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Adam Mitchel Lambert (born January 29, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor from San Diego, California. In May 2009, he finished as the runner-up on the eighth season of American Idol. Lambert is currently working on a solo debut album, For Your Entertainment, due out on November 23, 2009.

Personal life

Lambert was born in Indianapolis, Indiana and moved to California shortly afterward. He grew up in Rancho Peñasquitos in northeastern San Diego and attended Deer Canyon Elementary School, Mesa Verde Middle School, where he was a winner in the Airband competition (featuring Michael Jackson's "Thriller") and Mount Carmel High School (MCHS), where he was in theater, choir, and frequently performed vocals with the school's jazz band "MC Jazz". Some of his memorable MCHS performances included Frederick in The Pirates of Penzance and "It's Only a Paper Moon" with MC Jazz. He has cited David Bowie, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Queen, and Led Zeppelin as influences.

Lambert is Jewish and has performed in Hebrew at Jewish events, singing songs such as "Shir LaShalom". He goes to Temple of the Arts in San Diego and has performed at the Kol Nidre service on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. Lambert also performed in Jewish-themed The Ten Commandments: The Musical as Joshua, performing the song "Is Anybody Listening?" to critical acclaim.

Lambert confirmed that he was gay in a Rolling Stone cover story interview shortly after he was named the American Idol runner-up. Not long after, he was publicly photographed with his then-boyfriend, interior designer Drake LaBry; the two have since announced that they have ended their relationship. Lambert is reportedly seeing another man, singer-songwriter Ferras Alqaisi, who worked with Lambert on his upcoming album.

Career

Pre-Idol

Lambert has been a stage actor since he was about ten years old. He was cast as Linus in San Diego's Lyceum Theater's production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Around age 12, he was cast in a production of Fiddler On the Roof and continued performing throughout his teenage years including Hello, Dolly!, Chess, Camelot, The Music Man, Grease and played Captain Hook in Peter Pan. At age 19, Lambert left the U.S. to tour with Anita Mann Productions for ten months before returning to the U.S. to perform light opera in Orange County CA. He was then cast in the European production of Hair and U.S. theater productions of Brigadoon and 110 In The Shade, before being cast in the role of Joshua in The Ten Commandments: The Musical at the Kodak Theatre alongside Val Kilmer. Lambert was one of the only actors in the play that garnered a positive review. While acting, Lambert briefly moonlighted as the front man for rock band The Citizen Vein with Steve Sidelnyk, Tommy Victor and Monte Pittman. He was then cast as the understudy for the part of Fiyero in the Broadway production company tour and Los Angeles casts of the musical Wicked. Since 2004, he has regularly performed at the Upright Cabaret and the Zodiac Show, which was co-created by Carmit Bachar of the Pussycat Dolls.

American Idol

Lambert auditioned for the eighth season of American Idol in San Francisco, California. During his initial audition, he sang "Rock With You" and "Bohemian Rhapsody." Lambert had cited several musical influences, including Queen, David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Aerosmith, and Led Zeppelin. In the semifinals, Lambert was voted into the Top 13, joining fellow Group 2 performers Allison Iraheta and Kris Allen. Lambert and Allen became roommates in the Idol mansion, with Allen stating it was due to their neatness.

During Michael Jackson week, he sang "Black or White" leading to praise from all four judges, with Paula Abdul predicting that he would go on to the finals. The following week, Lambert sang a version of "Ring of Fire". While Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi, and Abdul all liked his performance, Simon Cowell called it "indulgent rubbish". On Motown night, Lambert sang an acoustic version of The Miracles', "The Tracks of My Tears". The judges all liked it, and Smokey Robinson, the week's mentor and the original singer-songwriter, gave Lambert a standing ovation. For his Top 8 performance, Lambert sang the 2001 Gary Jules arrangement of "Mad World". Because the show had exceeded its time slot, only Cowell gave a critique, which he did by simply giving Lambert a standing ovation. During the results next night, the other judges agreed that a standing ovation was the best critique of Lambert's performance. For his second Top 7 performance, Lambert sang "If I Can't Have You", delivering what DioGuardi described as his "most memorable performance", while Cowell described his vocals as "immaculate". Abdul was reduced to tears, with host Ryan Seacrest joking that Lambert had melted her into a "pool of Abdul". In the Top 4, Lambert was the first to sing, performing "Whole Lotta Love". Cowell commented, "that was one of my favorite performances...nobody can top that now", while Abdul, punning on the song's title, described Lambert's performance as "a whole lotta perfect".

For the top three show, Lambert chose to sing at his alma mater, Mt. Carmel High School. While there, he performed both Michael Jackson's "Black or White", and the Gary Jules version of Tears for Fears' "Mad World." After his performance, San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders declared May 8 2009 "Adam Lambert Day."

