Adam Lambert interview: "I won by getting to the finals"

"American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert spoke with us today. He touches on his theatricality, working with Slash and plans for his album.

Let's say you do the whole summer tour and towards the end of the tour you get a nice offer to do a Broadway show. Would you jump on that or is your first priority becoming a recording artist?
I think my direction right now is to try to become a recording artist. I spent time trying to do the theatre thing for a number of years. I'm not trying to turn my back on it, but I'm trying to do something else.

You made "theatrical" go from a negative phrase to a postive phrase on "American Idol." Give us a little more of a feeling of why theatricality really can help rock.
I think it's all in the name of good entertainment. First and foremost it is about the music, but it kind of packages it in a more of a flashy, more dynamic way, in my opinion. Theatricality is just one way of performing and it's not the only way or the best way, it's just my way. Bowie's a great example of somebody who did, Michael Jackson is one example, Madonna, there's a slew of artists that do it.  I was just really lucky that "American Idol" embraced it because it was something new for them.

How did it make you feel seeing Katy Perry have a jacket with your name on it?
Oh my gosh, I was shocked and completely honored. I had a huge smile on my face the whole time. I wasn't prepared for that, I was so surprised. She's really, really cool, very down to earth. She had some good advice for me about keeping my friends around me and keeping them close and I think she's super-talented and has a good head on her shoudlers.

Do you think all the talk about your sexual orientation had any impact on the voting?
I don't know... probably. [laughs]

Have you thought about doing a band like Daughtry or solo work?
Probably solo, but I don't really know. It could go either way.

Can you speak about what it takes to make your performances and your high notes so effortless?
You know, I don't know. It's just something I've been doing a long time, so I don't think about it, I just do it. The thinking really comes into play when I'm planning out what I'm singing and how I'm singing it and then when it comes time to actually perform, I just go. I don't know how to describe it.

What was it like after the show? Tell me about how that was, going to the party after?
It was crazy, it was crowded and the whole evening was overwhelming. Just trying to interact with as many people as I could, it was so exciting. I got to speak with Paula and Kara, we got to chat a little. It was really nice to be off-camera and just interact. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see Simon and I missed Randy as well, but I'm sure I'll bump into them in the future.

What is your favorite performance?
I really had a lot of fun doing "Whole Lotta Love." We were really excited that it cleared, that we got the rights to do the song. It's an all-time favorite tune of mine and I felt very empowered on stage getting to sing that with the band.

Why do you think you weren't discovered before?
I might not have gone through the proper channels. The concept of being "discovered" is kind of a dying art, you have to put yourself out there. I was doing the theatre thing and I had a band for awhile and then I started writing music. I was probably ready to start submitting music to labels, but then this came along and I jumped on it. Things happened when they were supposed to do happen.

What music do you plan on doing for your album?
My thing is my favorite artists are artists who are theatrical. Obviously when you are doing a recording, things aren't going to translate as so over-the-top. I really enjoy the recording process and anyone who bought an iTunes version of something I did on the show can say, "Oh, I see how he is now." I think people are in store for a treat. It's going to be a really cool album and I'm excited to start working on it.

Can you describe a time when you were really thinking maybe I'll give up on the industry?
I think that's one of the reasons I decided to audition for the show. I was in the ensemble of "Wicked" and it was a great job, but I just wasn't satisfied artistically. It was about a year and half ago and I was like, "Is this it? Is this my life" and I thought, "I want more, there's more that I'm supposed to be doing" and this was the thing that presented itself to me. I hadn't auditioned [for Idol] before because I don't think I was ready and everything just lined up and I'm really fortunate that it worked out the way it did.

What would you say to people who were so disappointed that you didn't win? How did you feel about that?
You know what, I really feel like I won by getting to the finals. To me, it's not about the title, it was the experience. You know, I made music and I got to do a different performance every week and I was able to use "American Idol" as a platform to get myself out there and now I have a career. There's no need to dwell on the negative and we should look forward to my album.  I'm totally okay with it and I'm so happy for Kris, he's a good friend of mine and he's immensely talented.


Were there any mentors you'd like to work with in the future?
I'd really like to work with Slash. When we did the rehearsal at the Roxy, I just felt so at home with him on stage. He's rad, I would love to work with him in the future.  Also, Queen is one of my all-time favorite bands, I would love to work with [Brian May] as well.

What kind of album would you like to make?
We're at the drawing board right now trying to figure that out. My view of the record industry is that it's a little too specific lately. The labels tend to try to put one box around every artist and keep them in one genre. I'm so fortunate that this show helped me get myself out there. I think the album can kind-of be a collection of different styles with me at the center of it.

Is it better that maybe you didn't win because you like to be so involved with the arranging of your pieces on Idol? The producers are usually pretty heavy-handed with winners' albums.
I think that's actually a misconception. In my talks with 19 Entertainment, we've discussed it and I've expressed my desire to have a lot of involvement with the process. I'm definitely a collaborator, that's my strength. I don't like being told what to do, but I also don't like to hold all the reins myself. I plan on being present in the producing and the writing process and they are totally supportive of that.

Closing remarks?
I am so fortunate to have had this opportunity and I'm blown away by the amount of support I got. I felt a lot of positive reinforcement both with the press and with the fans, and I appreciate you guys and all that you wrote.