Adam Lambert's Biography Part 3: The Rise to Fame

Adam's American Idol journey started on July 16, 2008, when he and a couple of his friends drove up from L.A. and stayed overnight at his mom's house in Burlingame. Adam was feeling nervous and couldn't sleep. Early the next morning, they went to the Cow Palace in Daly City, just outside San Francisco, where they joined thousands of other Idol hopefuls. That was the beginning of a very long day and Adam was already tired, so he took a nap while they were waiting in line. There were several rounds of auditions before advancing in front of the judges. Adam first sang Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy". He was afraid that the producers wouldn't "get it", but they did and he was finally admitted to the judges' audition chamber, where he sang Michael Jackson's "Rock with You" and Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" while the cameras were rolling. Simon Cowell found him "too theatrical, and therefore not current". Randy and Paula strongly disagreed with him. Kara was on the fence, but really liked his voice. Eventually, after some discussions, he got four "yes" votes and a golden ticket for Hollywood.

In November 2008, 147 American Idol contestants invaded Hollywood's Kodak Theatre to compete for a place in the top 36 (these competitions were taped and broadcasted later in February 2009). There were three elimination rounds during that "Hollywood Week". In the first round, contestants had to perform a short solo a cappella song. Adam sang 4 Non Blondes' "What's Up? In the second round, the 107 remaining contestants had to perform in groups of three or four. Adam teamed up with Michael Sarver, Jesse Langseth and Matt Breitzke. They rocked the socks off the judges' feet with "Some Kind of Wonderful" and delivered one of the strongest group performances. In round 3, Adam surprised everyone by singing a slowed-down version of Cher's "Believe", just to show that he could take any song and make it sound new and different. This bold move earned him a spot in the top 36, which were announced during a special 2-hour broadcast on February 11 (although the top-36 list had leaked on Joe's Place Blog at the end of January).

Adam cruised through the semi-finals by performing Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" as part of group 2. He immediately advanced to the final 13 along with Allison Iraheta and Kris Allen, the other two top finalists. Week after week, Adam impressed both judges and audience with his exceptional vocal abilities, but also by putting his own personal signature on all his performances. He payed attention to every detail, from staging to lighting, from hair styling to clothing. He was like a chameleon, changing his looks, his style and his tone of voice to suit each song, making each performance unique and memorable. He was also very strategic, pushing the envelope one week ("Ring of Fire", "Born to Be Wild") and retreating to safer territory the next ("The Tracks of My Tears", "If I Can't Have You"). One of the turning points was his gorgeous and haunting interpretation of Tears for Fears' "Mad World" on April 7. He came close to elimination on April 29 during Rat Pack Standards week, despite an excellent rendition of "Feeling Good", where he confidently sauntered down the pink-lighted staircase wearing a shiny white suit.

On May 8, Adam went back to San Diego for a homecoming visit. He arrived at Mt. Carmel High School in a red convertible Mustang, accompanied by his parents, and performed in front of students gathered in the track field. One female student removed her top and climbed onto the stage before being stopped by security. Adam laughed at the incident. He also visited a local radio station, a military base and his former musical theatre school, where he talked to the children, encouraging them to embrace their difference and pursue their dreams.

The grand finale of American Idol Season 8 was broadcasted on Wednesday, May 20, 2009. The 2-hour show featured several A-list guests singing with the top 10 Idol finalists. Adam performed a glam rock number with Kiss wearing platform boots and sparkly shoulder cages. He also sang "We Are the Champions" with Queen and Kris Allen. At the very end of the show, Ryan Seacrest announced that the winner of AI8 was ... Kris Allen. Adam looked genuinely happy for him, but Kris was stunned and his first words were "Adam deserves this". There were many disappointed Adam fans that night, but Adam himself didn't feel as if he had lost. He had made it to the finale and had become a rock star, which was his goal.

