Check out quotes from Adam Lambert’s satellite interview with the press Friday afternoon.
What would he say to people who were disappointed that he didn’t win? “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.”
Does he think all the discussion of his sexuality had an effect on voting? “Probably! [Laughs.”
With all the risks he took on the show, did anyone ever say, “no”, ” No! [Laughs.] The really cool thing about this show is that they’ve been 100 percent supportive of everything that I’ve done, every aspect of everything I’ve done, from the music to what I’m wearing to how I perform. I would go into a vocal session and be like, “Well, I have this idea. Can we try it?” “Yeah, sure, let’s try it.” [To] Ricky Minor and the band, I’d be like, “What about this? Can we try something like this?” “Yeah, let’s try it, man.” It’s been very positive and creative. And never once for a second did I feel stifled in any way.”
Sources: MTV, Zap2it, USAToday
More after the JUMP…
Is there anything you would’ve changed about your final performances? “No, I had a blast, I really did. I had a good time singing
What is his 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.”
Is it better that he didn’t win because the producers are usually 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.”
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.”
What kind of album does he plan to put out? “We’re at the drawing board right now, trying to figure it 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. To me, I’m so fortunate because I got to use this show to get myself out there, so we don’t have to go about it that way. Obviously, we want the album to have a cohesive sound, but I think it can kind of be a collection of different styles with me at the center of it. Everybody knows who I am singing it, so that’s the common thread.”
Would he put together a band, or go solo? “Probably solo, but I don’t really know. It could go either way.”
Are there any mentors he’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.”
Are there any actors he admires? “I’m focusing on recording right now, but I would love to go that direction eventually. In the heyday of
Are there any fashion designers in L.A. he’s hooked onto? “I have some friends here in L.A. that ending up wardrobing me a couple of times. They’re called Skingraft. The three designers who do that line did the Ring of Fire jacket, the jacket for
If Broadway came knocking after the tour, would he be interested? Or does he plan to focus on a recording career? “I think my direction right now is to try to become a recording artist. I spent time doing the theater thing for a number of years. I’m not turning my back on it, but I’m definitely going in the other direction right now.”
Why does he gravitate to theatricality and an over-the-top style? I think it’s just in the name of good entertainment. First and foremost, it is about the music. It just kind of packages it in a little bit more of a flashy, interesting, dynamic way, in my opinion. Theatricality is just another way of performing. I don’t think it’s a better way or the way, but it’s my way. [Laughs.]
What makes his performances and 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.”
Does he hope to resurrect late-’80s, early ’90s glam rock? “Maybe little bits of it. My thing is that I don’t want to do one specific genre. I’m more about fusion. I kind of like adding little elements of things into the final mix. If anything, I’m more fond of the ’70s glam feel than the ’80s, even though I have that style of vocal. But we’ll see what happens. I’m kind of experimenting with that. There are a lot of pop artists using the glam kind of vibe in their music currently, so I think I’m actually part of a wave, and there just happens to not be many guys doing it right now.”
Why he thinks he wasn’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 theater 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.”
Was there a time he was thinking of giving 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.”
