Adam Lambert says coming out was an ‘act of defiance’
The 'American Idol' runner-up praised how the music industry has been welcoming LGBTQ artists
By Steve Brown
Words: Steve Brown
Adam Lambert says coming out was an ‘act of defiance’.
The American Idol runner-up has released his first album in four years, ‘Velvet: Side A’, and is set to be followed early next year with Side B.
During his run on the American singing competition, pictures emerged of him kissing his then boyfriend and the likes of Fox News dubbed the photos ‘embarrassing’.
But now, while speaking to BBC News, Lambert said that once someone is a public figure, coming out can be seen as an ‘act of defiance’.
He said: “It was stressful and it was confusing. I was like, ‘What am I supposed to do?’
“In hindsight I realise there is power in coming out. The act of declaring your sexuality publicly, once you’re a public figure, is an act of defiance in some ways, and it’s also a form of activism.”
Nowadays, queer artists are dominating the charts with the likes of Christine and the Queens and Sam Smith and Lambert said it’s a big step for parents to be buying albums by these artists.
He continued: “Sam is a really interesting example because they have been able to be fully mainstream.
“I mean, mums and dads are buying Sam’s album. That’s a big move, a big step.”
During the interview, Lambert also touched upon the recent criticism Taylor Swift faced after people claiming she exploited the LGBTQ community in her single ‘You Need to Calm Down’.
He said: “I can see both sides of the controversy. People are like, ‘Oh, she was exploiting the community for her own gain’.
“But the thing that excuses that is that she called people to action. She got a ton of signatures on a petition for the Equality Act.
“That’s real action, so it’s not just for personal gain. She’s putting her money where her mouth is, and I thought that was really admirable.”