Adam Lambert Goes From ‘Theater Kid’ To Queen Frontman

Getty Adam Lambert performs on the Trafalgar Square Stage in 2023.

Despite losing out on the “American Idol” crown in 2009, Adam Lambert has found himself in the company of music royalty with Queen. The 41-year-old rocker hasn’t always had a clear path throughout his music career. But in an interview with Them, Lambert says that his experiences have “shaped” him into the person that he is today.

From an early age, Lambert admits that he knew there was something different about him. “I started pretty early kind of understanding that I was probably different than the other boys in school,” Lambert explained. But it wasn’t until he started to enter adolescence that things started to fall into place for him. “I don’t think it really clicked for me until I was in about sixth grade. And I started going, ‘Oh, Ok. Got it.’ Like this is how I’m wired.”

Although he was sure of who he was, Lambert wouldn’t come out as gay until he was 18 years old. By then, his own mother had a pretty good idea about his identity. “I graduated, I came out to like my three best friends, and then my mom kind of outed me,” Lambert recalls. “She was like, ‘So what’s the deal?’ And finally, I was like, yeah, and I am, yes, I’m gay. And she was like, ‘Yeah, I knew that.'”

Lambert’s mother had previously visited a gay and lesbian center in the family’s hometown of San Diego. When she was advised to allow her son to come out to her, she waited for four years. Her patience is still something that Lambert remembers fondly. “So she, the whole time they were like, just waiting, like, just patiently, like he’s gonna come out,” he said.

Adam Lambert Performed Iconic Queen Song During His ‘American Idol’ Audition

After graduating high school, Lambert says that he bounced around for a bit. Although he was accepted to Cal State Fullerton in Orange County, he eventually became enamored with the theater. Lambert dropped out and started auditioning for roles in Los Angeles and New York City.

It wasn’t until he tried out for a German production of “Hair The Musical” that he landed his first big role. While in Germany, Lambert says he was impressed with how sexuality was treated in the country.”It was an amazing experience. I grew so much as a person doing that show because I felt more comfortable in my skin,” admits Lambert. “And I was in Germany, where it’s like, queerness was so like, cool. People looked individual, and they were unashamed of their queerness.”

When his time in Europe came to an end, Lambert headed back to the US. He spent two years with a theater company before he got the idea to try out for “American Idol.” “I never thought it was a show that I would be able to do,” Lambert said of the singing competition show.

Despite being “a theater kid,” and gay, which he says “never seemed to really land very well on that show,” he auditioned anyway. Lambert’s rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody” won over the judges and kick-started his “American Idol” journey. Although he quickly became a fan-favorite, Lambert finished as the runner-up to Kris Allen.

From Second Place To Lead Singer

A few weeks before the finale, a few “American Idol” viewers discovered several social media photos of Lambert “making out in drag” with an ex-boyfriend. Fearing a backlash, producers of the show hired a publicist for Lambert. Although he was openly gay in his personal life, his sexuality had yet to be made public.

After a discussion on how to handle the situation, Lambert says he decided to own his sexuality. “And so they booked me the cover of Rolling Stone, which was like, well, that’s a good place to come out of the closet,” he said. “So yeah, I think I lost some fans at that point, but I always said to myself like, well, those aren’t the fans I want anyway,” said Lambert.

It was during “American Idol’s” finale that Lambert first met Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen. Lambert says it, “Felt like a click.” In November 2011, Lambert joined Queen for a performance at the MTV Europe Awards in Belfast. Since then, Lambert has become the band’s honorary frontman for their live performances. In 2020, Queen + Adam released “Live Around the World,” a live album featuring 20 songs.