Half-way through the show, photos of Adam kissing another man started circulating on the Internet. The object of Adam's affection was quickly identified as his ex-boyfriend Brad Bell, aka "Cheeks". These pictures fueled intense speculation around Adam's sexual orientation. Everytime a journalist would ask him the question, usually in a roundabout way, he would remain non-committal, insisting on the fact that what mattered was his singing abilities, not his private life. However, he never denied being gay, and never tried to hide it either, even going out in public at an L.A. club holding hands with interior designer Drake LaBry a few days after the American Idol finale. Finally, he put an end to the rumour mill by announcing in early June that all would be revealed in the next issue of Rolling Stone magazine.

On June 10, the much anticipated Rolling Stone issue hit the newsstands. Adam's cover photo was absolutely breathtaking and extremely sexy: it showed him lying on his back, wearing a lacy Versace shirt revealing his chest, tight black jeans and a glittery belt, with a bright green snake wrapped around his thigh, its head pointing directly at his crotch. The 5-page article, written by Vanessa Grigoriadis, disclosed a number of intimate details about him, including his sexual orientation ("I don't think it should be a surprise for anyone to hear that I'm gay"). Adam's responses to the interviewer questions were quite direct, even a bit shocking, revealing a side of him that had remained hidden during the AI8 season. Over the next week, he gave a number of television interviews, including an in-depth one with Chris Connelly on ABC News' 20/20, where he answered questions about his sexuality very candidly.

On June 19, Hi Fi Recordings and Wilshire Records announced that they intended to release the first Adam Lambert album entitled "On with the Show", made up of different tracks recorded before American Idol and dating as far back as 2005 when Adam was doing session work for the company. When the track listing was made public, it turned out to be an odd mixture of very different musical styles, ranging from sappy pop ballads ("Want") to edgy alternative rock tunes written with Monte Pittman for The Citizen Vein and the Zodiac Show ("Crawl Thru Fire"). The first single, "Want", was released the same day, with the full album promised for the summer. Adam and his new recording company, 19 Recordings, didn't particularly appreciate the announcement and released a statement indicating that these early recordings didn't reflect the music that he was currently working on. Adam's fans had mixed reactions, some vowing to boycott the controversial album, others welcoming any new Adam recording, even based on older material. As of mid-September, this album has not yet been released.

Adam signed a recording contract with 19 Recordings/RCA records just a few days after the American Idol finale. He didn't waste any time and started working on his new album right away, taking advantage of the few weeks he had available before the start of the American Idol Live tour. He also managed to sneak in a few recording sessions during days off from the hectic American Idol Tour. He collaborated with well-known producers and songwriters, including RedOne, Linda Perry, Sam Sparro, Greg Wells and Max Martin. He will complete work on his album right after the end of the tour, and it should be released on November 24, with the first single coming out sometime in October.

In an interview with E! Online, Adam indicated that he had recorded a song for a movie soundtrack on July 15, but wouldn't say which one. A couple of weeks later, Bill Masters from Windy City Times revealed that Adam had recorded a track for Roland Emmerich' upcoming disaster movie, "2012", and that it should be used for the closing credits. On August 14, Queen's guitarist Brian May declared on his web site that he had actually listened to the track while visiting Rob Cavallo's studio in Calabasas and that he had been completely blown away: "It's truly sensational. In fact it's so obviously a number one smash, any bookie would be mad to take bets on it. I am not kidding. I'm not easily moved to jelly by male vocalists ... but Adam's voice reaches out with sensitivity, depth, maturity, and awesome range and power which will make jaws drop all around the world. Its an awesome performance. No doubt about it. The world of Rock has a bright new star." This was quite an endorsement from such a well respected musician, and it created a lot of buzz and anticipation. The movie is scheduled to be released on November 13, 2009.

The AI Live tour was a wild ride. Most critics agreed that Adam was stealing the show and getting the strongest reactions from the audience, generating a deafening level of decibels every time his face showed up on the jumbotron. A wide variety of items, ranging from underwear to sex toys, were thrown on stage during his set. Although he found it amusing and often played with a few of these things while performing, twirling bras above his head, wrapping boas around Allison's shoulders or whipping himself with a cat o'nine tails, the whole thing went too far sometimes, like when he was hit on the knee by a dildo in Hamilton. Fans also waited for hours after the show in the hope of getting an autograph or snapping a picture with him. Their screams were so loud that he started wearing purple earplugs to protect his hearing. Learning to cope with this sudden fame is one of Adam's main concerns. He sought advice from a few celeb friends, including Katy Perry, and read Robbie Williams' autobiography. It will be fascinating to watch what will happen over the next few years. There is little doubt that Adam Lambert will become an international superstar.

