Lambert: Easier now to be ‘queer’ in music
NEW YORK — Adam Lambert, who rose on the music scene as the runner-up on “America Idol” in 2009, says he’s happy to see more LGBTQ artists find “mainstream” success.
“I think it’s less taboo to be queer in the music industry now because there’s so many cases you can point to like, ‘Oh, it worked for him. It worked for her.’ I think 10 years ago, it was a lot different,” Lambert said in a recent interview. “Ten years ago, it was kind of like no one really knew. And I met a lot of amazing people in the industry ... who on a personal level were cool with me and totally open, but didn’t understand how this was going to work in mainstream America. Now, I think ... they know better. Now, people aren’t as scared. There’s answers. There’s examples.”
One person Lambert points to is “Old Town Road” rapper Lil Nas X, who announced he was gay while his song was on top of the Billboard charts this year.
“I can relate to someone like Lil Nas X who waited until a song went to No. 1 to be like, ‘By the way, I’m gay,’ ” Lambert said. “It proves a point that you can have success, big success. And maybe it’s not about what your sexuality is at the end of the day. Maybe it’s about do you like the (expletive) song or not?”
Lambert, who has been touring with legendary rock band Queen, is hoping to move the needle again with his own music. The EP “Velvet: Side A,” his first new project in four years, was released last month.
“There’s a lyric in ‘Superpower,’ ” he said referring to his current single: “‘You kick us down in the dirt, but we ain’t going away.’
“People are pissed off and people are being marginalized all over the place. And I hope that if you’re somebody that’s feeling that way, you can listen to the song and it gives you like a little boost.”