On May 20, 2009, Lambert was announced as the runner-up for the eighth season of American Idol. Lambert performed a medley of "Beth", "Detroit Rock City", and "Rock and Roll All Nite" with rock band KISS during the final episode. His version of the winning single "No Boundaries" was later released on iTunes alongside American Idol winner Kris Allen's version. Before the results were announced, Allen and Lambert joined together with Queen’s original guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor to perform the anthem We Are the Champions.

Upon winning, Allen said "Adam deserved this." Explaining this remark, Allen said that he thought Lambert deserved to win as much as he did, and that Lambert "was the most consistent person all year. He was seriously one of the most gifted performers that I've ever met."

Lambert stated in Rolling Stone that his decision to audition for the show came after a week at Burning Man where he experimented with "certain funguses." He went on to say that "I had a psychedelic experience where I looked up at the clouds and went, 'Oh!' I realized that we all have our own power, and that whatever I wanted to do, I had to make happen."

Impact of rumors

Photos of Lambert kissing a man surfaced while he was competing on American Idol. Initially shown and discussed by commentators on The O'Reilly Factor, the panel agreed that the images would likely have no impact on the competition. Lambert confirmed that the photos were of him, stating he had nothing to hide and has always been open about his life. Mainstream media speculation centered on Lambert's sexuality; presuming he was gay, he would be the first gay American Idol. Much of the media focus regarded the readiness of American Idol voters for an openly gay winner. Asked by Rolling Stone whether the speculation surrounding his sexual orientation impacted the final vote, Lambert laughed and said "probably".

Performances/Results

• Template:Fnb Due to the judges using their one save to save Matt Giraud, the Top 7 remained intact for an additional week.
• Template:Fnb It was only announced that Allison Iraheta received the lowest number of votes this week. The other member(s) of the bottom two or three were never revealed, and the safe contestants were announced in random order.

Post-Idol

Billboard magazine confirmed on May 22 that Lambert is working on a solo album, which is expected to be released on November 23, 2009. He stated that he would love to work with Slash, stating "When I was working with Slash I felt at home." Lambert also stated that his solo album will be eclectic, and have a variety of sounds. Rock group Queen, with whom Lambert performed on the season finale, are said to be considering asking Lambert to be their new frontman. Lambert was a guest on Larry King Live (guest-hosted by Ryan Seacrest) along with Kris Allen, judge Paula Abdul, and the rest of the top ten finalists. He has said that he plans to create a multi-genre album calling it a "rock-pop-electronic-dance thing".

Lambert has confirmed on Twitter that his album is scheduled to go on sale on November 23, 2009. He has been working with producers Greg Wells, Ryan Tedder, Max Martin, Sam Sparro, RedOne, Dr. Luke, and Linda Perry, among others, in the run-up to the album's release.. Aimee Mayo stated on Twitter that she wrote at least two songs for Lambert, one co-written with Ryan Tedder and Chris Lindsey and, another with Ferras, the latter of which was not included for selection. Lady Gaga also reportedly wrote a song that they have recently spent some time recording. On October 28, 2009, Lambert announced via Twitter that his lead single from his debut album would be "For Your Entertainment", a song that was produced by Dr. Luke. The following day, Lambert announced that the single would debut on Ryan Seacrest's radio show on October 30, 2009.

Lambert's second single -- "Time for Miracles" from the upcoming action movie 2012 -- was released on October 20. The song was lauded ahead of its release by Queen's guitarist, Brian May, who described himself as being "completely blown away" upon hearing the track.

On June 19, 2009, Hi Fi Recordings and Wilshire Records revealed that they would be releasing On With the Show, a compilation of songs Lambert had recorded prior to American Idol while working as a session musician. The album's first single is "Want." Lambert later issued a statement through 19 Entertainment stating, "Back in 2005 when I was a struggling artist, I was hired as a studio singer to lend my vocals to tracks written by someone else. I was broke at the time and this was my chance to make a few bucks, so I jumped at the opportunity to record for my first time in a professional studio. The work I did back then in no way reflects the music I am currently in the studio working on."

Since Idol he has won two different awards: the Young Hollywood Award for Artist of the Year and the Teen Choice Award for Reality/Variety Star. Lambert recently wrapped up the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2009 with his fellow Top 10 contestants; the tour visited 50 cities in the United States and Canada from July 5 to September 15, 2009.

Discography

Studio albums

Digital albums

This album charted from legal digital downloads.

Singles

• Current single(s).

Digital singles

These songs all charted from legal digital downloads.

Music videos

Awards and nominations

Notes

1. Clay Aiken, American Idol (season 2) runner-up came out as gay in 2008. Will Young, the 2002 winner of the inaugural Pop Idol contests on which all the other Idol series are based, pre-emptively came out as gay after he won.

