Adam Lambert

Not to be confused with Adam Lamberg.

Adam Lambert
Adam Lambert at the 21st GLAAD Media Awards (2010)
Background information
Birth name	Adam Mitchel Lambert
Born	(1982-01-29) January 29, 1982 Indianapolis, Indiana
Origin	Rancho Peñasquitos, San Diego
Genres	Pop, pop rock
Occupation(s)	Musician, singer-songwriter, actor
Instrument(s)	Vocals
Years active	2009–present
Labels	19, RCA
Website	adamofficial.com

Adam Mitchel Lambert (born January 29, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter and stage actor. Born in Indianapolis but raised in San Diego, Lambert had dreamed of becoming a performer after appearing in numerous amateur productions in his childhood and adolescence. His passion overtook him when deciding to drop out of college, pursue his career, and perform in various professional theatrical productions across the world.

Lambert came to prominence following his appearance on the eighth season of American Idol. Although he was runner-up, Lambert launched a music career after signing with 19 Recordings in a joint venture with RCA Records. The release of his debut studio album For Your Entertainment (2009) proved notable after debuting at number three on the Billboard 200, selling 198,000 copies in the United States in its first week, and reaching the top ten in several countries worldwide. His achievement on the album led to international success for its singles "For Your Entertainment", "Whataya Want from Me" and "If I Had You"; the release of an extended play Acoustic Live! (2010) and a live album Glam Nation Live (2011); and allowed him to embark on his first headlining worldwide concert tour, Glam Nation, making him the only American Idol contestant to do so in the year following his Idol season. He is currently working on his second studio album Trespassing (March, 2012), which was preceded by lead single "Better Than I Know Myself" (December, 2011).

Influenced by a number of artists before him, Lambert has become recognized for his flamboyant, theatrical and androgynous performance style. He has accrued numerous awards, received a 2011 Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and had sold (as of January, 2011) 1.2 million albums and 4.2 million singles worldwide. The Times identified Lambert as the first openly gay mainstream pop artist to launch a career on a major label in the United States, while The LA Times ranked him 5th in their list of the top 120 American Idol contestants.

Biography

Early life (1982–2000)

Adam Lambert was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on January 29, 1982 to mother Leila Mitchel, an interior designer, and father Eber Lambert, a program manager for Novatel Wireless. He has a younger brother, Neil. While the surname Lambert is German, his father is of mostly Norwegian descent and his mother is Jewish. Lambert was raised in his mother's religion and has since performed in Hebrew at Jewish events, singing songs such as "Shir LaShalom" at a 2005 tribute concert to assassinated Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and performing at the San Diego Temple of the Arts multiple times, including at the Kol Nidre service on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.

Shortly after his birth, Lambert's family moved to California when a job opportunity opened for his father in San Diego. At first, they lived in Rancho Bernardo but settled in Rancho Peñasquitos after his brother was born. Attending Deer Canyon Elementary School, Lambert began performing with Metropolitan Educational Theatre network from the age of nine and appeared local productions of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown and Fiddler on the Roof with the company. Around this age, he also received voice coaching and continued his passion for performing while he attended Mesa Verde Middle School.

When he studied at Mount Carmel High School (MCHS), he became heavily involved with theater and choir, frequently performed vocals with the school's jazz band, MC Jazz, and loyally competed in the local Air Bands competitions. Some of his memorable MCHS performances included Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance and "It's Only a Paper Moon" with MC Jazz. Still thrilled by the stage, Lambert auditioned for Starlight Theatre, a professional outdoor theater company in Balboa Park, where he performed in the ensemble for Hello, Dolly!, Camelot, The Music Man, Grease and as Captain Hook in Peter Pan. After graduating in 2000, he moved to Orange County to attend college. Shortly after enrollment Lambert had a change of heart, pushed by his intense desire to perform. He left school after only five weeks and moved to Los Angeles. "I just decided that what I really wanted to do was try to work in the real entertainment world," he said. "Life is all about taking risks to get what you want."

