Adam Lambert: The Billboard Cover Story
Adam Lambert-the man with the outsize personality who delivered an audacious octave-and-a-half sitar-tinged purr of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" on the most-watched TV show in the country, dodged sex toys thrown at him onstage during the "American Idol" tour and did it all without smearing his eyeliner-is currently curled in the fetal position.
Balled up in a patio chair on the 10th-story balcony at 19 Entertainment in Los Angeles, Lambert is the portrait of the goth as a young man-black clothes and combat boots; dyed black hair and nail polish; Egyptian-themed jewelry matching the Eye of Horus tattoo on his wrist. He grabs his knees and constricts himself even tighter as he reveals why he's so emo right now: He's attending the premiere of the film "2012" in a few hours. And his song, "Time for Miracles," plays over the closing credits.
"I'm going to be like this, in my seat, hiding in my popcorn bucket," he says. "It's going to be really weird." Lambert laughs, unfurls his legs and straightens up in the chair. His worry is, of course, all a joke, an act, a performance. Because, true to his album title, Lambert is here for our entertainment.
When "American Idol" launched in 2002, creator Simon Fuller must have dreamed of a contestant like the 27-year-old Lambert -- one that mixes style and substance, one that can sing anything and gives a damn about cultivating his public image. In a year, Lambert's gone from being one of a herd of auditioners at the San Francisco tryouts to landing the covers of Entertainment Weekly and Rolling Stone before his album was even released.
For 19 Entertainment, the eighth season of "American Idol" was something of an embarrassment of riches-the eventual winner, Kris Allen (see cover Q&A here) has sold 1.1 million digital downloads of his "Idol" songs, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and contestant Allison Iraheta, with her preternaturally gravelly vocals and artful red and blue hair is prepared to court the Hayley Williams/Avril Lavigne demographic.
But in a year when the clubby stylings of Lady Gaga and the Black Eyed Peas are setting sales records, it's Lambert's slinky set of dance songs that are poised to steal the spotlight. "For Your Entertainment" will be released Nov. 23; the title track lead single sold 18,000 in its first week of release, according to SoundScan, while "Time for Miracles" has sold 68,000 in three weeks. This comes on top of the 997,000 digital tracks sold of Lambert's songs from "Idol."
"He's an artist with a true sense of who he is," RCA Music Group GM/executive VP Tom Corson says. "It's our job to work with him and present him with options to help steer the ship-but ultimately it's his call. He has a vision."
'ENTERTAINMENT' TONIGHT
The cover of "For Your Entertainment" shows Lambert as a three-dimensional version of Patrick Nagel's artwork for Duran Duran's "Rio": all glam makeup and sharp angles. It's not subtle in any way-Lambert is gleeful as he points out that he wore all that makeup-but it's true to his image as a showman that combines singing talent with a theatrical bent.
It's an image he flaunted throughout "Idol"-and was never more exemplified than in Lambert's retort to judge Simon Cowell's critique that one of his performances was too "Rocky Horror." ("I like 'Rocky Horror,' " Lambert patiently explained.)
But it's rare that a persona crafted on "Idol" doesn't go through some sort of intensification as the performers transition from contestant to professional: Texas cutie Kelly Clarkson took on a pop sheen; Carrie Underwood's country chops were honed on the show. For Lambert, he was "Glambert" from the start.
"I think there's a misconception-people think that 'Idol' is like a Svengali puppeteer," Lambert says. "I think that may be the perception because certain people that have gone through the system didn't have a strong idea of what they wanted to do visually. I think the minute you do, they respond to that. And I've been very verbal and opinionated about what I want to create, and they've been nothing but supportive of that."
When Lambert moved to Los Angeles from San Diego eight years ago and began working in theater and as a session singer, he quickly learned that business acumen was just as important as musical talent. At 27, he's in the upper age range of "Idol" contestants-the cutoff for the show is 28-and the simple fact of his added life experience could serve him well as he transitions away from the spotlight that is built into the show.
"I do consider myself part artist, part businessperson," Lambert says. "I find marketing interesting, I find publicity interesting. I find the whole process interesting. I think there's some artists that are really focused on the music and the artistry, but I also think being a showman and being an entertainer is more than just being a musician. It's everything-it's something to look at and to listen to."
The songs on "For Your Entertainment" rely heavily on dance beats, but there are a number of ballads for contrast. "When I was picking my singles, I thought maybe I should do more of a rock thing because that's what people expect. But if I did what people expected of me, I don't think I would have gotten through 'Idol' the way I did," Lambert says. "It's part of my shtick as an artist to keep surprising people."
One defining characteristic is the A-list writing and production credit throughout the album: "Soaked," which Lambert says is about a one-night stand, was written by Muse's Matthew Bellamy and produced by Rob Cavallo, who worked on four tracks on the album; "Strut" was written by Lambert, "Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi and Greg Wells, who also produced; Ryan Tedder wrote and produced "Sleepwalker" alongside co-writers Aimee Mayo and Chris Lindsey.
