Thinking Out Loud With Elvis DuranSinging Sensation Adam Lambert On Touring With Queen And Coping With Anxiety
Singer-songwriter Adam Lambert joins Elvis to talk about touring with Queen, learning to cope with anxiety, and how he's embraced rest as international music sensation.
The New York Post here is kind of famous for their crazy headlines and your posts. And they found a murder victim in a strip club and the headline was headless girl in a topless club. And that was the headline on the front page of the newspaper. All sold out. They've never sold it. Thank god you're listening. They said it wouldn't last, and here it is on this podcast. We're talking to my friend Adam Lambert. And at the end of these thirty minutes, he'll be your friend too. Just the nicest guy, and he already has this rich history even after only fourteen years since American Idol when he first hit the scene. Let's talk about being on the road with Queen filling the shoes of Freddie Mercury. Is that what he's doing or is he doing his own thing. Let's talk about his new album. Let's talk about anxiety, Let's talk about how he looks, his glam everything about him is so interesting. Well, you'd be the judge of that. Here we go, Oh, hi, is it time to roll the fourth podcast? They said we would never make it this far, and I'm thanking the God above that we did. Because Adam Lambert's here. Hi Adam, Hi, thank you for being.
Here, Thanks for having me.
Look here you are in New York City. I know you've got a lot going on. You're talking about the new album called High Drama. You've got beauty products that you're pushing.
I am, I'm like a jack of all trades right now.
Let's do this. Let's play a game. Let's play the game. Name everything you're doing? This not music related?
Oh lord? Okay, nail polish, but orly we did a collaboration. I've been doing some voiceover work stuff like for some cartoons you have to be revealed later. Okay, all right, what else am I doing that's not music? And it all kind of comes back to music, actually, So I don't know. I don't think there's anything else to report.
I mean, it was what ten, eleven, how many years ago when you were on idol, when we first were introduced you, fourteen years ago.
Okay, isn't that crazy?
So fourteen years ago you're like, Okay, I don't know what the f we're doing here, but let's get up the next stage. And you totally won our hearts and you won us over. But back in the day, did you ever think that one day you'd be in New York talking about this line of fingernail polish.
This sounds silly, but it's such a fantasy of mine, you know, Ever since I literally when I was like probably like a freshman in high school, I remember watching TV and seeing Dave Navarro talking about wearing nail polish, and it was it was like he was putting on this like gun metal color and he just looked so cool. And I remember being like, Oh, I want to wear nail polish. And I went to a hot topic at the mall. H I found some nail polish and I put it on. It's just I've always loved it. And so the fact that I got to develop these colors and name them, that's so fun.
Well, then the next time we read them all you stopped, obviously by piercing Pagoda, because you've got lots of piercings, going yeah, if you do, you have any down below? No.
No, I had my nipple pierce once though, but only one. You made it sound like that was thing in the past. It was terrible. It got I was on tour. This is so gross.
It got infected, right, which is not fun. So you were like spotting your blouse on swell more or less.
Yeah, I mean when you're sweating and stuff, like on stage and working and you you know, it gets in there and it literally swelled to the size of a golf ball. It was terrifying. Okay, and we had to have a doctor. This is so gross. You don't want this on your podcast?
Yes I do.
Oh my god, oh boy. The doctor had to come in and like drain it.
Yeah.
I'm telling you have never felt anything more painful in my life.
Well, so, so therefore you didn't you didn't do more piercings. No, No, have you ever dated a guy that had like Prince Alberts and stuff like that? Is this getting too personal?
No? I have not dated a guy that had a Prince Albert, but I've definitely experienced one.
Okay, because I mean, because that shit can ship a tooth, you know what I'm saying.
Exactly? Okay, well exactly. I was like, take it out.
Let's get back to the music, shall me. I don't feel like you started with that. The reason why I love it when you visit us because when Adam Adam visits the station and the show, it usually means there's a promo ahead, and you're always glammed up. You've got the hair looking spiked and fun, You've got the makeup on, you've got the wardrobe. Of course, I.
Feel like at this point if I didn't, it would be like weird because people like that's just what they know of me. And then I feel like if I came in like full, like you know, day off vibe, which is different. I mean I like to wear like sweatpants and a baseball hat when I'm walking around, right, I think I just think people would be disappointed in me. Do you still well? I know this is radio, so that's funny. But there are cameras, I swear, you know, we have proof he's looking great. But do you I and for lack of a better term, do you enjoy playing dress up?
Do you enjoy it? I love it.
I you know, there are days every once in a while if it's a busy schedule, I'm like, oh, I gotta do it. I gotta get ready. You know, it becomes a bit of a chore. But once I start, I get into it.