Career beginnings (2001–2008)

At 19, Lambert landed his first job, touring on a cruise ship with Anita Mann Productions for ten months. Afterwards, he began auditioning again and performed in light opera in Orange County, California.

Now signed with a manager, Lambert was cast in a European tour of Hair for six months, at age 21. "That was a huge turning point for me personally, because I finally got comfortable in my own skin. I was discovering a lot about myself. Sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, a lot of it." He dyed his hair black, and while in Germany, reportedly started smoking cannabis and tried ecstasy. In 2004, he appeared in the Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS) production of Brigadoon and a Pasadena Playhouse production of 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 few actors in the play that garnered a positive review. After coming to the attention of the casting director for the musical Wicked, he was hired as the understudy for the role of Fiyero in addition to being an ensemble member in the first national touring production of the musical from 2005, and the Los Angeles production from 2007. He finished performances with the musical in 2008. Beginning in 2004, he regularly performed at the Upright Cabaret and the Zodiac Show, which was co-created by Carmit Bachar of the Pussycat Dolls.

During this same period, Lambert briefly moonlighted as the front man for underground rock band The Citizen Vein with Steve Sidelnyk, Tommy Victor and Monte Pittman. He remembers, "We did three gigs and that was it and we recorded a couple things, like rough recordings, and I don't know, it didn't quite click." He also worked as a demo singer and a session musician; a compilation of his 2005 recordings were later released on the album Take One (2009) by Hi Fi Recordings and Wilshire Records. Upon their release, Lambert issued a statement: "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."

American Idol, For Your Entertainment and touring (2009–2011)

Main articles: American Idol (season 8) and For Your Entertainment (album)

Lambert singing the national anthem during his visit to MCAS Miramar (2009)

Lambert auditioned for the eighth season of American Idol in San Francisco, California. He recalls 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." During his initial audition, Lambert sang the songs "Crazy" ,"Rock With You" and "Bohemian Rhapsody". Although advancing to Hollywood week and performing "What's Up" and "Believe" as solos and "Some Kind of Wonderful" in the group performance, judges Simon Cowell and Kara DioGuardi feared he was too theatrical. Nonetheless, he advanced to the top 36 where contestants were split into three groups of 12. Lambert was in group 2 and performed "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", after which, he 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.

The first week of live shows, Lambert sang Michael Jackson's "Black or White" leading to praiseful support from all four judges. The following week, Lambert sang a version of "Ring of Fire". While Randy Jackson, DioGuardi, and Paula Abdul all liked his performance, 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. When he performed "Play That Funky Music", DioGuardi capped the judge's across-the-board positive reaction with: "Every week I cannot wait to get to the show and see what you’re going to do next." Advancing to the top 8, he sang the 2001 Michael Andrews and 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. The next week he performed "Born to Be Wild" to which, Abdul responded, "You're one of the bravest contestants I've ever witnessed" but Cowell questioned the performance's overall likability factor in the general public.

Photos of Lambert romantically kissing another 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". He confirmed that he was gay in a Rolling Stone cover story interview shortly after he was named the American Idol runner-up.

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" and Abdul was reduced to tears. A week later, he returned with "Feeling Good" which received mixed reception from the judges who felt his edgy and dramatic theatrical performance was "a little too Broadway." For the first and only time, he ended up in the bottom two after the public vote, but was saved by the judges. Down to the top 4, Lambert was the first to perform and sang "Whole Lotta Love". Cowell commented, "that was one of my favorite performances" admitting that "nobody can top that now", while Abdul described Lambert's performance as "a whole lotta perfect." He followed it by "nailing" his duet of "Slow Ride" with fellow competitor Allison Iraheta later in the night. For the top 3 show, he performed "One" before Cowell declared, "If you are not in the final next week, it will be one of the biggest upsets", and followed it with "Cryin' before Abdul affirmed, "we'll be seeing you next week and many years after that." He also visited his hometown and reprised his earlier successes of "Black or White" and "Mad World" at his alma mater Mount Carmel High School. Afterwards, San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders declared May 8, 2009 "Adam Lambert Day."

