InstaLove: Adam Lambert Throughout the Years

With contestant number "1877" pinned to his chest the singer, then 27, stood in front of American Idol judges Simon Cowell, Kara DioGuardi, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson in the audition room where, in a bit of foreshadowing, he sang "Bohemian Rhapsody." Cowell called him theatrical, but it was a unanimous "yes" and he got his golden ticket.
"I am theatrical," Lambert said in an interview with San Diego Union-Tribune after the 2009 audition. "In the current pop scene, lots of performers are going in that direction, more theatrical in appearance, in camp value. So I don't consider it derogatory at all."

In 2009 during "American Idol," Lambert was at the verge of winning. But something stood in his way; was he gay or not? It's hard to imagine that 15 years ago the question of someone's sexuality was a deciding factor for a rocker in a pop music reality competition show. Throughout the years many male artists have toyed with sexual ambiguity through clothing style and cosmetics, and they all had one thing in common; they weren't out of the closet. And yet, gay or not, they are now considered legends. Back then America was going through a cultural shift, especially within the LGBTQ+ community. Marriage equality was having its own competition at the polls; Lambert's place in American Idol and the fight for human rights were neck and neck.

"I think I lost some fans at that point," he said last year. "But I always said to myself, 'Well, those aren't the fans I want anyway.' If they think I'm gay, and they don't like that, then go away. That's who I am."

Lambert wouldn't come out until 2009 in an article for Rolling Stone.

Speaking of style, Lambert's brand has always met at the intersection of fashion and pop ranging from an emo, jagged matte black fringe haircut in his "American Idol" days, to an Elvis-inspired pompadour, to the visually psychoactive hair colors that range from River Styx red to Disco Enchantress green, all teased into a spiky mass reaching high into the ether. You probably can't think of Lambert without thinking of his signature hair.

There is also the softer side of the rock star when he removes his theatrical presence and steps out of the spotlight. As much as Lambert is known for his music and style, he is also known for his philanthropy. He has given both time and money to organizations such as The Trevor Project, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, and performed on the single "Hands" which helped the victims of Pulse.

Lambert's third album "The Original High" was his first after leaving the RCA label. It was produced by Max Martin and Shellback, the same team that wrote and produced "Whataya Want From Me" It was also his first album to chart in the top 10 in the U.K. Released in 2015, this album is a catalog of electro-pop anthems perfect for after party cooldowns in someone's basement.

At the 2009 American Music Awards, Lambert shocked television audiences by kissing his male bass player on stage. It wasn't something the network appreciated. "I got off stage and I got in trouble. The network was like, 'How dare you?' They banned me for a while," Lambert told EW. "They threatened me with a lawsuit. It was like, 'Oh, okay, that's where we're at." Since then Lambert has stated he will "be as gay as I fucking can be" from now on.

For his "American Idol" audition Lambert had only one tattoo and that was of the Eye of Horus on his right wrist. "I make up a reason for things, and I was like, 'yeah, I need an eye of protection because I'm going to be seen on camera and this will protect me," Lambert said to iHeartRadio. Now that self-expression has blossomed into a full Greek god Baroque sleeve on his right arm and a large mosaic design on his left.

In 2014, Lambert was asked to play alongside the rock band Queen, and they subsequently asked him to join them indefinitely. In honor of the band's original lead singer Freddy Mercury, the group didn't add him as a part of to the collective title but instead added a plus sign preceding Lambert's name. Queen + Adam Lambert have become a great success, and they are currently finishing up their Japanese tour with a final show on February 14.

Since his debut on "American Idol" 15 years ago, Adam has become not only a music icon, but a philanthropist, and activist. He says in this post that he has "lots of inspiring projects on the horizon- looking forward to sharing them with you. Feeling confident and so clear on my path. Sometimes it takes YEARS to work certain things out and find your truest vibration. I'm grateful to know what I know, while continuing to learn from the incredible people around me. I have to humbly admit that I might be getting better with age! Mind, body and spirit. Stay tuned for much more to come. This photo is from one of my favorite shoots with the late @josephsinclair"