I like it.
It puts me in a mood, It makes me feel creative, it puts me in like it gives me confidence, makes me feel like, you know, I'm stepping into my uniform almost like this is my this is my world, this is my job.
So you know, when you're when you're made up and looking really really really beautiful, you must that means there's something going on, an event, there's something outside. Typically yeah, so you're it's psyching you up for whatever event.
Exactly be I mean, there's nothing like getting ready for even if it's not work, if it's like a night out, there's nothing like that, like getting ready for a night out. You have your music playing.
I like that feeling. I want you to take all of us to a place that we will never know unless living it, like caiously through you. Let's say you're going to an award show, a big let's say it's a Grammy. Let's say it's a big award show. Yeah, and so start out with the people who come over, and they they they style you, they or they help you with your decisions. I'm sure, I'm sure no one helps man.
I do it myself.
You do all yourself.
Yeah.
Okay, so you.
Don't have a stylist right now, I don't have makeup or hair.
And you don't need one. I mean you you hit it out of the park every time.
I mean, I've definitely used them in the past, but I currently know yeah, not recently.
Okay. It's the day of the event, let's call it the Grammys, Okay, okay, and you're in home, you're at home or in your hotel room, and you're look in the mirror, you're putting it all on, you're getting that hair just right, and you're taking your time. Hopefully there's no rush because you want to, like I.
Mean, there's for some reason, there's always a rush. I'm always running behind. But you know, I work well under pressure, so maybe that's part of it. I don't know. And then on.
Comes big heavy metal jewelry, and then comes all the piercings and you know what am I going to put my ear holes? And then the clothing. Then you hop into the back of an suv. Yeah, and they pull up in front of the whatever theater where all the paparazzi. Paparazzi's out front. It's going to be and you know it's going to be a lightning flash or seventeen of flash. What are you feeling? Right as the door opens and you step that eight inch platform heel outside the suv and you have to get from that truck to the door and inside. What's it like that rush of going through that red carpet? Do you know?
I think if I go back, like six seven years ago, it used to kind of give me like I would be excited, but it would also give me like a little pang of anxiety, like because it was just a lot of energy. But these days, I just I think I've grown into it as best I can, and it just feels like another day of what I do. And I love getting dressed up, so it feels like, oh, look what I could show off, what I did, what I made, what I put together. You know, it doesn't freak me out at all like it used to in the beginning, right, So it feels good. It feels like, hey, a lot of the photographers look familiar, you know, like, hey guys, you know, it's kind of like I've gotten used to it.
You know. There was a there was actually it was the Grammys, and I was working with a news organization. We were a first position, so people would stop at us first, so we would interview them and talk about what they were wearing on that bullshit there was one artist who I'm not going to say who. She her name. She had so much anxiety she had to get back in the suv and lead. Oh and later on we had a private moment talking about it, and she said that it just it was just overwhelming for her. Yeah, it just took her mentally to a place where she can be. Yeah, it was a lot. It was a rush of just fright because she knew as soon as she made through made it through the photographers, she came to us and we had questions.
She Yeah, sometimes it takes a second to kind of like ground yourself afterwards, because it can be very like dizzying, you know. I think for me, like, and I've talked openly about this, like I'm I'm on medication for anxiety, so that like that helps me so much deal with all the crazy energy that comes out. It helps me stay centered and grounded. So I feel like, you know, and it's not for everybody, but I feel like, you know, in talking about mental health stuff, I discovered a couple of years ago, oh this is what anxiety is. I didn't realize that I had been suffering from it for so long. And so after like some therapy and you know, some pharmaceutical help. It's like so much easier to go to work now, it's like way more I can just be the moment, which is so nice.
If you're a friend and said, hey, Adam, you've been so vocal about your mental health and anxiety. I'm going through that too, Convince me to do something about it, because I can't tell the difference with just what's reality and what I should be dealing with as a human being versus what is over supercharged in my head. And do you have an explanation you could give. Let's say, if I.
Leave you as a friend, I mean, I would definitely say, like, it's up to you, because I do think it's different for everybody. Some people react really well to therapy and medication. Some people don't want to be on a medication daily like that bothers them. The idea of it bothers them, or the physical feeling of it bothers them. I think it's kind of to each their own, really, And there's also a lot of other, you know, alternative therapies now you know that they're coming up with that are very interesting. So I don't know, I would say, like, is it worth it? Is it worth suffering. I mean, is it ruining your lifestyle? Is it getting in the way of you enjoying yourself and being present in these amazing moments or not.