Friends from the start, Lambert and Kris Allen were safe, and into the final. Lambert performed three solo songs in the final, reprising "Mad World" as his choice. He followed this by the 1960s civil rights anthem "A Change Is Gonna Come", picked by producer Simon Fuller, to a tremendously positive judge reaction. "That was the best I've EVER heard you sing, EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER!" cooed Abdul. "Whatever happens with this Idol journey, I know you're going to be iconic." The mandatory winner's single, "No Boundaries", was then performed by both Lambert and Allen. After the performance, Cowell summed up Lambert's journey, "Over the entire season, you've been one of the best, most original contestants we've ever had on the show. The hope and whole idea of a show like this is to find a worldwide star, and I truly believe we've found that in you." Alongside the usual solo performances, Lambert also performed a medley of "Beth", "Detroit Rock City", and "Rock and Roll All Nite" with rock band Kiss and joined with Kris Allen, Brian May and Roger Taylor (of Queen) to perform the anthem "We Are the Champions" during the final episode before the results were announced. Lambert was announced as the runner-up for the eighth season of American Idol but, upon winning, Kris Allen stated, "Adam deserved this." Explaining this remark later, 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's version of the winner's single was released on iTunes alongside Allen's version. The LA Times later ranked Lambert 5th in their list of the top 120 American Idol contestants, selected from seasons 1 to 9 of the show, above Allen.

American Idol season 8 performances and results

Performances:

Week #	Theme	Song choice	Original artist	Order #	Result
Audition	Auditioner's Choice	"Rock with You" "Bohemian Rhapsody"	Michael Jackson Queen	N/A	Advanced
Hollywood	First Solo	"What's Up"	4 Non Blondes	N/A	Advanced
Hollywood	Group Performance	"Some Kind of Wonderful"	Soul Brothers Six	N/A	Advanced
Hollywood	Second Solo	"Believe"	Cher	N/A	Advanced
Top 36/Semi-Final 2	Billboard Hot 100 Hits to Date	"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"	The Rolling Stones	12	Advanced
Top 13	Michael Jackson	"Black or White"	Michael Jackson	11	Safe
Top 11	Grand Ole Opry	"Ring of Fire"	Anita Carter	5	Safe
Top 10	Motown	"The Tracks of My Tears"	The Miracles	8	Safe
Top 9	Top Downloads	"Play That Funky Music"	Wild Cherry	8	Safe
Top 8	Year They Were Born (1982)	"Mad World"	Tears for Fears	8	Safe
Top 7	Songs from the Cinema	"Born to Be Wild" – Easy Rider	Steppenwolf	3	Safe
Top 7A	Disco	"If I Can't Have You"	Yvonne Elliman	5	Safe
Top 5	Rat Pack Standards	"Feeling Good"	Cy Grant	5	Bottom 2
Top 4	Rock and Roll Solo Duet	"Whole Lotta Love" "Slow Ride" with Allison Iraheta	Led Zeppelin Foghat	1 6	SafeB
Top 3	Judge's Choice (Simon Cowell) Contestant's Choice	"One" "Cryin'"	U2 Aerosmith	3 6	Safe
Top 2	Contestant's Choice Simon Fuller's Choice Coronation Song	"Mad World" "A Change Is Gonna Come" "No Boundaries"	Tears for Fears Sam Cooke Kris Allen/Adam Lambert	1 3 5	Runner-up

• ^ Note A: Due to the judges using their one save to save Matt Giraud, the Top 7 remained intact for an additional week.
• ^ Note B: 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.

Fresh from the competition, Lambert participated in the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2009 with his fellow top 10 contestants which visited 50 cities in the United States and Canada from July 5 to September 15, 2009 and was the recipient of two 2009 awards: the Young Hollywood Award for Artist of the Year and the Teen Choice Award for Male Reality/Variety Star. He reteamed with fellow American Idol contestants Kris Allen and Allison Iraheta for a special Idols Rock My Town concert in February which was held at the Highline Ballroom in New York City. When Lambert appeared 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 stated that he planned to create a pop rock, multi-genre album fused with electronic production. Lambert stuck to those intentions; the album he subsequently released conformed highly to his description of the album he planned to make.

