Adam Lambert born 29 January 1982Adam Mitchel Lambert is an American singer, songwriter, and actor from San Diego, California. In May 2009, he finished as the runner-up on the eighth season of American Idol.
Adam Lambert has been a stage actor since he was about ten years old. He was cast as Linus in San Diego's Lyceum Theater's production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. He also played the part of Joshua in The Ten Commandments: The Musical at the Kodak Theatre alongside Val Kilmer, and was one of the only actors in the play that garnered a positive review. He was also the understudy for the part of Fiyero in the touring and Los Angeles casts of the musical Wicked. Since 2004, he has regularly performed at the Zodiac Show, which was co-created by Carmit Bachar of the Pussycat Dolls. He also performed at the Upright Cabaret.
Lambert auditioned for the eighth season of American Idol in San Francisco, California. In the semi-finals, Lambert was voted into the Top 13.
On May 20, 2009, Lambert was announced as the runner-up for the eighth season of American Idol. There was a school of thought that the 'flamboyant' Lambert, already widely rumoured to be gay, lost out to the much blander and more mainstream Kris Allen - a devout Christian - by the Christian Right mobilising their voting forces to prevent a homosexual winning America's most popular show. It is likely that Adam Lambert, like several other notable non-winners of the show will prove to be the winner in the end.
Photos of Lambert kissing a man surfaced while he was competing on American Idol. Lambert confirmed that the photos were of him, stating he had nothing to hide and has always been open about his life, whilst stopping one step short of stating the fact that he was gay. Mainstream media speculation centered on Lambert's sexuality; presuming he was gay, he would be the first gay American Idol (although far from the first gay American Idol finalist). Much of the media focus regarded the readiness of American Idol voters for an openly gay winner. Asked by Rolling Stone whether the speculation surrounding his sexual orientation impacted the final vote, Lambert laughed and said 'probably'. Lambert confirmed that he was gay in a cover story interview with Rolling Stone, stating that 'I don't think it should be a surprise for anyone to hear I'm gay... I'm proud of my sexuality. I embrace it. It's just another part of me.'
Lambert released his debut album, For Your Entertainment, on November 23, 2009, via RCA Records/19 Recordings. The album debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200 on the week of December 12, 2009, selling 198,000 copies in the United States. Ironically (or not), the number 1 album that week was the debut release by Britain's Got Talent runner-up, Scottish spinster and singing phenomenon, Susan Boyle. Like most American Idol 'winners', Lambert's post-show success has yet to translate internationally.