You wonder, like, how many moments have I missed out on because I just felt it better to stay home? Yeah, because I just didn't want to deal.
With or I was in my head, or you know, or I was thinking too much about what if? What if? What if? You know? What are they thinking? What?
You know?
It's it. I think everyone's different, like I said, But for me, I also didn't realize that I had any sort of like issue. I just thought, Oh, I'm just stressed, you know. Oh, I'm just in you know, I'm just an overthinker, which is true. But like you know, when I finally like hit the wall at one point, was like getting panic attacks out of nowhere for no apparent reason. I was like, oh, dang, Like this is more serious than I thought. And I think as we get older, our bodies change, and these things can be become worse or become you know, more, you know, easily recognized than we once recognized them. And once I found that to be the case, I was like, well, Okay, let's get some.
Help, could you? And if I get too personal, just say no, it's fine.
I'm pretty Would you.
Count the number of panic like serious attack panic attacks you've had in your life on one two hands or I.
Never had one before in my entire life until like twenty eighteen or nineteen. During that year, it was just I think some of it was like burnout, like I was working a lot and traveling a lot, and jet lag will take it out of you. You know, it will zap you. I mean, and from what I've learned, like it actually attacks the you know, the chemical in your brain that that that causes this anxiety thing when it's out of whack. So I think it was a combination of a lot of things. But that was when it first started, and it was terrifying because I didn't know what was going on. I didn't know why I was having a panic attack. Half the time it was for no apparent reason. It was literally just a physical reaction.
Isn't that weird?
It is weird because someone goes, well, why, and I'm like, I don't know. It's not logical.
You can't. You can't announce the trigger. You can't. I've had it. I've had two and I could absolutely And yeah, I thought I was having a heart attack, right, because I would, you know whatever, right, But you know what, once you once you seek help, you learn, you learn about it and you can learn how to.
Make and honestly like the pandemic, you know, it was a lot of things for a lot of people.
It was.
There were a lot of disappointments associated with it. For me, but also once I got over the disappointments, which was my album Velvet that came out a week before everything shut down, I was like, oh, but once I got over that, it actually became a really beautiful time of sort of self care and sort of getting back to myself and you know, starting some creative projects, not on a tight timeline, but being able to focus on them, you know, and unencumbered and with full attention. And you know, I think I'm grateful for that time. You know, I'm grateful for the time off so that when I got back into this career and our lifestyle that we're all in hustling all the time, it like kind of gave me new energy behind it.
And the things we learn from pandemic is learning how to push a button shut it down. Yeah, and we didn't know that before.
And it also like I think it reminded me of priorities were like it kind of it got me back in check with like the things that I need to stay happy and content. And it's not all career stuff. As much as I love what I do and I put a lot of work and time into it, I also was like, you know what, I need to maybe balance this out with like my personal life a little bit more.
I deserve that everyone needs to listen to that carefully because it's very that balance thing. People hear that word balance. I think we use that life professional balance conversation too much. People don't hear it anymore. It's so important.
It's nice too, you know. I think I think it's I think our lifestyle here in America is very like hustle mentality. It's go go, go, go go. We won't want to win, and there's a healthy amount of competition that can be a great motivator. But I have some friends over in Europe and there's other countries that like collectively just look at certain things differently, like the way of life is different. And my partner right now, he's Danish, and like the in Denmark, like the Danish way of sort of life. There's a different emphasis on work, there's a different emphasis put on competition and winning. It's it's less emphasis, and they put more time and thought into lifestyle and just enjoying themselves and sharing time with family. And it's like, oh, and live longer. Probably probably they're all one hundred and fifty years old over. I also have a lot of rules for like healthier food and all that. It's a beautiful place. I'm not saying that I don't love being here, but you know, it's it's just reminds you that there's other ways of doing things.
That's why it's important to have a passport to see the world and see how they live and do a lot in life. So you know what, ten years on the road with Queen. Of course this meeting happened, thank god, because of American idol, and these guys said, look, you know what, no one else can do it like Adam Lambert. I know, but you know, stepping into those those those shoes, Freddie Mercury, you know, and you never came in and wanted to be Freddie Mercury. You came in and you were Adam Lambert with Queen and it's just worked out so beautifully. But ten years it still go. And then you said earlier that you just don't see you don't see it the plug being pulled anytime soon, because people are still selling out. People still come.
Yeah. I mean it's really like, you know, if Brian and Roger wanted to do another tour, I mean, that's it, that's all it takes. I mean, luckily people will still want to come see us. And I mean we sold out this North American tour that's coming up in October November. We sold it out in like a day ish.
If you guys ever looked into the demographics of who's coming to these shows, well.