Lambert at the 16th Screen Actors Guild Awards (2010)

For Your Entertainment, Lambert's debut studio album, was released in 2009. Number three on the Billboard 200 and selling 198,000 copies in the United States in its first week, the album sees Lambert in collaboration with a number of producers, majorly Rob Cavallo, and a string of writers that includes Matthew Bellamy, Ryan Tedder, Rivers Cuomo, Justin Hawkins, P!nk, Linda Perry and Lady Gaga. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 71, which indicates "generally favorable reviews" with Entertainment Weekly writing, "he's still the belle of what turns out to be one heck of a glitter-pop ball," and All Music Guide stating, "there's a lot of pure pop pleasure here, more than any immediate post-Idol album has ever delivered." But Rolling Stone gave it a more mixed review: "The songs sound great but feel strangely stuffy--[it] seems like a disc that was overthought." Its Claude Kelly and Dr. Luke-produced lead single "For Your Entertainment" preceded the album's release but was not as successful as its second single "Whataya Want from Me" which impacted on charts worldwide, became his highest-peaking single (at number 10) on the Billboard Hot 100, and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 53rd awards ceremony. Another notable single included on the album was "Time for Miracles", which was originally only intended as the ending theme for the disaster movie 2012; Queen guitarist Brian May lauded the "truly sensational" song, admitting that he was "completely blown away" upon hearing the track. Since its release, For Your Entertainment has sold 1.2 million copies worldwide and was certified gold in the US.

In the months surrounding his album release, Lambert appeared on the cover of a number of high profile magazines including Entertainment Weekly in May 2009, Rolling Stone in June 2009 and Details in November 2009. In his Details shoot he was photographed with a nude woman, sparking controversy. His Rolling Stone cover story became the magazine's best selling issue of the year. He appeared on the cover of Out magazine in their "Out 100" issue (11/09), again sparking controversy when Out's publisher issued him an open letter questioning the "gayness" of his image. The Canadian website and magazine Rockstar Weekly published an Adam Lambert fan magazine in February 2010 featuring fun and inspirational stories from Lambert fans around the world. The issue sold-out quickly in its limited first run and was re-issued in October 2010 with extra pages. In April it was revealed that Lambert had been chosen one of People Magazine's Most Beautiful People 2010. He appeared on the cover of Japan's May 2010 issue of Rolling Stone magazine, after his single "For Your Entertainment" reached its fifth consecutive number one spot on their radio airplay charts. In November 2011, Lambert appeared on the cover of The Advocate, which included an in-depth interview about his upcoming album and other topics. The issue immediately became a sought after item, since the magazine is available by subscription only.

In support of the album, Lambert performed at various events since its release, both in the US and internationally. These included radio-sponsored events, live concerts, and televised events. In December 2009, he hosted and performed at a number of radio-sponsored Jingle Balls, in New York, Miami, and Tampa, Florida. And, to ring in the New Year, he headlined the Gridlock New Year's Eve 2010 festival at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, CA. The event, hosted by Pamela Anderson, benefited the American Red Cross. In February 2010, AOL Music unleashed a special, intimate, five-song mini-concert on AOL Sessions where Lambert performed "Whataya Want from Me", the Lady Gaga-written "Fever", "Strut", "If I Had You" and "Soaked". The same month, he performed another intimate acoustic concert for IHeartRadio where he stopped the performance of "Whataya Want from Me" to ask an audience member to stop talking on her cell phone. Later that month, Lambert performed his first official solo concert, held at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California where played to a sold-out audience of 3,500 fans, some of whom came from as far as Thailand and Australia to attend the concert. On March 31, 2010, Lambert performed  a set in Berns, Stockholm, Sweden. In April 2010, he performed two concerts in British Columbia, Canada; the first on April 8 in Coquitlam, BC, and another concert at the River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond B.C. the following night. A year later in May 2011, Lambert performed at the Maxidrom Festival in Moscow, Russia to an estimated crowd of 50,000 people while July saw him at the Ste Agathe en Feux Festival in Quebec, Canada.

