LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNALIt’s easy to see how Adam Lambert became a true American Idol
“Adam Lambert, 32, Superstar, Hollywood, CA.”
When Adam Lambert appeared last year as a guest judge on “American Idol,” returning to the show that catapulted him to fame, that was the biographical information that appeared on the screen.
Expressing regret that he wasn’t on hand for his original tryout, Harry Connick Jr. convinced Lambert to re-create his audition. The onscreen overlay didn’t appear dramatically different from how it read six years prior, when Lambert showed up in San Francisco and slayed everybody.
The age on the title card has changed, obviously, as Lambert was only 26 back then. But otherwise everything seems pretty much the same: same guy, same name, same hometown. If you pull up the clip on YouTube, however, you will notice one key difference: The word “superstar” has replaced the previous “stage actor” designation.
Considering how deftly Lambert leaped from a respectable theater career to being a bona fide star in what seemed like the blink of an eye, that couldn’t be more fitting or accurate, as that’s pretty much exactly what happened in real life.
Fact is, though, you didn’t have to be Simon Cowell to see that one coming. Back in 2009, from the very first notes when Lambert launched into an a capella version of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” it was apparent he was someone special, a performer poised to become the biggest pop star the program had produced since Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.
Just like when those two titanic talents set themselves apart with their stunning vocals, Lambert gave notice that he would set the world on fire, and that’s what he did in short order.
Looking back now, Lambert says that’s precisely what he aimed to do when he left the Los Angeles production of the musical “Wicked,” a role that paid quite well. One of the prerequisites for earning a place on “Idol” is that you can’t be attached to any such production.
“I auditioned for ‘Idol,’ and they were like, ‘You’ve got to quit that show,’ because you can’t be in a professional anything,” Lambert explains. “So I quit, and then ‘Idol’ happened. It was a gamble, because they made me quit before I even got in front of Simon, Paula and Randy and Kara. So it was definitely a gamble.”
Indeed. Before that opportunity arose, Lambert had worked tirelessly most of his adult life performing on stage.
To keep him occupied as a youngster, Lambert’s parents placed him in a theater group.
“That’s what started my love affair of performing, and we were doing musicals,” Lambert says. “I was listening to soundtracks of musicals and really diving into that whole world and studying. I was such a student of it. You know, I learned every soundtrack recording and score and then started taking voice lessons and really improved my voice.”
When it came time to choose one love over another, the decision wasn’t as agonizing as you’d think. He’d already determined that being a theatrical performer wasn’t completely scratching his itch.
“It wasn’t satisfying me creatively,” Lambert says. “It wasn’t matching what my actual interests were as a creative person. I realized that I had been listening to … up until that point, I had been listening to a lot of ’70s rock, and I had started a band, and then I went and did this and went, ‘I want to be in my band.’ ”
When “Idol” opened up, “I thought, well, this could be a shot and if I don’t take it, I’m going to kick myself later,” he says. “And I’m glad it worked out. It’s definitely an example of you’ve got to take the risk in order to get the reward.”
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www.reviewjournal.com/neon/sounds/it-s-easy-see-how-adam-lambert-became-true-american-idol