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This post was originally published by The Librarian on the Adam Lambert Reference Centre blog. The original post URL is http://alreference.blogspot.com/2009/08/adam-lambert-biography-part-3-rise-to.html

Adam Lambert's Biography Part 2: The Theatre Years

The first few months in L.A. were difficult. Adam was feeling miserable and overweight and couldn't find work. Then, an opportunity presented itself. He auditioned with Anita Mann Productions for a 10-month contract with Holland America Cruise Lines. Not only was he hired, but he got the lead role in the 6-people musical revue, making him, at 19-years old, the youngest performer to ever land such a job. His fellow castmates were not too happy about it, and were quite antagonistic at first, but his voice and talent eventually won them over. The ship, the MS Amsterdam, was beautiful and brand new. They first went to Europe, then came back to New York just a few days before 9/11. They were sailing off the coast of Nova Scotia when the attacks occurred and had to stay at sea for three days. In early 2002, Adam had the privilege to be part of the ship's maiden grand world voyage, which took him as far as Australia and New Zealand.

After the end of his engagement, he went back to L.A. and landed a couple of ensemble cast jobs with the Civic Light Opera (Evita, My Fair Lady). He wasn't paid much, since he hadn't yet earned his Equity card. He signed up with a manager, who found him various contracts. Then, in 2003, he joined the European Tour of the musical "Hair", produced by Wolfgang Bocksch Concerts, where he played the role of Margaret Mead, the tourist lady, as well as a member of the Tribe. He was also the understudy for the role of Claude. Hair was a turning point in Adam's life. He totally embraced the hippie lifestyle, both on and off stage. He started out as a blond, freckled boy and metamorphosed into a glam rock star. He dyed his hair black, started to wear black nail polish and eyeliner, changed the way he dressed and experimented with sex and drugs. He was finally starting to feel good in his own skin.

Back in the U.S., Adam resumed his search for musical theatre jobs. He landed the part of Charlie Dalrymple in "Brigadoon" presented at "Theatre under the Stars" in Houston, where he received excellent reviews for his interpretation of "Come to me, bend to me". He got his Equity card and felt that he had finally become a professional actor. In the summer of 2004, he played the role of Phil Mackey in the musical comedy "110 in the Shade" at the Pasadena Playhouse.

Then came a big breakthrough when he got the part of Joshua in "The Ten Commandments", starring Val Kilmer in the role of Moses. The producers were a little uneasy with his "gayness", asking him to remove the nail polish and eyeliner during rehearsals and to "tone down" his performance. They even tried unsuccessfully to find a replacement for him. Adam felt rejected, but was totally vindicated when he got the best critical reviews. The show ran from September 21 to December 5, 2004 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. He made friends with Val, hanging out with him in restaurants and at his house. He got the first glimpse of what it was like to be a celebrity, being followed everywhere by paparazzis, signing autographs and posing for pictures with fans.

Adam had made some good friends on the Hair tour, including Scarlett and Lee Cherry. Back in L.A., they were both working on the Zodiac Show and invited Adam to join this extravagant musical revue, which was presented at the Henry Fonda Music Box Theater in December 2004. That was a match made in heaven and Adam went all out with the glam make-up and feathered costume, singing a very outrageous version of Sam Cooke's "A change is gonna come". He even changed the words a little, singing "I don't see what's wrong with a little glitter around my eyes", a direct reference to his unfortunate "Ten Commandments" experience. He made some new friends at the Zodiac show, including Allan Louis and Alisan Porter.

