The Idolator Interview: Adam Lambert

Becky Bain | November 19, 2009 12:02 pm

For your entertainment (and, sure, ours too), we caught up with Adam Lambert and Kris Allen at the Us Weekly Hot in Hollywood party at Voyeur nightclub last night. (The magazine honored both guys in its “Stars of the Year” coverage—Adam was named “Glam God of the Year” and Kris “Victor of the Year.”) Tomorrow we’ll be posting our interview with the adorable and subdued Allen, but for now, check out our heart-to-heart with the delicious little space alien known as @adamlambert:

Adam Lambert: I love your hair! Becky Bain: I love your hair! I can already tell we’re kindred spirits. So, your album is on heavy rotation in the office. AL: Aww. Thank you! The streaming thing? Awesome. BB: I’m especially digging “Fever,” the track Lady Gaga wrote and gave to you. AL: I am too! It was awesome. BB: What did you learn about recording or songwriting in general from working with Gaga? AL: You know it’s really just an energy thing. Doing all these songs, different producers, different writers, it’s always a different vibe in the world, and Gaga is so free and expressive and eccentric that she brought that out in me, she encouraged that side to come out. She was definitely on the other side of the recording studio, the other side of the glass, egging me on. “More! Crazier! Go further with it!” It was fun. I think we caught the spirit of rock ‘n roll in there. BB: Was there pressure to make yours different and change up what she started with? AL: That demo was from five or six years ago, I believe. I think we both felt that was important to make it my own and do something that was more current. BB: I must know—does Gaga wear sweatpants when no one’s looking or taking photos of her? AL: (Laughs) That’s one of the things that shocked me. She walked in the studio wearing this beautiful coat and took off the coat and was wearing this bra top and midriff and this see-through pencil skirt with these crazy fishnet stockings and platform stripper boots. She was incredible. That is the real deal.

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BB: How about you? Are you moussing up your hair and donning eyeliner when no one’s around, or is this more of an outfit expected for you to wear now?
AL: I like to wear crazy stuff. I mean, if I’m hanging out at home watching TV… But I like expressing myself,  I like stuff that’s not typical. I like being different. Being different and being eccentric feels normal to me. BB: The dance tracks on your album are infectious—particularly the opening song “Music Again,” it makes me want to jump out of my chair. But you’ve still got a few downbeat tracks on the album, like “Broken Open” and “Time for Miracles”, but are we ever gonna hear you do something less synth-heavy? We know you can pull it off like you did on Idol with songs such as “Change is Gonna Come.” AL: Maybe someday. It’s possible. I do believe in the power of song and melody and lyric and those are the most important things to me. I love production as well, but at the heart of it that’s what makes a great song. I’m sure there will come a time when we strip it down. BB: Speaking of a stripped down sound, have you listened to Kris Allen’s album? AL: I have. It’s fantastic. I got a copy from a publicist. What I love about his album is he really stayed true to what made him so fantastic on the show because he’s an incredible musician, he’s got a beautiful voice and he’s honest. I  think those songs really captured his spirit. BB: Let’s talk about some other things going on in pop music. What’s your take on the Britney lip-synch controversy? AL:I don’t know what it is. BB: She lip-synched concerts in Australia and they had a hissy-fit, basically. AL: They haven’t been watching her career for the past few years? That’s what she does. BB: Is lip-synching during  a performance something a pop artist should be ashamed of? Or should audiences just know better going into a show? AL: It depends on the type of performer you are. Some are known for their voices, and some are performers. I think Britney is a fantastic performer, I think she’s a lot of fun, and gorgeous. She’s dancing! And something when you’re dancing really hard, it’s hard to sing. She’s gotta do what she’s gotta do. BB: Are we gonna see some dancing on your (not yet announced) upcoming tour? A shimmy or two? AL: Oh yeah! I love to dance. I don’t know about a shimmy. And no jazz hands! No, we’re not going Broadway with this. Perhaps some pelvic rotations, a bump here or there, and a grind. BB: When’s the tour? AL: I don’t know! Hopefully next year. We’ll see how the album does. BB: Arena thing or something smaller? AL: No idea. No clue. I’d love to do an arena thing because I would love to have dancers and costumes and lights and smoke and fireworks. I wanna do something that is theatrical and that is a full musical and visual experience for the audience and take them on a journey and give them a lot to take in.

We know we can’t wait for the balls-off-the-wall spectacle of what Adam’s tour is sure to be—his performance at the American Music Awards this Sunday may give us a sneak preview of what’s to come. In the meantime, listen to Adam’s album For Your Entertainment streaming on his MySpacepage. The album is out Nov. 23, strobe lights and peyote not included.