At the start of June 2010, Lambert embarked on his debut headlining concert tour Glam Nation, playing throughout the United States with Allison Iraheta and Orianthi before performing throughout Europe and Asia. His concert in Malaysia on October 10, 2010 went ahead as planned, despite protests from an Islamist political party. Lambert performed a total of 113 shows; nearly all of them sold out. The concert performed at Indianapolis was filmed for Lambert's first video release Glam Nation Live, a package included a 13-track CD with a DVD which featured the concert and behind-the-scenes footage. The concert, which MTV called "out of this world", and his subsequent video release, were well-received, with Entertainment Weekly saying that it "sizzles" with the energy that Lambert's vocals bring in a live concert setting. Glam Nation Live debuted at number 1 on the SoundScan Music Video chart and landed in the number 12 spot on Billboard's 2011 year end chart for music video sales. This followed the release of his first extended play (EP), titled Acoustic Live!, which included acoustic versions of his songs recorded live in various countries. The EP garnered excellent reviews and was called "electrifying" by the New York Daily News.

On November 6, 2011, Lambert joined the legendary band Queen as lead singer for a special performance at the MTV Europe Music Awards held in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where the band was honored with the Global Icon Award. In a "spectacular" performance that closed the show, Lambert and Queen presented a medley of the classic hits “The Show Must Go On”, "We Will Rock You", and "We Are the Champions". On December 9, Roger Taylor was quoted as saying they are in talks with Lambert about fronting some more live shows for Queen, calling the artist "a really great performer with an astonishing voice."

Trespassing (2012–present)

After changing management from 19 Entertainment to Direct Management Group in August 2011, Lambert's second studio album Trespassing will be released on March 20, 2012. Anticipation for its release has been building and is considerable. The title track was co-written with Grammy Award winning Pharrell Williams, while the album's lead single, "Better Than I Know Myself", a collaboration with Dr. Luke and Claude Kelly, was released on December 20, 2011 to all digital retailers. His debut live performance of the single on January 17, 2012 on the The Tonight Show with Jay Leno received overwhelmingly positive reviews, focusing on Lambert's soaring and impeccable vocals on this melodically challenging song, as well as his more stripped down and sophisticated look. It's reprise on the The Ellen DeGeneres Show two days later, brought equally glowing reviews as well as an interview. The commanding album cover art by Lambert's friend and Art Director/Photographer for Trespassing, Lee Cherry, was revealed on January 24. The image is a dramatic departure from Lambert's depiction on the 2009 cover of For Your Entertainment, signaling a new era in his career.

Television (2009-2011)

Lambert has made numerous television appearances since leaving the American Idol stage.

In May 2009, he performed outdoors at the Fifth Avenue studios of CBS' The Early Show with his rendition of “Mad World.” The following morning, he was interviewed on Live with Regis and Kelly, and again performed “Mad World.”

He was interviewed for a segment of the ABC News magazine show 20/20 in June 2009, which was promoted as the first televised discussion by Lambert of his sexuality. The interview reviewed much of his musical career, leading into the up-coming 2009 Idol Tour.

In August 2009, he appeared with fellow Idols David Cook and Kris Allen on the Good Morning America televised concert series held in Central Park, New York City. He sang a nearly acoustic version of Muse’s “Starlight,” which had become part of his set list for the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2009, then running concurrently.

On November 25, 2009, Lambert performed his single "Whataya Want from Me" on The Late Show with David Letterman. Earlier that day, he had debuted the song live on The Early Show, where he also sang "Music Again" from the newly released For Your Entertainment album. The appearances provided a segue from his controversial American Music Awards performance, that had occurred only days earlier.

Lambert began December 2009 with an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The interview segment covered his AMA performance as well as the newly released For Your Entertainment. Lambert later performed his new single "Whataya Want from Me", which he reprised in an acoustic version on Ellen’s February 10, 2011 show, soon after being nominated for a Grammy Award for his vocal performance of the song. In May 2010, he returned to perform a new single, "If I Had You".

