In a new interview with Gay Times, Adam Lambert talked about how he surpassed Elton John as the first openly gay artist to debut at Number 1 with his second album, ‘Trespassing.’
When the interviewer said it has been 12 years since he made history by being the first openly gay artist to debut at number 1 on the Billboard 200, Lambert replied:
“I know, it’s wild. I was like, ‘Oh yeah, that was a moment.’ It’s funny because I look at comments like, ‘Wait, what about Elton John? What about so and so?’ It’s hard to believe actually, that it hadn’t happened. At the time I said, ‘Surely that’s not true…’”
Lambert Felt Proud With This Success
The singer further reflected on this achievement:
“It does feel nice. It’s a milestone. I was proud to have achieved it, but it was mixed with a feeling of, ‘It shouldn’t be this way, this shouldn’t be something that hasn’t been achieved before.’ Now, many years later, the music industry is so different. It’s amazing to feel like I was part of some initial wave of progress.”
Lambert’s New Documentary Recently Aired
Lambert is currently in the headlines with his new documentary ‘Adam Lambert: Out, Loud and Proud,’ which aired on ITV on June 19. It included Lambert, along with Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor, discussing Lambert’s and Mercury’s sexuality. According to The Mirror, Adam mentioned that despite joining Queen in 2011, he didn’t discuss Mercury’s sexuality with May and Taylor until they filmed the ITV1 documentary:
“They’re not usually comfortable speaking about Freddie’s sexuality on camera – they respect his privacy. But we found a way to speak about it in a respectful manner. It wasn’t revealing secrets. It was how it informed him as a creative, an artist, a human and bandmate.”
Adam added:
“I always try to honour Freddie. Everything I do on stage is a tribute to him. I’m honoured that they felt comfortable with me and open to talk about their experience with Freddie and his experience as a queer man in a time where it was taboo to talk about it publicly.”
Andy Bell from Erasure and Skin from Skunk Anansie, along with Taylor and May, share their personal stories in the documentary. Pop singer MNEK and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, the first trans woman to win a Golden Globe for her role in ‘Pose,’ also make appearances.