways
to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender – it’s not just one thing.”
Article | Levi Joule. Photos | Dan Liu