References

1. Leahey, Andrew. "Adam Lambert: Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
2. American Idol
3. ^
4. San Diego Union-Tribune Staff Writer (24 February 2009). "'Idol' hopeful banks on theatrics to snag a spot". Retrieved 11 March 2009.
5. Kaufman, Gil (2009-06-09). "Adam Lambert Talks About His Crush On Kris ( The winner of American Idol)Allen". MTV.com. Retrieved 2009-06-09. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
8. Idol Adam Lambert 'comes out' in print, USA Today
9. Star Magazine: Adam Lambert Steps Out with Boyfriend - June 2, 2009.
10. http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2009/11/02/2009-11-02_american_idol_alum_adam_lambert_splits_with_boyfriend_drake_labry.html
11. Star Magazine: Adam Lambert Already Has A New Guy!; November 4, 2009
12. Rocchio, Christopher (2 March 2009). "Adam Lambert dishes on making 'American Idol's Top 12 finals". Reality TV World. Retrieved 6 March 2009.
13. ^ Broadway.com staff (26 February 2009). "Headlines: Wicked's Adam Lambert Makes American Idol Top 12". Retrieved 6 March 2009.
14. Adam Lambert Biography Allmusic.com
16. "Idols move into the Idol Mansion". Retrieved 2009-03-30.
17. "MJs Top 13 Performances Recap & Review". Retrieved 2009-03-10.
18. "Psychotic State: American Idol". Retrieved 2009-03-17.
19. "Performances and Reviews". Retrieved 2009-03-29.
20. "TV-Watch: Kris Allen "Works Hard" to "Stay Alive" on Disco Night". Retrieved 2009-04-22.
21. "American Idol puts on a show for MC". Retrieved 2009-05-07.
22. "Adam Lambert Hits San Diego". Retrieved 2009-05-08.
23. "Adam Lambert Gets His Hometown Hurrah". Retrieved 2009-05-08.
24. http://dailycontributor.com/kris-and-adam-sing-we-are-the-champions/5058/
25. "Kris Allen's Thoughts on Idol and the Future". Retrieved 2009-06-07.
26. http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/09/adam.lambert.gay/index.html?iref=mpstoryview
27. "Gay Talk Surrounds Adam Lambert of 'Idol'".
28. "Adam Lambert: America's First gay 'Idol'?".
29. ^ "Adam Lambert: Shaking Up 'Idol': He's the most exciting American Idol contestant in years: Huge voice, over-the-top theatrics...and that whole Is he gay? thing. He's a true original -- and just what the show needed." By Mark Harris, Entertainment Weekly,
30. "Adam Lambert Talks “American Idol” Finale, Sexuality, Katy Perry" Chris Harris, Rolling Stone. 5/22/2009.
31. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/american-idol-runner-up-adam-lambert-thrilled-1003976209.story "'American Idol' Runner-Up Adam Lambert 'Thrilled' About The Future", Billboard Magazine, May 22, 2009.
32. "Queen Considering 'Idol's' Lambert As Frontman", Billboard Magazine, May 23, 2009.
34. http://twitter.com/adamlambert
37. http://twitter.com/adamlambert
38. http://twitter.com/adamlambert/status/5241677403
39. http://twitter.com/adamlambert/status/5275245449
40. http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/08/20/lamberts-2012-song-is-truly-sensational-brian-may-says/
42. http://video.google.com/videosearch?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS307&q=on%20with%20the%20show%20lambert&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wv#q=want+adam+lambert&hl=en&emb=1
43. Billboard article: "Adam Lambert Pre-'Idol' Debut Album Due This Summer"
44. "Official Winners: 2009 Teen Choice Awards" (pdf). Retrieved August 16, 2009.
45. "Young Hollywood Awards - Winners - 2009". Retrieved August 16, 2009.
46. Billboard.com (2009-05-27). "Idols inundate Hot 100, but Glee gloats with top debut". Retrieved 2009-05-27.
47. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=379&cfgn=Singles&cfn=The+Billboard+Hot+100&ci=3108817&cdi=10213340&cid=06%2F06%2F2009
48. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=793&cfgn=Singles&cfn=Canadian+Hot+100&ci=3108800&cdi=10212643&cid=06%2F06%2F2009
49. http://www.rianz.org.nz/rianz/chart.asp
50. http://www.hollywoodlife.com/Article.aspx?articlepath=RSS\Features\20090605\Young-Hollywood-Awards-Full-List-of-Winners.xml&cat=features&subcat=&pageid=1

External links

• Official Website
• Adam Lambert at MySpace
• Adam Lambert at Twitter
• Adam Lambert at American Idol
• Wicked Good: Adam Lambert's American Idol Journey at Broadway.com
• MC alumnus Adam Lambert competes on American Idol; makes top 8 at MCSUN.org
• The Ten Commandments: The Musical, pictures and description of the show from Lanightlife.com

Template:Persondata

• Actors from California
• American Idol participants
• American Jews
• American male singers
• American musical theatre actors
• American rock singers
• American stage actors
• LGBT actors
• Gay musicians
• Jewish actors
• Jewish American musicians
• LGBT Jews
• LGBT musicians from the United States
• People from Los Angeles, California
• People from Indianapolis, Indiana
• Musicians from California
• RCA Records artists
• 1982 births
• Living people