Adam LambertAdam Lambert’s first album to be released through his own label, ADAM (all caps justified), oozes with agency and ownership. From delicate and heartfelt (see: Am I OK, a soaring piano ballad and ADAM’s centrepiece) to bold and peacocking, Lambert can do it all.
At the top of Eat U Alive, Lambert announces, “I'm in your bloodstream/ Motherfucker, you're mine.” From its acoustic skeleton, this record’s edgy lead single explodes – throbbing and polychromatic – come the chorus.
We find Lambert at his home in New York, where he recently relocated after two decades based in LA. “I came out here to do a Broadway show,” he explains. “So I was here, and it just felt like the time to give it a go… I kind of always wanted to live here – since I was a teenager – and it just never sorta happened.”
Lambert is immaculately presented and showroom-ready. Sporting a black T-shirt, Lambert’s hair is short and jet-black at present, which complements his straight-across mo’ and jaw-defining beard. He’s enabled Zoom’s blurred background option.
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After a decade on the road fronting Queen, Lambert made his critically acclaimed Broadway debut in 2024, starring as Emcee in the Tony Award-winning revival of Cabaret (which ran for a year and a half). In 2025, Lambert starred as Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Hollywood Bowl.
In order to audition for Season 8 of American Idol (2009) – presciently singing Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody – Lambert had to resign from his role in Wicked the musical. Since he kicked off his career treading the boards, Lambert says his recent return to musical theatre “was a full circle kinda thing”.
Returning to musical theatre: “I think my spirit needed it”
“It was something that I hadn't done since doing that TV show [American Idol], so I think my spirit needed it a little bit. I needed a reminder of where I was before, you know? And it kind of made me feel younger, in a way; it brought me to a younger chapter. And also with theatre, whether it's drama or comedy, there's a sense of the imagination and make-believe involved in it, which is really great.”
Musicals certainly require a suspension of disbelief. “Exactly, that's a good way to put it. It's good for your soul, you know? And I think with Cabaret, I kinda got the best of both worlds, because the first act of that show is really playful – and I was able to improv a lot and do a lot of fun stuff – and then the second act hits, and it's very dark and very heavy. So it was like I got both experiences outta that one, you know?”
Auditioning for Idol: “It was such a big fantasy, and I went for it”
“I feel like at that point, if I hadn't auditioned for Idol, I think that was when I would’ve moved to New York – that was probably gonna be that moment. And I was at the very last year of the age cut-off for Idol [Lambert was 26], and just sort of on a whim – I had started fantasising about making recorded music, but at the time, it felt like a pipe dream.
“It felt very far-fetched, and I was like, ‘I don't even know where to begin,’ like, ‘I dunno who to talk to, ‘cause if I could just work with a great producer, maybe I could make something great.’ And I thought, ‘Well, if I end up on TV, I can get a record deal.’
“It was such a big fantasy, and I went for it. Every step that I stayed in, I was kind of surprised. I didn't expect it to work out as it did.”
Exploring ADAM’s “post-apocalyptic, futuristic, dystopian, strange kind of science fiction world”
After pressing play on ADAM, we immediately found ourselves pulling a stank face and nodding along to the industrial, New York-referencing opener, Rat City (feat. Isaac Dunbar). Lambert seems tickled by this reaction. “Oh, perfect! I love a stank face. That's what we're going for. I love that,” he enthuses, laughing.
Is that song’s hook synth bass? “Yeah, I mean, a lot of the DNA of the songs is sorta classic, like there's shades of Prince or George Michael or Queen or, you know, classic pop-rock stuff. But I wanted to make sure that the sound of the tracks felt a little different, felt a little more future-minded, felt a little dirtier, grimier. So, yeah! Instead of having a regular bass, or a regular guitar, we were like, ‘Okay, let's come up with a really weird synth sound, just to make it sound a bit different.’
“In my mind, as we were finishing the first round of demos, I kinda thought, ‘What's this world? Where do these songs live?’ Yes, these [songs] are about personal experiences of mine, but what backdrop is there? Where are we? I fantasised about this post-apocalyptic, futuristic, dystopian, strange kind of science-fiction world, and I wanted all the songs to sound like they existed in that world.
