Celebs
Adam Lambert Felt Pressured to Educate Early in His Career
Adam Lambert Felt Pressured to Educate Early in His Career
“I didn’t get into this business to be an educator.”
August 09 2019 9:13 AM EST
May 31 2023 5:02 PM EST
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Adam Lambert Felt Pressured to Educate Early in His Career
“I didn’t get into this business to be an educator.”
Speaking with Billboard as part of a group of trailblazing LGBTQ+ artists changing the industry, Adam Lambert spoke about the impact he's had on the industry and how he never set out to be an "educator."
Lambert was a pop cultural phenomenon when he competed on American Idol in 2009, something he found overwhelming. It "was so fast. All of a sudden I was on magazine covers."
Dealing with that kind of fame was already a huge adjustment "and then on top of it, there was all this energy behind being the gay guy doing it. I knew I was comfortable saying, 'Yes, I'm gay.'" Not everyone in that position -- especially at that time -- was, so good for her. "But educating the masses? I didn't get into this business to be an educator. I just wanted to wear glitter and sing." Relatable.
Lambert added that when he entered the industry, there weren't a lot of mainstream queer artists. "So that was the thing the media wanted to talk about. I loved talking about it, but at the same time I was like, 'Can it not precede me?'"
When it comes down to it, Lambert knows he doesn't have to educate in such an obvious way just because he's a queer public figure. "Leading by example is a form of activism."
The new Queen frontman also had a message for his younger queer self: "'Relax, it's all going to be fine. You're beautiful, you're not ugly, you're not going to be alone.' There was so much shame and self-hatred. I would just try to calm myself down."
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