Adam Lambert Uses ‘American Idol’ Platform to Focus on LGBTQ+ Activism
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Adam Lambert has become a global singing phenomenon and activist since he was named the runner up on Season 8 of American Idol in 2009. In 2019, Lambert launched the Feel Something Foundation. This organization is a non-profit that supports LGBTQ+ human rights.
After traveling the world and hearing firsthand accounts from the LGBTQ+ community about the issues they face, Lambert knew he wanted to help out through activism. The main focus of the Feel Something Foundation is to help LGBTQ+ organizations tackle education and the arts, suicide prevention, mental health, and homelessness.
Adam Lambert is Helping the LGBTQ+ Community Amid the Pandemic
Even throughout the Covid-19 pandemic Lambert made sure to focus on ways to help the LGBTQ+ community. He hosted a discussion with LGBTQ+ youth in partnership with GLAAD. Together they helped raise money for those directly effected by the pandemic. Feel Something Foundation held an auction for some of Lambert’s most iconic on stage outfits to raise money.
In another collaboration with Project Angel Food, Feel Something Foundation delivered meals to people in need. For Pride Month, the 39-year-old is teaming up with Pride Live for their fourth annual Stonewall Day celebration. He visited Stonewall Inn during one of his first trips of New York. This made him want to learn more about this crucial part of LGBTQ+ history.
“I tend to seek things out,” he said in an interview. “I educated myself when I heard that there was a big scene there in the ’60s.… I think the big wake-up for everybody was people pointing out, you know, this was a riot — and it was really led and started by trans people of color. I mean, this is something that’s really important to know.”
Pride Live’s Stonewall Day Celebration will be held on Sunday, June 6. Lambert will be hosting the event. Growing up, Lambert, an out and proud gay man, was influenced by Madonna, David Bowie, and Freddie Mercury. Fittingly enough, he is now the lead singer of the Queen revival band. He first flashed his exuberant style on American Idol as one of the first male contestants who wore makeup on stage.
“I mean, some would consider what I do all the time as a type of drag,” he said.
Lambert is Also Working on Writing a Musical
Lambert grew up doing theater and fell in love with the makeup. He became interested in cosmetic fashion makeup when he was in high school. He landed a job at MAC but the singer always knew that his main passion would always be performing on stage. His dreams came true after taking a leap of faith by auditioning for American Idol. After a multitude of success from his five studio albums, Lambert is currently in the process of writing a musical.
“I’m approaching this more in the writing fashion of how I’ve done my albums in the past, which is working with a handful of amazing collaborators, different writers for different songs, different producers for different songs,” he teased. “The idea is that it’s sort of a hybrid between an album and future stage production, so it’s slightly different in how it’s being approached.”
Lambert did hint in a podcast that the musical would be 70’s themed with rock and roll music. He has quite the busy schedule and is slated to tour with Queen in 2022 in Europe. He has certainly become one of the most successful American Idol contestants of all time and continues to prove why he is an absolute rockstar inside and out.