Lambert was chosen for Barbara Walters' 10 Most Fascinating People of 2009, and appeared on the December 10 show to be interviewed by Walters. That same morning, he appeared on The View, another interview format which also included a performance of "Whataya Want from Me". Both the Barbara Walters special and The View are ABC shows: the same network which had reacted by banning Lambert after receiving complaints following his November American Music Awards appearance. As a result, the performance on The View was pre-recorded.

Lambert appeared on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien on December 14, 2009 and performed his single. He provided another live performance two days later on the season finale of So You Think You Can Dance. Appearing with other superstar artists, Lambert's "Whataya Want from Me" stole the show, according to an MTV review. Earlier that day, he appeared on Chelsea Lately, with host Chelsea Handler.

Lambert appeared for the first time on The Jay Leno Show on December 21, 2009, giving a lengthy interview and performing "Whataya Want from Me". He was invited back in March 2010 to close the second episode of The Tonight Show featuring Jay Leno, with a performance of the song "Sleepwalker" from his debut album. Lambert performed his newly released single "If I Had You" on Leno's May 21, 2010 show.

Lambert began 2010 with a January interview and performance of "If I Had You" on The Oprah Winfrey Show. A few days prior, he was interviewed for the Fuse TV "On the Record" segment. In February, he could be seen as Grammy correspondent on the Red Carpet for Entertainment Tonight. In March, as part of his swing through Australia to promote his album, he performed on "So You Think You Can Dance", as well as the popular morning show "Sunrise". Lambert also did a series of television appearances in Japan, as part of his Asian and European promotional tour.

In the same month, Lambert was selected to inaugurate the newly resurrected award winning VH1 Unplugged concert series, for which he interviewed as well as performed stripped down versions of five songs from For Your Entertainment. March 2010 also saw him as a featured artist on the ABC News Nightline "Playlist" segment, in which he discussed his musical influences and favorite tracks.

In April 2010, Lambert returned to American Idol as the first former contestant to mentor during an Elvis Presley themed week, followed by a performance of "Whataya Want from Me". His contributions drew praise, including from then Idol musical director Rickey Minor. In May, continuing his swing though Europe, he gave a guest interview for Finland X Factor 's the "Chaos Tube," also performing "Whataya Want from Me" on the show.

Lambert appeared on Canada's MuchMusic Video Awards on June 20, 2010, picking up the UR Fav International Video award for "Whataya Want from Me" which he also performed.On November 11, 2010 he was the subject of his own E! True Hollywood Story, which included in-depth interviews with family members, friends, music journalists and others.In December, Lambert was the subject of another in-depth interview for CNN Talk Asia, which he recorded while on the international leg of his tour.

Lambert walked the 2011 Grammy Awards red carpet on February 13, 2011 in honor of his nomination in the Best Male Pop Vocal category for "Whataya Want from Me". He was also one of five participants in the Grammy Social Media Rock Stars Summit, which kicked off a three day online Grammy event preceding the show. Other participants included senior executives from Facebook, Pandora and Foursquare, and Grammy award winner Chamillionaire. The summit focused on issues relevant to music and its interface with social and new media platforms.

In the February 19, 2011 episode of MTV’s “10 0n Top”, Lambert was interviewed during a limo ride to the Grammy Award event, where he discussed his nomination, fashion and favorites for the evening. The show focusses on the ten “most texted and talked about young celebs at the moment.”

Lambert returned to the American Idol stage for the March 10, 2011 results show, singing an acoustic version of his song "Aftermath", accompanied only by guitar. The track appears in its original form on his debut album For Your Entertainment. After the performance, a dance remix version was made available for purchase, with proceeds benefitting The Trevor Project.

Lambert was profiled in an episode of VH1's celebrated Behind the Music series, which premiered on August 7, 2011. The hour-long documentary featured never-before-seen home video, as well as interviews with friends, family, and music industry experts. Lambert revealed details about a broad range of topics, including early struggles with his sexuality, his experience in the theater, the circumstances that led to his American Idol audition, and the events surrounding the release of his debut album For Your Entertainment.

