Is The UK Ready For Adam Lambert?

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Walk down a street here in London and ask 100 people if they’ve heard of Adam Lambert and the likelihood is that 99 will say “Who?”. Ask the same question on a street in New York, and you’ll get a mere handful of blank stares. Adam Lambert is a 28-year-old club kid from Los Angeles who grew up in San Diego; but looking, sounding and glittering like a cross between Ziggy Stardust and Freddie Mercury, I have a feeling that it won’t be too long before Adam Lambert is a household name in the UK too.

In 2009, many felt that American Idol had finally found in Adam the star it had been searching for, for 8 long years. In fact, at a time when hyperbole and the overuse of prefixes such as super- and mega- have stripped the word ‘star’ of its original impact, I believe that Adam is the only real star that show has ever produced. The Kelly Clarksons and Carrie Underwoods have been well-promoted and carefully managed to churn out palatable and easily-digestible top selling hits for the masses, which fit neatly into the well-defined genres of the current US music scene. But the ease with which they can be pigeon-holed is exactly what stops those artists being true stars. A star is unique and feels like an exhilarating breath of fresh air.

Adam Lambert threw open the doors of the stale and stagnant structure that American Idol had become, letting in a bracing freshness that blew sometimes in gentle breezes, sometimes in powerful gusts, and other times in veritable tornadoes. With songs ranging from a tender and touching take on Tracks of My Tears to a wild and unleashed Whole Lotta Love, with everything in between, the gifted Adam Lambert proved on Idol that his phenomenal voice and fun, original approach could reach unexpected and exquisite heights.

Since the end of his Idol season in May 2009, Adam has remained original, continues to make us sit up and take notice, and is creating just enough of a stir to keep the media in the US talking about him. But let’s not forget that Simon Cowell said he believed American Idol had found a worldwide star in Adam. Idol is broadcast in over 100 countries across the globe, including the UK, although the show has a small audience here of only 600,000 viewers. By comparison, The X Factor receives up to 20 million viewers and Britain’s Got Talent usually attracts well over 10 million.

Strangely, Simon Cowell on AI is not the same judge we see on the 2 British shows. On AI he is restrained and an “It was OK” is Simon’s version of another judge’s gushing praise. Simon, who gives a great impression of a yo-yo on The X Factor and BGT, has given one solitary standing ovation in the 8-year history of American Idol, and that was to Adam Lambert for Mad World.

Despite the passionate fan following Adam has already gained in the US, not everyone there is so enamoured of him. Some simply don’t like his music. Fair enough. But for others, the music is not the issue. Adam attracted considerable vitriol from the moment, early on in the Idol season, when it became clear that Adam is gay, a fact that he refreshingly talks about as matter-of-factly as if he were telling you his eyes are blue. From the vantage point of this eccentric island across the Atlantic, where we half expect our entertainers to be gay, the scorning of a singer for the sole reason of his being homosexual is bemusing. This is all the more so when that singer is described as “phenomenally gifted” by Queen’s Roger Taylor and prompts quietly-spoken Brian May to admit “I'm not easily moved to jelly by male vocalists ... but Adam's voice reaches out with sensitivity, depth, maturity, and awesome range and power which will make jaws drop all around the world. ... No doubt about it. The world of rock has a bright new star.” Roger and Brian are hardly strangers to prodigious talent. And yet is seems clear that some sections of American society will never accept Adam.

But, never one to dwell on negatives nor be contained within boundaries of any kind, Adam has wings. This free spirit who, despite the hurdles, is nevertheless enjoying resounding success in the US (his album has already gone gold) is poised for stardom in other countries too and, with many nations around the globe impatient for his arrival there, Adam and the UK seem to be a perfect fit.

From the moment we were first introduced to Adam Lambert, his own interest in British music was evident. His Idol audition piece was Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, and throughout the series he covered the Rolling Stones, Tears for Fears, Queen, Foghat, Led Zeppelin and Muse’s version of Feelin’ Good (he names Muse as one of his current favourite bands). Irish band U2 also got the Lambert treatment. He often talked during the series about being strongly inspired by Freddie Mercury, Bowie and much of the British glam rock and classic rock of the 1970s, and possesses much of the individuality, charisma and glamour that Bowie and Freddie Mercury brought to their art.

Even more significantly, every single one of the songs Adam chose for his set during the Idol tour across the US is by a British act: Led Zeppelin, Muse, Tears for Fears, Foghat and David Bowie. And the cover of his album, For Your Entertainment, is a deliberately tongue-in-cheek homage to Bowie’s Hunky Dory cover, with an Aladdin Sane feel thrown in for good measure

Personally managed by Simon Fuller, Adam will be trusting that his introduction to the UK will be handled in the most appropriate way possible. Adam’s success here will depend largely on how he is promoted and how sustained that promotion is. Despite Adam appearing to be very UK-friendly, there are no guarantees that British audiences will take to him, and it will almost certainly take time. However, with one of the most important success factors being radio airplay, at least we can assume that his sexuality won’t be a factor in whether UK radio stations decide to play his music. Not that homophobia doesn’t exist here; it absolutely does. But fortunately for Adam, the entertainment industry seems to be immune.

Until November 23 2009, there were virtually no mentions of Adam in the UK media. Then, at 10.55pm on a Sunday night, America had its collective apoplectic fit at the American Music Awards when Adam kissed his male keyboard player and held a male dancer’s face to his navel (yes, it really was his navel, and nowhere near his crotch) during his performance. To be fair, only certain very vocal groups were incensed enough to complain but the incident caused enough of a firestorm in the US press for ripples to spread across the Atlantic and just about make their way into a couple of British media outlets. However, it was the extreme reactions in the US, rather than the acts themselves, that were the focus of any reports here. It is unlikely that the same behaviour at a British music awards show would have prompted such outrage. Audience response might range from mild distaste, through surprise and amusement to full approval. But outrage? On a music awards show? At 10.55 on a Sunday night?

Since the New Year, the drip feeding of Adam Lambert news in the UK press has continued but with the promise of more to come, as they refer to Adam as a hot one to watch in 2010. And hard-to-please DJ Paul Gambaccini on Britain’s biggest radio station, BBC Radio 2, chose “the dynamic Adam Lambert” as one of his favourite breakthrough artists of 2009, describing him as worthy of a lengthy musical career.

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With these sources all suggesting he is set to become big here in 2010, we look forward to the official UK release of his CD, For Your Entertainment, in mid-April. Flying in the face of US music market demands that an album must fit into a specific genre, For Your Entertainment is a fabulously eclectic and modern collection of tracks that reflect Adam’s broad musical tastes and influences, and gives him the opportunity to shine in a wide range of genres. And shine he certainly does. The album positively sparkles and each listen produces a new favourite.

Although the US import of the album was given a “soft” release here in November 2009, the April release will contain 2 extra tracks specifically for the international market. Adam will visit the UK in the first half of April to promote the CD and a single with TV and radio interviews.

We had no hesitation here in taking eccentric Lady Gaga, unconventional Kesha and crazy Katy Perry into our hearts and we are ready for a new male star, a true star, to reign alongside these quirky ladies. In addition to his exceptional voice, palpable charisma and genuine reverence for music ‘Made in England’, the exhilarating Adam Lambert is just enough of an oddity to be a perfect candidate for the position.

By Etty Payne
RockStar Weekly UK Correspondent