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Adam Lambert

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Not to be confused with Adam Lamberg.

Adam Lambert

Adam Mitchel Lambert (born January 29, 1982) is an American singer and actor from Los Angeles, California. In May 2009 he finished as the runner-up on the eighth season of American Idol.[2]

Early life and education

Lambert was born in Indianapolis, Indiana[3] and lived there for a year before moving out West to California. He grew up in Rancho Peñasquitos, San Diego, California and attended Deer Canyon Elementary School, Mesa Verde Middle School, and Mt. Carmel High School, where he was in theater, choir, and frequently performed with the school's jazz band.[4]

Lambert is Jewish and has performed in Hebrew at Jewish events, singing songs such as "Shir LaShalom".[5][6][7]


Career

Early career

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.[8] He also played a part in The Ten Commandments: The Musical at the Kodak Theatre alongside Val Kilmer.[9] He was the understudy for the part of Fiyero in the touring and Los Angeles casts of the musical Wicked.[9] Since 2004, he has regularly performed at the Zodiac Show, which was co-created by Carmit Bachar of the Pussycat Dolls. He also performed at the Upright Cabaret.

Lambert has cited several musical influences, e.g. Queen, David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin.[1][10]

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." 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.[11]

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.[12] The following week, Lambert sang a version of "Ring of Fire". While Randy Jackson, DioGuardi, and Abdul all liked his performance, Cowell called it "indulgent rubbish".[13] On Motown night, Lambert distanced himself from his rocker persona, singing a slowed down, acoustic version of "The Tracks of My Tears". The judges all liked it, and Smokey Robinson, the week's mentor and the original singer-songwriter, gave Adam 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 Adam's performance.[14] 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".[15] In the Top 4, Lambert was the first to sing, performing "Whole Lotta Love". Cowell commented, "that was one of my favourite performances... nobody can top that now", while Abdul, punning on the song's title, described Lambert's performance as "a whole lotta perfect". Season 7 American Idol winner David Cook stated that Lambert and Allen are his favorites of Season 8.[16] Country music singer and actress Reba McEntire has echoed the same opinions, also adding Iraheta to her list of favorites.[17]

Photos of Lambert kissing a man were shown and discussed by conservative commentators on The O'Reilly Factor who agreed that the images would likely have no impact on the competition because it was a singing competition and Lambert was extremely talented.[18] Lambert confirmed that the photos were of him, stating he had nothing to hide and has always been open about his life.[19] Mainstream media speculation centered on Lambert's sexuality including that presuming he was gay he would be the first LGBT American Idol.[20][note 1] Much of the media focus regarded if American Idol voters were ready for an openly gay winner.[20] Asked by Rolling Stone whether the speculation surrounding his sexual orientation impacted the final vote, Lambert laughed and said "probably".[21][22]

For the top three show, Lambert chose to sing at his alma mater, Mt. Carmel High School.[23] While there, he performed both Michael Jackson's "Black or White", and Tears for Fears' "Mad World."[24] After his performance, San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders declared May 8 "Adam Lambert Day."[25]

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.

Upon winning, Kris 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."[26]

Performances

Week # Theme Song choice Original artist Order # Result
Audition N/A "Rock with You"
"Bohemian Rhapsody" 		Michael Jackson
Queen 		N/A Advanced
Hollywood First Solo "What's Up" [not aired] 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 "Mad World" Tears for Fears 8 Safe
Top 7 Songs from the Cinema "Born to Be Wild" - Easy Rider Steppenwolf 3 Safe
Top 71 Disco "If I Can't Have You" Yvonne Elliman 5 Safe
Top 5 Rat Pack Standards "Feeling Good" Sammy Davis, Jr. 5 Bottom 2
Top 4 Rock and Roll Solo
Duet 		"Whole Lotta Love"
"Slow Ride" with Allison Iraheta 		Led Zeppelin
Foghat 		1
6 		Safe2
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


  • 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 some time in 2009. He stated that he would love to work with Slash. He said "When I was working with Slash I felt at home." Lambert also stated that his solo album will have a variety of sounds.[27] Rock group Queen, with whom Lambert performed on the season finale, are said to be considering asking Lambert to be their new frontman.[28] Lambert was a guest in Larry King Live (guest hosted by Ryan Seacrest) along with winner 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".[29] His debut single, "No Boundaries", was released on May 20, 2009 on iTunes with Allen's version.