Around the same time, Adam auditioned for a part in the national tour production of the musical comedy "Wicked". The casting director had read the glowing reviews of his performance in "The Ten Commandments" and hired him to be part of the ensemble cast as well as the understudy for the role of Fiyero. Adam was ecstatic, as he would finally be part of a real Broadway show. There were a couple of months of rehearsals in New York and Toronto before the show opened on March 9, 2005 at the Canon Theatre in Toronto. The production then travelled to Chicago in the spring, then Hollywood and San Francisco in the summer. After six months on the road, Adam decided to call it quits. He was a bit lonely and unsatisfied to be in the ensemble cast, not getting enough attention. He felt that this was not what he was supposed to be doing.

Adam's Zodiac Show friends took him to the Burning Man festival, a utopian underground week-long event that attracts thousands of people every year in the middle of Nevada's Black Rock Desert where they build a makeshift "city" and celebrate individuality, creativity and free spirit. He had a blast and returned in 2006 and 2007, where he performed in "The Big Black Man Show", a glam revue created by Allan Louis, aka "Alanna", presented at the Center Camp Cafe. At Burning Man 2007, he had an epiphany and suddenly realized that whatever he wanted to do, he had to make happen. That's when he decided to try out for American Idol.

At the Zodiac Show in 2004, Adam was approached by guitarist Monte Pittman, who wanted to start a new rock band. They hit it off right away and composed their first song together that very night. Monte had left his hometown of Longview, Texas in 1999 to pursue a musical career in L.A., but ended up selling guitars, then giving guitar lessons to make ends meet. However, fate was on his side when the guitar shop referred him Guy Ritchie as a student. One thing led to another and Monte started giving lessons to Madonna, and was invited to join her band on her "Drowned World" and "Re-invention" tours. Monte introduced Adam to Madonna after one of her guitar lessons. That was a magical moment for him. She teased him about being intimidated and they talked about astrology, which is an interest they both share.

Monte taught Adam how to write songs on GarageBand, a music editing software for the Mac. They co-wrote a number of songs together and recorded some tracks. Monte recruited guitarist Tommy Victor and drummer Steve Sydelnik to join the band, which was called "The Citizen Vein". They gave their first live show at the Cat Club, in Hollywood, on December 23, 2006. They performed a few more times in 2007, but Adam didn't really click with them. He was also spending all his time off with his boyfriend Brad Bell, aka "Cheeks". Adam had never been truly in love before and this was a totally new and wonderful experience for him.

After more than a year of living the struggling artist life in L.A., having to accept jobs far beneath his talent just to make ends meet, Adam was longing for a regular paycheck. Wicked was coming back to Hollywood's Pantages Theatre, and he was determined to make the cast. The producers were concerned that he would drop out again and he had to plead and beg to get the job, promising to stay until the end. He was given exactly the same role as he had in 2005, part of the ensemble cast and understudy to Fiyero. He kept his word, staying for the whole run from February 2007 to November 2008, but he hadn't abandoned his dream of becoming a rock star. He shared his idea of auditioning for American Idol with his castmates, and they all encouraged him to go for it.

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This post was originally published by The Librarian on the Adam Lambert Reference Centre blog. The original post URL is http://alreference.blogspot.com/2009/08/adam-lambert-biography-part-2-theatre.html

Adam Lambert's Biography Part 1: The Early Years

Adam was born on January 29, 1982, in Indianapolis, Indiana. His parents, Eber and Leila, met at the University of Vermont in Burlington in the late 1970's and married on May 3, 1981, nine months before his birth. They were both laid-back, open-minded people who loved music and arts. Eber had been a DJ in college and owned an extensive collection of vinyl records. The apple never falls far from the tree, and it's easy to see where Adam got his showmanship skills. Eber was a colorful, outgoing young man who loved to perform classic rock songs for his friends. He was part of the Champlain Valley High School drama club in Hinesburg, Vermont, where he grew up. After graduating from college in 1980, he found a job at RCA in Indianapolis, Indiana. But Leila and Eber both felt that Indianapolis was not a good fit for them, so when a job opportunity presented itself, they decided to move to San Diego, where they settled in the community of Rancho Bernardo.

As a young child, Adam was a handful. He didn't sleep through the night until he was 18 months old and would scream for an hour every night. Eber said jokingly that this is where Adam developed his remarkable vocal skills. He was so noisy and restless that his parents couldn't take him out to restaurants. He loved playing dress-up and trying on different hats and costumes. In fact, the box of Halloween costumes would stay out all year round.