MTV's "Talk@Playground" presented Lambert with an opportunity to fuse two of his passions, fashion and music. In a piece that aired internationally in September 2011, Lambert was paired with friend and founder of Skingraft Designs, Jonny Cota, to discuss their growth as artists as well as what inspires them creatively. Lambert had worn Skingraft designs on American Idol and his Glam Nation Tour.

On September 22, 2011, Lambert again put his flair for fashion and music to work as guest judge on Project Runway. Contestants were charged with designing attire for the Rolling Stone cover shoot of emerging rock band The Sheepdogs. Lambert offered constructive critique that was well received by both contestants and judges.

Lambert donned his mentor cap on November 13, 2011 when he appeared as a "Major" in an episode of The Hub TV Network's Majors & Minors. As they rehearsed and performed his platinum hit "Whataya Want from Me", the young singing contestants were provided with expertise focused on the importance of stage presence and emotional engagement with the audience.

On November 20, 2011, after a two year absence, Lambert returned to the American Music Awards, introducing a performance by the group OneRepublic. Rejecting claims that the singer was banned from the show in 2009, Executive Producer Larry Klein said that he's anticipating future Lambert performances: “Adam Lambert is a friend of ours, he's talented and I like everything about him."

Lambert made his third fashion-related television appearance of Fall, 2011 when he appeared on the Sundance Channel program All on the Line with Joe Zee on December 9. Fast becoming a fashion icon himself, Lambert was chosen as the subject around which the show's young designers created a suitably modern look, which was then critiqued by Lambert and the hosts.

Philanthropy

Since his appearance on American Idol, Lambert has supported various charity organizations and raises money by receiving donations from fans. As of October 2011, these donations reached $1,000,000. In January 2009, Lambert asked fans to donate in his name to DonorsChoose.org, an online education charity that allows the public to directly donate to school projects instead of giving him gifts for his 28th birthday. 2,435 fans showed their support, donating $322,700, which provided resources and supplies to nearly 332,527 students. In June 2010, Lambert again teamed up with charity and asked fans to join his Glam A Classroom campaign to support music and arts programs in high-need public schools. By the end of the campaign, 3,020 fans had donated $208,590, reaching 284,672 students, and bringing total contributions for DonorsChoose to $531,290. In October 2010, Lambert collaborated a second Signature Collection design with The Pennyroyal Studio, the Infinity pendant, which raised an additional $43,092 for the DonorsChoose charity. The pendant design was retired in October 2010.

Lambert has also contributed to the MusiCares charity when he and The Pennyroyal Studio collaborated the design of an Eye of Horus pendant. The sale of this Eye of Horus pendant raised $32,000 in 7 days. The pendant design was retired in August 2009. In January 2011, he started a campaign to raise $29,000 for charity: water to commemorate his 29th birthday. Funds raised by charity: water go towards bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. Fans surpassed the goal set by Lambert in less than five hours, and donations reached $60,000 by the end of the next 24 hours. On Lambert's birthday, more than $115,000 in donations came in. According to the charity, that amount broke the record for most donations in a single day, and crashed their servers. By the end of the campaign, Lambert's fans had raised $323,803, which helped 16,190 people receive clean water.

LGBT advocacy

Lambert, himself openly gay, has contributed to the advancement of social acceptance towards LGBT people and was presented, by Sam Sparro, the Equality Idol award at Equality California Los Angeles' annual Equality Awards for being an exemplary role model for the LGBT community in addition to being honored at a PFLAG National Los Angeles event where he presented with an inverted triangle which makes up part of the PFLAG logo that represents parental and familial love and support for LGBT people. Lambert has also received a GLAAD Media Award nomination for Outstanding Music Artist in 2010. The same year, he lent his voice to a one-and-a-half minute video message on YouTube for the "It Gets Better" campaign – a project created by columnist Dan Savage in response to school bullying and a rash of suicides among young LGBT people aiming to "provide hope to youth struggling with their identity." Recorded while Lambert was touring, the clip shows Lambert encouraging viewers to have pride in themselves and not allow bullies to win.

