NAME: Adam Lambert
OCCUPATION: Singer
BIRTH DATE: January 29, 1982 (Age: 29)
EDUCATION: Deer Canyon Elementary School, Mesa Verde Middle School, Mount Carmel High School
PLACE OF BIRTH: Indianapolis, Indiana
Adam Lambert Relationships:
Leila Lambert - Mother
Eber Lambert - Father
Drake LaBry - Ex-significant Other
Sauli Koskinen - Significant Other
Singer. Born Adam Lambert on January 29, 1982, as the eldest of two siblings. He and his family moved to San Diego, California, from Indiana when Lambert was a baby. Lambert dreamed of being an entertainer from the age of 10; around that time he was cast in his first role as Linus in the Lyceum Theater's production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown in San Diego.
Thrilled by the stage, Lambert took private voice lessons and appeared in more musicals such as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Grease and Chess at local theatres. His voice coach, Lynne Broyles, and artistic director of the Children's Theatre Network, Alex Urban, became influential mentors during this time.
Lambert attended Mt. Carmel High School where he participated in theater, choir and jazz band. After high school, he moved to Orange County to attend college. Shortly after enrollment Lambert had a change of heart, and decided that his real desire was to perform. He left school after only five weeks.
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. Around age twelve, he was cast in a production of Fiddler on the Roof and continued performing throughout his teenage years including Hello, Dolly!, Chess, Camelot, The Music Man, Grease and played Captain Hook in Peter Pan. At age 19, Lambert left the U.S. to tour with Anita Mann Productions for ten months before returning to the U.S. to perform light opera in Orange County, California. He was then cast in the European production of Hair and U.S. theater productions of Brigadoon and 110 in the Shade, before being cast in the role of Joshua in The Ten Commandments: The Musical at the Kodak Theatre alongside Val Kilmer. Lambert was one of the few actors in the play that garnered a positive review. From December 2006 to May 2007, Lambert briefly moonlighted as the front man for underground rock band The Citizen Vein with Steve Sidelnyk, Tommy Victor and Monte Pittman. Beginning in 2004, he regularly performed at the Upright Cabaret and the Zodiac Show, which was co-created by Carmit Bachar of the Pussycat Dolls.
From 2005-2008 he performed in the ensemble, as well as understudy the role of Fiyero, in the national tour and Los Angeles productions of Wicked.
Lambert auditioned for the eighth season of American Idol in San Francisco, California. In a Rolling Stone interview he said his decision to audition for the show came after a week at Burning Man where he experimented with "certain funguses." He went on to say that "I had a psychedelic experience where I looked up at the clouds and went, 'Oh!' I realized that we all have our own power, and that whatever I wanted to do, I had to make happen."
During his initial audition, he sang "Rock With You" and "Bohemian Rhapsody." Lambert had cited several musical influences, including Madonna, Queen, David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Aerosmith, and Led Zeppelin. In the semifinals, Lambert was voted into the Top 13, joining fellow Group 2 performers Allison Iraheta and Kris Allen. Lambert and Allen became roommates in the Idol mansion, with Allen stating it was due to their neatness.
During Michael Jackson week, he sang "Black or White" leading to praise from all four judges, with Paula Abdul predicting that he would go on to the finals. The following week, Lambert sang a version of "Ring of Fire". While Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi, and Abdul all liked his performance, Simon Cowell called it "indulgent rubbish". On Motown night, Lambert sang an acoustic version of The Miracles', "The Tracks of My Tears". The judges all liked it, and Smokey Robinson, the week's mentor and the original singer-songwriter, gave Lambert a standing ovation. For his Top 8 performance, Lambert sang the 2001 Michael Andrews and Gary Jules arrangement of "Mad World". Because the show had exceeded its time slot, only Cowell gave a critique, which he did by simply giving Lambert a standing ovation. During the results next night, the other judges agreed that a standing ovation was the best critique of Lambert's performance. For his second Top 7 performance, Lambert sang "If I Can't Have You", delivering what DioGuardi described as his "most memorable performance", while Cowell described his vocals as "immaculate". Abdul was reduced to tears, with host Ryan Seacrest joking that Lambert had melted her into a "pool of Abdul". In the Top 4, Lambert was the first to sing, performing "Whole Lotta Love". Cowell commented, "that was one of my favorite performances...nobody can top that now", while Abdul, punning on the song's title, described Lambert's performance as "a whole lotta perfect".
Photos of Lambert romantically kissing another man surfaced while he was competing on American Idol. Initially shown and discussed by commentators on The O'Reilly Factor, the panel agreed that the images would likely have no impact on the competition. Lambert confirmed that the photos were of him, stating he had nothing to hide and has always been open about his life. Mainstream media speculation centered on Lambert's sexuality; presuming he was gay, he would be the first gay American Idol. 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". He confirmed that he was gay in a Rolling Stone cover story interview shortly after he was named the American Idol runner-up.
For the top three show, in which each of the three remaining contestants does a hometown visit and performance, Lambert sang both Michael Jackson's "Black or White", and the Michael Andrews / Gary Jules version of Tears for Fears' "Mad World" at his alma mater, Mt. Carmel High School. Afterwards, San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders declared May 8, 2009 "Adam Lambert Day."
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