“Once I had dug in with that as the environment for everything, when we came to do the photo shoot, we knew what we wanted to create.”
ADAM’s cover image – captured by legendary fashion photographer Nick Knight – features Lambert in chiselled, armoured superhero mode, which we suggest would be a perfect commemorative statue. “It's a good one,” Lambert concurs. “It could make a great tombstone. You're right. It really could.”
“Making something out of nothing that will affect people”
Lambert describes the experience of working with all of ADAM’s producers – including Pete Nappi, David Pramik and Matias Mora – as “so organic”. “It was very much like we would just try things on the fly. And that's the thing I love about making music: between the songwriters and the producers, it's like you're making magic. You're making something out of nothing that will affect people, you know? That will become a thing. There's no feeling like it. It's pretty amazing.”
The NIN-inspired Porcelain (feat. Chinese star Lexie Liu) features a crystal-clear shattering sound. When told we were trying to imagine how a Foley artist would recreate such a sound, with an unexpected everyday object, Lambert plays along – “Oh yeah, yeah, like they use broccoli or something?” – before laughing hysterically.
“The shattering sound – I don't remember how we did it,” he admits. “I think we found a recording of something shattering and we just threw it in there. There's a program called Splice that a lot of the producers are using for little bitty sample sounds that are free. It's a really cool new platform that has libraries of weird little sound effects and things. And then a great producer will take it and sort of manipulate it.”
NINfluences
When asked whether he recalls the first time he ever heard Closer by NIN, Lambert says, “Yep, I do. Did it come out in ‘94?” Affirmative. “Yeah, I think I remember seeing the video and just being like, ‘Whaaaaat is this?’ That video was incredible. It was such a good video. But, of course, they censored the lyrics. So I think I was older when I actually heard the song properly. I was in high school. I probably would’ve been in Ninth Grade or something.”
Tapping into the ‘90s
Throughout ADAM, Lambert taps into ‘90s sounds, melding live instrumentation with distorted electronics.
“I was born in ‘82. So I remember most of the ‘90s, more or less,” he recalls. “I think the beginning of the ‘90s is when I first discovered pop music. I mean, I remember listening to Michael Jackson and Madonna and Paula Abdul and Janet Jackson and George Michael.”
“Like any good gay guy – we love an empowered female”
“I loved Madonna's take on sexuality, ‘cause she was so bold… I thought she was cool. And Janet – I just loved how our female popstars could be really sexual. And like any good gay guy – we love an empowered female.
“I also remember, in the ‘90s, hearing about what happened with George Michael [being publicly outed in 1998] and sort of being like, ‘Oh, okay’. And it was sad, because that kind of killed his career in the States, but it was still something that was working in the UK. I mean, he had that Outside record – that was huge, you know? So the UK still let him kinda do his thing, which was great.”
“My mom had such a crush on Michael Hutchence”
When told he’s undeniably gorgeous, Lambert sounds genuinely touched: “Aaw.” We discuss how irrespective of what the majority of the global population thinks, it’s still possible to feel uncomfortable in your own skin.
For example, the late heartthrob Michael Hutchence was insecure about his acne scars even though he was super-hot. “SO hot,” Lambert concurs. “I remember driving in the car, and we would listen to Need You Tonight, which I loved – that's a great song. And my mom, every time it’d come on the radio, she'd be like, ‘He's so handsome,’ haHA! My mom had such a crush on Michael Hutchence.
“But I identify with that. My skin has always been one of my things that I'm the most insecure about. I had really bad acne as a teenager, and this is before we really knew much about skincare. Oh man, the ‘90s – it was [skincare brands] Noxzema and Sea Breeze,” he trails off laughing, before adding, “It's so different now, everyone has so much science and knowledge.”
“I was in the closet while I was in high school”
So did Lambert have an angsty teen phase? “I think everyone kinda does,” he posits. “I mean, my teenage years – it wasn't like my angst didn't exist. It didn't manifest as rebellion; I was actually a pretty well-behaved kid. But I think, internally, I had plenty of turmoil going on, you know? Mainly [to do with] my sexuality.
“I was in the closet while I was in high school, so there was that. And I am so happy for young people today, because it is such a different experience. There's so much out there for them to look to for identity and examples.
