Adam Lambert, known for fronting Queen, is releasing a new self-titled album called ADAM, inspired by the 90s alternative and electronica scene. Despite being his sixth solo offering, it is his first album released independently, giving him greater creative freedom.
Album Theme of Self-Acceptance
Lambert explained the album's title: "I was toying with some titles and I was like, well, I don't know how to sum this one up. It's just me. I kind of realised that the theme is sort of like self-acceptance. It's like looking in the mirror and going, 'okay, these are the things about myself that are good, and then this is the stuff that's not so good.' And kind of owning it as opposed to being in denial or running from it."
He added that the album includes "confessional type songs" that admit to habits and bad choices, rather than painting himself as perfect.
Independence from Major Labels
Releasing independently allowed Lambert to avoid creative compromises: "There's no politics that you're jumping around in. The difference of a major label is that they're the bank and that they're funding it. But when they're funding it, they have a lot of opinions. I've worked with some great people, but I've also worked with some people that had no clue. So it just felt like, you know what, let's just do this this way. I got to hire an A&R that helped me put the thing together. I'm playing boss and it feels good."
Honouring Queen's Legacy
Reflecting on his time with Queen, Lambert said: "I feel like I'm still me when I do it. I think I try to sort of honour the spirit of it, without imitating Freddie. I try to kind of think about the intention. It's a very actor-y way of doing it. But what's the intention of this song or of this lyric or whatever? And I try to bring the same sort of humour or gravitas that Freddie brought to it, the best I can."
New Musical in the Works
Lambert has also been working on a biographical musical since the pandemic. He revealed: "I've been writing a musical. I can't give it all away, but it's a biographical musical about somebody that lived in the 70s. A musician whose story I love, but he's sort of obscure. A lot of people don't know who he is. I think it has some potential. I really like it. I might be in it. I don't know if I would play the lead. I might play the villain."
Lambert will perform a headline show on July 21 at The Roundhouse in London.
