Who is Adam Lambert?
Adam Mitchel Lambert was born on 29 January 1982, in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA of Jewish and Norwegian descent. He is a singer, actor, and songwriter, best known for rising to fame after competing in the eighth season of “American Idol” in which he finished runner-up. Since then, he’s sold millions of albums and singles, and has also regularly toured with the band Queen as their lead vocalist for the project Queen + Adam Lambert.
The Wealth of Adam Lambert
As of early-2020, Adam Lambert’s net worth is estimated to be over $20 million, earned through a successful career in the music industry.
He is one of the most successful alumni from “American Idol”, and has been nominated for a Grammy Award once. His touring and releases have helped in building his wealth.
Early Life, Education, and Career Beginnings
Adam grew up in Indianapolis with a younger brother – his father worked as a program manager, while his mother was a dental hygienist. The family relocated to San Diego, California when he was nine. He developed a strong interest in music and performance, joining the Metropolitan Educational Theatre (MET2) as a performer, and took vocal and acting lessons while performing. He also worked on his education, attending Mount Carmel High School where he joined the school’s band.
Some of the productions he was a part of include “Peter Pan”, “Grease”, and “Camelot”. After matriculating, he enrolled at California State University, Fullerton but eventually left university to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. In 2001, he got his first job working on a cruise ship, which lasted for nearly a year.
Path to American Idol
After working on a tour of the production “Hair”, he continued with various theatre companies such as the Pasadena Playhouse and Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS). He worked alongside Val Kilmer for “The Ten Commandments: The Musical”, and was also a part of a touring production of “Wicked” in 2005.
He was also a session musician, and sang demos with The Citizen Vein.
In 2009 he auditioned for “American Idol”, showcasing his love for rock music with “Bohemian Rhapsody” from Queen as his audition piece. During the competition, he earned the praise of judges and viewers with unique renditions of popular songs, including a new arrangement of the song “Mad World” which earned him a standing ovation. Simon Cowell called him an international star though he did not win the competition, losing to Kris Allen. Allen thought that Lambert would win, but speculation was that he lost a lot of his voters after openly admitting that he was gay.
The loss didn’t stop his career momentum, as he released his debut album “For Your Entertainment” the following year, which sold well enough to reach third spot on the Billboard 200. He received praise for his vocal ability, and his song “Whataya Want from Me” was nominated for a Grammy Award. He toured to promote his music, which attracted more controversy as people objected to his open expression of his sexuality, one that he defended.
Forward Momentum
Following features in high profile magazines such as “Rolling Stone” and “Entertainment Weekly”, he briefly returned to “American Idol” as a mentor, before embarking on his first headlining tour called “Glam Nation Tour”., and featured in the show “Behind the Music”.
In 2011, he was asked by Queen to become their lead singer in a performance during the MTV Europe Music Awards, and later that year released his second album called “Trespassing”, which received positive reviews and debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 chart.
He toured around the world to promote his music, and then went on a tour with Queen for six dates. He also made his first performance in South Africa, and then joined RCA Records which led to more tours, this time across Asia. However, he left the company shortly afterwards, due to creative differences, as RCA was pushing him to make covers akin to his time on “American Idol”.
Working with Queen
In recent years, Lambert has been more active with Queen, with the band naming him as their frontman for touring. This gained some negative responses, as people were comparing him with the late Freddie Mercury who had a very different voice. Others defended Lambert, who wasn’t trying to copy Mercury’s style, but was singing Queen songs his way. The overall reception has been positive, and the band has been touring regularly since 2014. This was a fulfillment of a dream which he expressed during his first interview on “American Idol”, in which he jokingly stated that he would one day like to perform with Queen.
In 2015, he released a new album called “The Original High” which reached the third spot on the Billboard 200, and for which he received numerous awards, including the Best Foreign Artist Award at the Eska Music Awards in Poland. He continued making appearances around the world, and was ranked the top for earnings of former “American Idol” contestants as compiled by “Forbes”. In 2017, he went on a worldwide tour with Queen, and also made guest appearances in “The X Factor”. One of his latest projects is the album “Velvet”, and he’s also been more active in charity programs.
Personal Life
In 2010, Adam started a relationship with reality television star Saul Koskinen which lasted for three years; they separated but remained friends. In 2019 he began a relationship with model Javi Costa Polo.
His vocal ability has been praised by various celebrities and media outlets. His range spans three octaves and has power comparable to artists such as Whitney Houston. His voice is also insured at a value of $48 million. Following his “American Idol” appearance, he’s also been more noted with his flamboyant fashion sense, which takes influences from various eras of rock, and has led him to be featured in fashion magazines as well.