The following March, he released a Billboard remix version of his For Your Entertainment song "Aftermath" with a portion of the proceeds going to support The Trevor Project, the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBT youth. He raised an additional $43,500 for The Trevor Project after collaborating with The Pennyroyal Studio to make his own Peace pendant. In October 2011, he raised another $2,100 from donations given on behalf of the Adam Lambert Glambert Fan Army for the MTV Dance Party Marathon. This raised funds to combat bullying in honor of National Bullying Prevention Month and was split between the LGBT charities GLSEN, It Gets Better Project, GSA, HRC, The Trevor Project and GLAAD.

Personal life

Lambert is currently in a relationship with Finnish reality TV personality Sauli Koskinen. On December 22, 2011, Lambert and Koskinen were arrested after brawling with each other outside of a bar in Helsinki at around 4 am. Both men were taken into custody for questioning, but they were released shortly thereafter since neither party was injured and no charges were filed.

Discography

Main article: Adam Lambert discography

• For Your Entertainment (2009)
• Trespassing (2012)

Concert tours

• American Idols LIVE! Tour 2009 (2009)
• Glam Nation Tour (2010)

Awards and nominations

Billboard Year-End Chart Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2009	Adam Lambert	Top Artist	Nominated
	For Your Entertainment	Top 200 Album	Nominated
	"Whataya Want from Me"	Top Hot 100 Song	Nominated
		Top Radio Song	Nominated
		Top Digital Song	Nominated
		Top Adult Contemporary Song	Nominated
		Top Canadian Hot 100 Song	Nominated

Billboard Japan Music Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2010	Adam Lambert	Top Pop Artist	Nominated

BMI Pop Music Award

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2011	"Whataya Want from Me"	Award-Winning Songs	Won

Bravo Otto Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2011	Adam Lambert	Best International Artist	Nominated

CMA Wild and Young Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2010	Adam Lambert	Best International Male Singer	Won
	"Whataya Want from Me"	Best International Single	Won

EMMA Award Finland

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2010	Adam Lambert	People's Choice	Nominated

Flecking Records

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2010	Adam Lambert	Entertainer of the Year	Won
		Sexiest Male Celebrity	Won
2011		Male Musician of the Year	Won
		Male Fashion Icon of the Year	Won
		Male Twitterer Icon of the Year	Won
		Good News of the Year	Won
		Male Star of the Year	Won

Fonogram – Hungarian Music Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2011	For Your Entertainment	International Modern Pop/Rock Album of the Year	Won

GLAAD Media Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2010	Adam Lambert	Outstanding Music Artist	Nominated

Grammy Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2010	"Whataya Want from Me"	Best Male Pop Vocal Performance	Nominated

Mashable Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2011	Adam Lambert	Must-Follow Musician on Social Media	Pending

MTV O Music Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2011	Adam Lambert	Must Follow Artist on Twitter	Won
	Adam Lambert	Fan Army FTW	Nominated

MuchMusic Video Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2010	"Whataya Want from Me"	UR Fave International Video	Won
	Adam Lambert	International Video of the Year – Artist	Nominated

People's Choice Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2010	Adam Lambert	Break-Out Musical Artist	Nominated

Teen Choice Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2009	Adam Lambert	Choice Male Reality/Variety Star	Won
	American Idols LIVE! Tour 2009	Choice Summer Tour (shared with American Idol top 10)	Nominated
	Adam Lambert	Choice Red Carpet Icon – Male	Nominated
2010	Adam Lambert	Choice Music: Male Artist	Nominated

VH1's Do Something Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2011	Adam Lambert	Do Something Music Artist	Nominated

Young Hollywood Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2009	Adam Lambert	Artist of the Year	Won

External links

• Official website
• Adam Lambert at IMDb
• Adam Lambert at American Idol
• Adam Lambert: A Glamorous Life – a slideshow by Life magazine
• 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