The Librarian · @alreference
6th Dec 2010 from Twitlonger
My English translation of Adam Lambert's interview with Musique Evous: #♒♎♈
Adam Lambert puts glam rock back at the forefront and carves for himself a celebrity worthy of his voice. The 28 year old singer has closed the loop on his first international tour, which stopped at the Trabendo in Paris on November 18. In the midst of spending a few days visiting the capital, he has answered our questions. Smiling, passionate, inspired, Adam has an uncompromising character. Interview.
Adam, here you are back in France after a marathon tour. Are you holding up?
I try! We did more than 112 dates on this tour! It was awesome! I had no idea how I would cope and if I would end up in one piece (laughs). But everything went well. I didn't have to cancel a single show and I didn't lose my voice. I have finally been able to meet my fans from all over the world. What's funny is that before going on American Idol, I was thinking that maybe I should move to Europe and try to pursue a career here because I thought that I might be more easily accepted. But in the end, things turned in my favor in the U.S. ...
Did you see any differences when you met your audience in Europe?
One thing that stroke me is that the fans are generally much younger. I also saw more gays... I had a lot of fun in all cases and I lived unforgettable moments. At the Trabendo, it was great, we really had a lot of fun. The venue was small and intimate, so I was almost able to look every fan straight in the eye. We did everything on this tour, from large venues to very small ones, and it was a challenge to make the show work in such extremes. I learned a lot.
When you look at Adam a year ago and Adam now, do you see the same person?
Yes, totally. He's still the same, but much more tired! I never had to assume such a gruelling work and life schedule. Of course, with theatre and musicals, it was eight shows per week but I had three hours on stage and it was over. Now it's non-stop, 24 hours a day. But I don't complain, I know that it's worth it. I'm living my dream. I can finally share my music and my ideas with people. And from a more materialistic point of view, I can now buy a house! Before, I didn't have any money at all... But this is not the most important thing for me: the music, being an artist and expressing myself, this is what's important. But I do appreciate having a bit of security.
On your album, you expressed all your sensibilities. When you can be a rockstar as well as a popstar, is it more difficult to get accepted?
This is the strange thing... I keep being asked to explain my style or the style of my album. But that's just it: I don't need to define it. It's everything at once! And for me, this is perfectly in line with our time, music should be like that with a bit of everything. People who listen to me should be able to find something that they like, in a style that suits me and suits them.
Prestigious artists gave you tracks, such as Pink, Muse or Lady Gaga. Did you feel that this was a form of recognition? The same with the comparison with Freddy Mercury...
This meant a lot to me, really. And it also showed people in the music industry that I could be taken seriously. To be compared with Freddy was a huge compliment! An honor even, since I've been so influenced by him. Undoubtedly, it also added some pressure... I felt people's expectations...
In the U.S. your private life has become fodder for the media. How do you deal with this intrusion?
It's part of the job, one has to deal with it... And if there is something I learned since this whirlwind started, it's that I need to keep certain aspects of my private life totally private, otherwise I have nothing left to hold on to. Even if overall I have been like an open book and that most people already know most of it!
You didn't want to be the reference for the openly gay star...
Yes, but in the end I became this "openly gay singer" as they say... I didn't choose it, it just happened. I only wanted to sing, not necessarily represent a community. But at the same time, I'm very comfortable with all of it, I never feel the obligation to apologize or justify myself. I don't need to do that. And I think it's great that young people are inspired by my path and that it gives them courage it see that I don't hang my head and that I don't hide. So yes, I hope that it helps them, but this is not my main goal. My personal goal is to entertain people, to be a showman.
You enjoy provocation and you often push the boundaries of what people are used to see...
Totally! And you know why? It's because I find it hilarious! And everytime, there are people that take it so seriously, good grief... It's a bit camp but this is what pop is all about! We're there to spend a good time, and being subversive is also part of the entertainment. I don't know what happened in this business, but I tell myself that we lost something along the way and that some people should just relax a bit... All that I do, I do with a smile and a wink and most of the time, my fans get it then.
There is the provocative and sexy Adam Lambert of Fever or For Your Entertainment, but there is also the more fragile Adam of Soaked, Sleepwalker or Aftermath. Which side is the right one?
Both of them (laughs)! All of it is me. I think that right now, artists appear and disappear so fast because everytime you listen to their first album, you get the impression of listening to the same thing over and over again... I didn't want to end up like that, to be a one-hit story. And this is one thing that I'm proud about my album, it's that it shows many aspects of my personality : the hyper-sensitive side, the sexual side, the slightly clownish side and also the rebellious side. I'm a human being, I feel a lot of things, so I might as well show them.
You keep a very close contact with your fans, especially on Twitter. Do you need this feedback, this link?
I get a lot of feedback on what I do, it's true and I like it. But I mostly try to read what they're telling me in a general sense. I think that Twitter has become a way to communicate directly with my fans. It's a way to tell them "OK now, this is coming directly from me and not through a press release". It's more authentic. There has been a time where I was a bit troubled by this, it's true... But I think that I found the right way to handle it and also there are moments when I have the right to take a break. Sometimes it's hard, you finally have a day off, you walk on the street and suddenly someone recognizes you. In general, I enjoy it and I'm delighted when they tell me that they like what I do. Sometimes it can also lead into taking photos, signing tons of stuff or you realize that all they want is to change their Facebook profile picture for one with my head on it (laughs). This has nothing to do with my music. For me, all of this still remains very strange. But it doesn't anger me at all and 9 out of 10 people that I meet are fantastic.
I have an anecdote for you. Do you know that some people in Europe have known you for a long time for a reason that has nothing to do with music? During American Idol, you were asked who was your inspiration for your hairstyle at the time...
Oh my god (he bursts out laughing)! Bill Kaulitz! Of course I remember!
Did you suspect the reactions that it would elicit?
It's hilarious, really. The guy has a super style, he's very pretty. That's all, and some Tokio Hotel fans have been very angry against me. Unbelievable. And then it turned into a war between my fans and theirs, with "Adam copies Bill! No, it's Bill who's copying Adam!". But nobody is copying! We just have similar tastes: we both like black, a somewhat rock style, and fashion... There are lots of people who dress like us, but they're not all musicians and celebrities... And he prefers girls, doesn't he? Honestly, I think that you should respect how people identify themselves. If he says that he likes girls, then that's that. I just think that he seems to be a very interesting person, that's all... After that, this story has taken unbelievable proportions. We're certainly not the only two guys that wear mascara... In some way, this is forgetting our past, because in the 70s and 80s, there were lots of adepts of glam rock and androgyny... Now men don't take risks anymore. Bill and I, what we have the most in common is eyeliner... Our voices are completely different, our music is completely different and we are not alike.
You are already working on your second album and you will also release in the next few days a mini acoustic CD with a few tracks...
Yes, I already have ideas for my next album, but I haven't really started working on it. I first want to take a break and recharge my batteries. But I love the feeling that there's a demand for my next projects, because it's very motivating. I think that sometimes one has to withdraw a little from the spotlight. Your comeback will just be stronger as a result. But I won't be away for long, don't worry! I just want to spend more time on this album than on the first one, which we had to complete in only three months. In the end, we did very well but this time, I need to settle down a bit. And for the next album, the release date will be the same in all countries this time! So get prepared to see me come back in Europe very soon!
Comments gathered by Carole Bouchard.