"If an artist has the skills and ambition to write songs, then we will actively encourage and pursue this, often by pairing our artists with the world's very best songwriters, allowing them to learn and develop their writing skills," 19 Entertainment founder/CEO Simon Fuller says.
The announcement of the pairing of Lambert and Lady Gaga on the track "Fever" was fodder for gossip blogs, but Gaga doesn't actually perform on the track, Lambert says, explaining, "She was on the other side of the glass just egging me on."
The title track-which was produced by Dr. Luke, who co-wrote it with Claude Kelly-is now being worked to top 40 and hot AC radio. "I wanted to release something that would be played in a club, that would make you dance on New Year's," Lambert says.
He means that literally-"Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve With Ryan Seacrest" is one of the TV appearances lined up for Lambert in the coming months;
the campaign starts Nov. 22 with his show-closing performance at the American Music Awards. Besides the typical rounds of morning and late-night talk shows, Lambert will be interviewed as one of the "Most Fascinating People" of 2009. "Adam is so telegenic. It's going to be a visual launch," Corson says.
A video for "For Your Entertainment" is forthcoming. It's directed by Ray Kay, who did the video for Lady Gaga's "Poker Face."
The album is available for pre-order on iTunes and Amazon and was streamed on MySpace the week of Nov. 16. Lambert's Web site, AdamOfficial.com, is offering direct-to-consumer deluxe sets, including one for $24 that contains a 16-page picture book and two bonus tracks. One of them, "Whataya Want From Me" (written by Pink, Max Martin and Johan Shellbeck), will likely be the next single.
Internationally, Corson says the label intends to break Lambert first in the United Kingdom and Japan. For his part, Lambert wants to tour in 2010-and tour big. "I want dancers, I want costumes, I want video screens," he says. "I want to put on a show that's really theatrical and fun and grand."
'IDOL' GIVES BACK
All of this is the end result of a heady year for Lambert. At this time in 2008, he was waiting for the Hollywood elimination rounds of "Idol" to start. In TV time, it takes six months for "Idol" to crown a winner, but the production process runs year-round.
Despite the artifice of the show, it does drop-kick contestants into the media spotlight-a valuable lesson for any pop star. "They put you through it to see if you can hang," Lambert says.
The 2009 season of "Idol" attracted an average of 25.1 million viewers, according to Nielsen, the lowest average in several years; but it's still the most-watched show on TV, as it has been since 2004. The finale where Allen was proclaimed the winner over Lambert was watched by 28.8 million viewers-10 million more than the 2009 Grammy Awards.
"The finale of 'Idol' was pretty epic," Lambert says. "I got up there and was singing with Queen and Kiss-I got to put on a costume. I really feel the finale summed up what I'm trying to do, and what I'm going to do. I think that being onstage with legendary people like that reminds you of what showmanship is."
Weeks after the "Idol" season wrapped, the top 10 contestants embark on the Idols Live tour-a valedictory sprint of 52 cities in three months that grossed $30 million this year, according to Billboard Boxscore.
While group numbers are a standard part of the show, each high-finishing "Idol" contestant gets his or her chance to shine in a solo. Lambert did a medley of David Bowie's "Life on Mars?," "Fame" and "Let's Dance." He saw it as a chance to stage-test the sound he had in mind for his debut. "I always wanted to do Bowie songs, and I never did them on 'Idol' because it wasn't ever the right fit," he says. "We did a different, slightly modern production, which is basically what I'm doing on my album."
And much like the TV show, the "Idol" tour puts its participants through the wringer. "I've done theater for years and I've sung for a long time, but I've never done a solo set in concert night after night while traveling," Lambert says. "It was a good way to learn about how to take care of yourself and how to pace yourself while on the road."
With the fame comes accompanying challenges; Lambert has become a favorite subject of the tabloids and paparazzi. "Yeah, it's weird," he says. "You know, it's like, 'Hi, I'm just walking to my car-why do you care?' "
It's very likely that they care because of the wink-wink, nudge-nudge game that was played in the media about Lambert's sexuality during his "Idol" tenure. Lambert demurred on the questions about whether he was gay until the Rolling Stone article; since then he's unwittingly become Adam Lambert, Icon for Gay Youth. It's not a mantle he shoulders easily.
"I don't want to be a spokesperson for anybody, no matter who they are," he says. "I'm not following this career path to be a role model or to be a poster child for anything except for music. If there's an indirect impact that my presence has on certain issue, then I think that's a good thing."
It's a mature point of view to take as Lambert's private life becomes inextricably linked to his public persona. It's an issue that will get raised again and again-as he walked the red carpet for "2012," for example, he was asked if he brought a date. His laughing response? "My date is my jacket, actually."
A few days after the premiere, Lambert is sitting in Fuller's office, swiveling back and forth in a white office chair as he prepares for another long day of media interviews. The movie, as it turned out, was a blast, and "Time for Miracles" was warmly received. "People stayed and listened," he says, honestly happy. Of course they did. That's entertainment.
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