14 DAY TRIAL // Adam Lambert, the guy who almost became last season’s American Idol, is definitely a good entertainer. Not only does he have good stage presence and impressive vocals, but he’s also not afraid to go the extra mile in terms of selling his music. It’s all part of his strategy of reaching out to as many people as possible, he tells MTV in a recent interview, but that’s not to say the world should be deceived by appearances.
Lambert gives his everything when he’s performing or when in the studio working on new music. Similarly, when he’s out promoting his stuff, like shooting for photospreads, he’s also doing his best to sell the best product he has to offer, his music. And he does that by constantly working on his image and not backing down from a little controversy if a controversy is what it takes to get people to notice him (the spread he did for Details with a female model does come to mind as illustrative in this sense).
“The dress-up supports that; the fantasy element supports it. People want to talk about whether I have rock cred, whether I’m selling out, the theatricality […]... Chill out! And just enjoy yourself. It’s not that deep... Sometimes it is deep. Some of the songs on the album are.” Lambert says of where his image stops and his music begins. “People look at me and immediately say, ‘Oh, he’s doing the musical-theater thing.’ But if you look at most female pop stars right now, how are they any less theater? Beyonce is doing ‘Single Ladies’ with two girls in character shoes and leotards, doing [Bob] Fosse choreography from ‘Sweet Charity’ and ‘West Side Story.’” he further says, as cited by MTV.
Lambert doesn’t like being compared to other American Idol alumni, like Chris Daughtry and David Cook, the same publication points out, because he’s taking things one step further than they are. Moreover, he insists, as he’s selling this glitzy, disco image, Adam remains truly rock ‘n’ roll at the bottom of his heart, where the music is coming from. His debut album, “For Your Entertainment,” out on November 23, should prove that beyond any trace of a doubt.
“I listen to crazy, robust rock music where they sing their faces off, and soul music, which can be similar. But I also listen to a lot of dance music. I love that style. I was a Paula Abdul fan, a Michael Jackson fan, a Madonna fan. When Christina Aguilera came out when I was in high school, that was a great example of someone taking the pop-dance feel but who could really sing. Pop stars have done it; it’s just not a lot of guys have done it. Maybe it’s a question of masculine persona.” Lambert says of his musical influences in the aforementioned interview.