He described his middle school self as "kind of a loner," saying that he didn't have too many friends or much of a social life. In 2008, Adam Lambert auditioned for American Idol, transforming his life forever. Lambert said that, while everyone he met in the music industry supported him "personally," they were worried that Lambert being openly gay would make him less marketable. The usually snarky Simon Cowell came out in full support of Lambert earlier this month, telling Oprah Winfrey that there's no way Lambert won't win because he's fearless, he's unique and "he's got swagger." It doesn't have anything to do with that. He told Rolling Stone that he is "proud of [his] sexuality" and "embrace[s] it.". That week, Adam Lambert was invited back to be a mentor, the first Idol alum to do so. Lambert said his shift in how he approached his music was "from a place of self-worth" and a determination "to take back my power.". Hanging over the finale was the overwhelming speculation that Lambert would win it all. He added that he was "kind of an out-there kid" but that he was never made to feel bad about his sexuality and that his family was fully supportive of him. He was also part of the touring cast of Wicked in 2005 and its Los Angeles cast in 2007 as the understudy for Fiyero. Playing into Lambert fever was the speculation over whether he's gay and his coy refusal to address that question. Several outlets declared the reason Lambert — an early favorite to win — only came in second was because of homophobia. Lambert first performed with Queen when May and fellow Queen bandmate Roger Taylor were asked to go on American Idol to perform with the finalist. I picked the final four when there were still 9 people left and I predicted a Kris and Adam finale for a while as well. A lot of growth happened in those years. "It's a totally different landscape," Lambert told Variety. Since the show stipulated that a contestant couldn't be under an entertainment contract and Lambert was still attached to a production of Wicked at the time, he had to quit his job after his first two auditions in front of the producers went well so he could compete in the televised auditions in front of the American Idol judges. Some 88 million votes were cast in that round, with only 1 million votes separating Lambert from Allen, according to host Seacrest. It's not the show's. 2016-02-12 Adam Lambert concert for 104.4 Virgin Radio RedFestDXB | Dubai Media City Amphitheatre | Dubai United Arab Emirates. American Idol alum Adam Lambertwill return to the show for next Thursday night's program. "I've leaned really far into my queerness on this," he said, sharing that he was "very much marching to the beat of my own drum" on the album. Things are a lot different now. From 2013 to 2014, he had an arc on Glee, playing Elliot "Starchild" Gilbert. The 23-year-old Allen, a student from Conway, Ark., bested the 27-year-old Lambert, a musical theater veteran from San Diego. Velvet marked another shift in Lambert's style, with Variety describing it as "less glamorously amorously entertaining" than his previous work and "more grimily soulful and sleekly funky." Kris Allen's surprise victory over Adam Lambert was one of American Idol ' s most unforgettable upsets. Both contestants also sang a song penned by newbie "Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi, "No Boundaries." Lambert explained that moving to an indie label gave him more control over his music. on Pinterest. While Adam Lambert never made a secret of his sexuality, he didn't publicly discuss it on American Idol. 66. The singer told HuffPost Live (via Pressparty) that, while he wasn't exactly bullied growing up, he also wasn't one of the cool kids. Lambert fever was the speculation over whether he's gay, Former champions Taylor Hicks and Rubin Studdard. Even though he wasn't targeted by bullies, Lambert admitted to spending a lot of time worrying about his social standing and that he deliberately "avoided a lot of social contact" because he was so afraid that he would be bullied. His sexuality — Lambert is the first openly gay artist to have an album hit No. Fortunately, he nailed that audition and Lambert made it on to the show and came in second place in the show's eighth season. Lambert's big break led to a lot of change. Lambert has racked up a modest list of credits over the years. The album was a deeply personal one for Lambert and is hopefully indicative of the kind of music we will see from him in the future. He added that there is now "much more visibility," making it less scary for openly gay artists. Not only has he become more accepted in the industry, but his priorities have shifted quite a bit over the course of his career. He is famous for being a Pop Singer. "I was really overwhelmed in the very beginning," he told Billboard, as reported by People, adding that everything happened "so fast." Adam Lambert - Best of American Idol Performances - YouTube Kris Allen, a native of Conway, Arkansas, was announced the winner of the competition on May 20, 2009, defeating runner-up Adam Lambert after nearly 100 million votes. His label, RCA, was afraid that focus on his sexuality would hurt album sales. Lambert continued to pursue his passion in spite of his hardships, and he is stronger for it. May 21, 2009 — -- In what may go down as the biggest upset in the show's history, Kris Allen won "American Idol," beating out Adam Lambert, the season-long favorite. Breathlessly taking the mic after Secrest announced he won, Allen said, "Adam deserves this. 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