Adam Lambert could serve as a justification for every single music reality show we’ve had to endure for the past decade and a half or so. He’s a man talented enough to be a success any way he so pleased, he’s just chose to make it happen through the medium of American Idol, and fair play to him. Especially when being on that show means that he can be the first ever openly gay solo artist to top the Billboard 200, if that’s not an undeniable good move and sign of genuine cultural progress, I don’t know what is.
Lambert was born in Indianapolis, however his family moved to San Diego, California soon after he was born. He was a musical child from the get go, getting involved with local theatre productions and performing with the Metropolitan Educational Theatre network. His teenage years were spent pretty much entirely around theatres and performing arts companies, even during his high school years he took part in choirs and the jazz band among many others. By 19 he had his first professional performing job as a cruise ship singer and by 21, he was cast in a European tour of the hit rock musical Hair.
From 2001 until 2008 Lambert cut his teeth performing any which way he could. That period of time saw him fronting bands and working as a session singer while still performing on stage any way that he could. He saw some success at it as well, in 2004 he was performing opposite Val Kilmer in a production of The Ten Commandments: The Musical, and he was understudying in major productions like one for Wicked in 2005. However come 2009 he would become something very special indeed.
While spending a week at the Burning Man festival in Black Rock Desert, Nevada, Lambert had what he described as “a psychedelic experience” where he realized that he had the power to do whatever he wanted with his life, and with that freedom in mind, he auditioned for American Idol. Lambert was an utter sensation on the show, captivating everyone with every single performance that he made and was pretty much robbed of the top spot by some vanishing act called Kris Allen. However, the general consensus was that Lambert was going to be an enormous deal outside of Idol, and that was exactly what happened.
Since then, Lambert has continued to be a sensation in everything he’s done. His two solo albums headed straight into the top three and his second album was the first ever number one album on the Billboard 200 by an openly gay man. The world of rock has also fallen to Lambert’s charms as well, with his shows fronting Queen selling out and getting rave reviews the world over. A common complaint with artists who find fame through a talent show is that they haven’t truly “earned” their success like other artists have. One look at Lambert’s back story will tell you that this is far from true, and he’s only just reached his prime. We’re going to be seeing a lot more of him for a long time, and any pop fan around should be very, very glad of that fact. Highly recommended.
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