Adam's younger brother Neil was born in 1985. Shortly after, the family moved to a new home in the nearby community of Rancho Peñasquitos, where Adam attended the Deer Canyon Elementary School and the Mesa Verde Middle School. Young Adam was so rambunctious and full of energy that his mother consulted a doctor, worried that he might be suffering from some kind of attention deficit disorder. "No", the doctor said, "he's just a very curious and precocious child". Eber and Leila, trying to find an outlet for his energy, tried to involve him in various sports such as T-ball and soccer. He didn't enjoy playing sports, so they finally decided to enroll him in the Children Theatre Network group (now called MET2). Adam was 10 years old and this was a revelation for him. He really loved singing, dancing and playing different characters. His first public performance was in "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown", where he played the role of Linus, the shy boy with the blanket. The CTN was an excellent training ground for budding performers and Alex Urban, the director, soon recognized Adam's exceptional talent and took him under his wing. During the next 8 years, Adam would perform in three or four musicals a year, often playing different roles within the same run.

At age 12, Adam performed the role of the Russian tenor in the musical "Fiddler on the Roof". In the group number "To Life", he had to hold a very high note for quite a long time before launching into a solo. The audience was flabbergasted. Adam's parents realized at that moment how gifted he was as a singer. They decided to send him to work with a private vocal coach, Lynne Broyles, who taught him vocal technique and really helped him develop his incredible instrument. Adam was very curious and enthusiastic and would ask her a million questions, soaking up her knowledge. A few years later, Lynne founded her own theater group, called "Broadway Bound Youth Theatre Foundation". Adam performed with that group as well as the CTN.

In 1996, Adam went to Mt. Carmel High School, where he joined the drama club, the choir and the jazz band. In April 2000, the Classical Vocal Ensemble travelled to New York to perform at the Lincoln Center. This was an amazing experience for Adam and his classmates. He performed in various dramatic plays and musicals throughout his high school years, including "The Crucible", "The Music Man", "The Secret Garden" and "Pirates of Penzance". He even showed great comedic talent in the role of Bottom in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Adam also participated in "airbands", which are competitive group dance performances organized by the students. Each group had to create and perform a number, and the team with the best choreography won. Adam went wild with the makeup and crazy moves during these performances, already foretelling the "Zodiac Show".

Eber and Leila had always suspected that their son might be gay. When Adam was 13, his father caught him looking at gay porn on the family computer. He told his wife "It's official". They didn't know how to broach the subject with him, and consulted with gay friends and counsellors. They told them to wait until he came forward. It wasn't until the end of high school that the opportunity presented itself. Leila and Adam went to a Speech and Debate evening at the local high school. One of the speeches was about a kid who was rejected by his parents because of his sexual orientation. On the way back home, Leila asked Adam if he had a girlfriend. "No", he said. "Do you have a boyfriend?" asked his mother. "No", he said. "Well, do you want one?", she insisted. Adam replied "that would be nice". After that, the floodgates opened and they talked and laughed into the early hours of the morning.

Adam was more interested in all his extra-curricular activities than his studies, and his academic performance unfortunately suffered as a consequence. His B average didn't allow him to get accepted in the best theatre schools in New York or Cincinnati. He was accepted at California State University Fullerton in the Theatre Arts program. But then, just as classes started, so did rehearsals for the musical "Grease" presented by Moonlight Stage Productions, in which Adam was playing the role of Doody, the youngest of the Burger Palace Boys. He didn't attend any classes for the first month. When he finally showed up, he was bored to tears and decided that college wasn't for him. He was eager to start his real life and announced to his parents that he was dropping out. His father made it clear that he would have to support himself and find a job, which he did. He worked for six months at Macy's at the Main Place Mall in Santa Ana, Orange County, before deciding to move to Hollywood to pursue a musical theater career.

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This post was originally published by The Librarian on the Adam Lambert Reference Centre blog. The original post URL is http://alreference.blogspot.com/2009/08/adam-lambert-biography-part-1-early.html