Discography

Singles

Year Single Chart Positions Album
U.S. CAN NZ UK
2009 "No Boundaries"A[30] 72[31] 52[32] 38[33] 32 TBD
  • A Current single.

Digital singles

These songs all charted from legal digital downloads.

Year Single Chart Positions Album
U.S. U.S. Pop CAN
2009 "Mad World" 19[34] 30[35] 10[36] American Idol
live performances
"A Change Is Gonna Come" 56[37] — 59[38]
"One" 82[39] — 84[40]
"Cryin'" 102[41] — 75[42]
"Slow Ride" (with Allison Iraheta) 105[43] — —
"The Tracks of My Tears" 117[44] — —
"Feeling Good" 121[45] — —

Digital albums

This album charted from legal digital downloads.

Year Album Chart Positions
US
2009 Season 8 Favorite Performances 33[46]

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. ^ a b Adam Lambert Biography Allmusic.com
  2. ^ American Idol
  3. ^ "Adam Lambert on Live With Regis & Kelly". 26 May 2009.
  4. ^ San Diego Union-Tribune Staff Writer (24 February 2009). "'Idol' hopeful banks on theatrics to snag a spot". Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  5. ^ [1]
  6. ^ "Is Adam Lambert Jewish?". Retrieved 2009-06-06.
  7. ^ "Adam Lambert". Retrieved 2009-06-06.
  8. ^ Rocchio, Christopher (2 March 2009). "Adam Lambert dishes on making 'American Idol's Top 12 finals". Reality TV World. Retrieved 6 March 2009.
  9. ^ a b Broadway.com staff (26 February 2009). "Headlines: Wicked's Adam Lambert Makes American Idol Top 12". Retrieved 6 March 2009.
  10. ^ [2]
  11. ^ "Idols move into the Idol Mansion". Retrieved 2009-03-30.
  12. ^ "MJs Top 13 Performances Recap & Review". Retrieved 2009-03-10.
  13. ^ "Psychotic State: American Idol". Retrieved 2009-03-17.
  14. ^ "Performances and Reviews". Retrieved 2009-03-29.
  15. ^ "TV-Watch: Kris Allen "Works Hard" to "Stay Alive" on Disco Night". Retrieved 2009-04-22.
  16. ^ "Adam Lambert, Kris Allen are David Cook's "American Idol" faves". Retrieved 2009-04-14.
  17. ^ "Reba McEntire favors Kris Allen and Adam Lambert for American Idol". Retrieved 2009-04-22.
  18. ^ "Gay Talk Surrounds Adam Lambert of 'Idol'".
  19. ^ "Adam Lambert: America's First Gay 'Idol'?".
  20. ^ a b "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,
  21. ^ "Adam Lambert Talks “American Idol” Finale, Sexuality, Katy Perry" Chris Harris, Rolling Stone. 5/22/2009.
  22. ^ "American Idol: Adam Lambert admits gay speculation hurt him" Reid Kerr, San Francisco Examiner. 25 May 2009.
  23. ^ "American Idol puts on a show for MC". Retrieved 2009-05-07.
  24. ^ "Adam Lambert Hits San Diego". Retrieved 2009-05-08.
  25. ^ "Adam Lambert Gets His Hometown Hurrah". Retrieved 2009-05-08.
  26. ^ "Kris Allen's Thoughts on Idol and the Future". Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  27. ^ 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, 22 May 2009.
  28. ^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/queen-considering-idol-s-lambert-as-frontman-1003976214.story "Queen Considering 'Idol's' Lambert As Frontman", Billboard Magazine, 23 May 2009.
  29. ^ http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ghUIXxEvFDqm_ZlsTiEOcRZ9x9TwD98E8M580
  30. ^ Pulse Music Board - Billboard Hot 100 6/6/09 Retrived on 2009-05-27
  31. ^ [3]
  32. ^ [4]
  33. ^ [5]
  34. ^ [6]
  35. ^ [7]
  36. ^ [8]
  37. ^ [9]
  38. ^ [10]
  39. ^ [11]
  40. ^ [12]
  41. ^ [13]
  42. ^ [14]
  43. ^ [15]
  44. ^ [16]
  45. ^ phttp://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=344&cfgn=Singles&cfn=Bubbling+Under+Hot+100+Singles&ci=3108813&cdi=10213059&cid=06%2F06%2F2009]
  46. ^ Billboard.com (2009-05-27). "Idols inundate Hot 100, but Glee gloats with top debut". Retrieved 2009-05-27.

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