“In the late ‘90s, there was very little. So it was like a secret, you know? And sorta keeping it to myself. And I don't think I was necessarily the closeted kid that was, like, ‘faking it’ – I didn't have a fake girlfriend, you know what I mean?
“I wasn't working overtime to convince people that I wasn't gay, but I definitely wasn't talking about it. So, yeah! I mean, that comes with its own set of angst. And also I think yearning and longing, because when you're a teenager this is the first time you're, like, a sexual adult, you know? I was yearning for connection and, ‘What does that feel like? I wanna touch somebody. I want someone to want me’ – like, I didn't get any of that until much later.”
Giving himself permission to enjoy performing: “I'm a lot less hard on myself”
As a performer, how does Lambert feel – confidence-wise – these days? “It's really interesting,” he ponders. “The one thing I've noticed is that I used to be really hard on myself, like, brutal. And it made me sort of high-strung when I performed. So performing was usually this intense adrenaline mixed with anticipation mixed with judgment; it was really intense being on stage.
“And there were a lotta times where if I could harness that energy, it really added to the performance. But it could also very easily ruin my experience. And I’d figured out, over the years, how to not let it show. And sometimes it would even make me angry, which I guess became a kind of fuel as well.
“But I think one of the things that I've noticed over the past five or six years or so is that – for whatever reason – I'm a lot less hard on myself. And I don't know how it kinda happened, but just over time I went, ‘This is not sustainable. You're making yourself crazy, and you're making yourself miserable,’ you know?
“I think some of it came from realising, ‘This needs to be enjoyable, or else something's wrong.’ So I think I just let myself off the hook a little bit. And now it's funny, because sometimes when I perform – you know, still being somewhat hard on myself – the thing that I realise is, I'll look back on a performance, and I'll be like, ‘Well, it was a little sloppy. It wasn't as accurate and perfect as maybe I used to always strive for. But, man, I had a lotta fun!’ [laughs].
“I was enjoying it more. I was in the flow. So, yeah! I think it's kind of a give and take. I think – technically, maybe – I was a little bit more of a thoroughbred at one point and maybe I'm slightly less of one now, but enjoying it more. I dunno. It's interesting.”
“I'm still up there singin’ my face off”
Given that he’s got such a stratospheric range, we’re wondering which ADAM track Lambert finds the hardest to sing. “I don't fully know, because I haven't sung many of them live yet – that's changing very soon,” he points out. “Cloud 9 has some big soaring moments in it. Eat U Alive digs in a bit.
“I mean, there's the vocals that are really big and sort of like wailing – you know, belting stuff. But then there's – I mean the verses of Under The Rhythm are very tricky, ‘cause there's so many notes and it's going in and out of my falsetto. So they all have their own little challenges, you know? And I think Do Ya See Me Now is kinda big. That's a big chorus. That'll be fun to sing.”
When told this scribe’s favourite line from the entire album is in this track, Lambert guesses correctly: “Is it cold there in my shadow, babe?”
Although this line could be read as snarky, it also got us thinking about the contrasting dynamics of celebrity relationships. “Yeah, it could apply to a romantic partner,” Lambert allows. “The whole idea of that song, too, is sort of like – I definitely felt like, ‘You know what? I'm still here. I'm still doing this. It's been 17 years. I'm still putting out good music. I'm still up there singin’ my face off.’
“Not for the first time, but more than ever, I feel like I have the right to demand a certain amount of respect. And I don't know if I've felt that way before. I think most people would say that I'm a pretty humble person, more or less. But I think there's a point where there's this beautiful balance of being humble, but also having real confidence that's not based in arrogance, but it's based in fact. I feel like I'm there now and that feels good.
“So that's what that song [Do Ya See Me Now] is kind of saying. It's like, ‘You know what? If you don't get it, F off!’ Do ya know what I mean? [laughs]. It’s like, ‘Take it or leave it. I know what I'm about’.”
Do Ya See Me Now is one helluva closing statement for ADAM, which spotlights Lambert as an exceptional artist in his own right.
ADAM is out now via Adam Lambert’s own label and distributed via The Orchard.