I can see I look out in the audience a lot. I really love you can see the hairstyles, yeah, or the baldings exactly. But it's interesting because you know, we were always pretty successful as a collaboration, and we were selling really well for years. But then when the movie came out, the Bohemian Rhapsody film, that like took things into the stratosphere because all of a sudden you had different generations, more of them. You know, I've never seen so many young people at our shows until after that movie. It's amazing. I mean it's you know, in Europe, we were on tour last summer. We did ten shows in London at the O two and a bunch around Europe and they had standing room on the floor, like you know, the floor of these arenas and it was just like teenagers. It was crazy and they're just like they love rock and roll. It's it's almost like, I think, because it's a generational thing, it's like they're discovering something new for them, right, this classic rock thing too.
Don't tell them it's old, yeah, right right, brand new, brand new from this new It's though, everyone.
Loves to discover music, and I think there's like this resurgence of rock and roll right now, which is really cool.
So back to the movie. When you saw the movie, yeah, did it? Did it shift anything in your mind and how you performed with the guys? Did it change your outlook on Queen? Where did you see it? For the A lot of things to learn, a lot of things for the first time that made you great?
I am I had heard a lot of those things before, you know, I think being with them for the previous what eight years before that movie, I guess it was like eight years. I guess that was longer ago anyway, being on the road for them for that long before where the movie came out. I was actually on the plane while they were planning the movie. I mean I was like I was a fly on the wall. So I wasn't surprised by anything. I was actually really excited to see it all like come together. I thought the music was so well like edited and like the music really shown in that movie. I thought that was really important is that their catalog of amazing hits was sort of on display, you know that. I mean that's what they're known for us.
That was really important. Oh, absolutely, But especially the scenes where the camera is behind Freddy Mercury.
Look like yes, I mean, how many millions of.
People around the world were watching, But how many people were there at live A do we?
I don't know. I actually just performed in that stadium, so a couple of weeks ago.
It was eighty thousand, okay, So that's where I lost it when I saw the view from the stage. Yeah, because it's daytimes, so there's no lighting like blinding you see every right little head out there. That's gotta be just nuts. I mean, do you do you think of eighty thousand people as individuals or is it just one big piece of energy.
It is. That's a good way to put it. It is energy. It's like plugging into a battery. It feels really good actually, as long as everything's going well.
Right.
But like we did right before the pandemic, we did a tour down in Australia and we were playing stadiums and that was my first time with Queen playing that large of space and it was nuts. I mean, you do get extra extra momentum from them, you get extra juice, you know. It's like, I don't know, it's like you get off stage from a crowd that big and you're really hyped. I mean that's funny because it's almost like I've gotten numb to you know, oh, eighteen thousand whatever. But that's become normal.
You know, It's not a numbness, I don't think. And I was thinking, I'm making this observation because I remember when we first met you back in the idle days or just beyond long time ago, to see how you have. You have changed and we all have. I'm not in just physically being older and wiser, but you have just grown into this incredible you. And so to hear you talk about walking out in front of eighty thousand people or walking in front of the paparazzi was just, oh, it's another day at the office, but still looks like you enjoy that living hell out of it.
It took a long time to get to this point too, you know, because there was a point maybe it was you know, some of this anxiety stuff, but also just just typical stuff of like putting, you know, hanging your worth and your happiness on certain things that you can't control. I think that learning that lesson really helped me of just being like, you know what, I'm doing my best and I want to enjoy this. So like shifting my thought process behind it, I think allowed me to like sink into it a bit more, you know, And I do feel that way. I do feel like I've sort of I've grown up a bit. I'm like in a sweet spot right now, which feels really good.
You know what that is the best advice ever is just figuring figuring out what it is you can or cannot control, and then you got to let loose. And that's so hard to do. It's so hard to do, but you know, being a performer, there is there's got to be this certain level of control. You've got to be able to control the decisions you make on what projects you do and what you don't want to do. And now you want to look, and now you don't want to look. But you sound like you're comfortable with being in control of those things as well.
So yeah, I think I've learned a lot, you know, And I learned a lot from like Brian and Roger for example, being in their camp. It's taught me a ton. And just you know, I think you pick and choose your battles, and you just figure out how to surround yourself with the right people. That's super important, both professionally and personally as well. And just make sure that there's joy in it. If there's not joy in it, you need to fix something.
Amen. Yeah, and there's something we're all yeah grappling with. Yeah, you should always grapple with the fight for joy, I guess I think. So, Okay, we'll only have a few seconds left. I want to talk about High Drama, this album that's out right now. And I was telling I was telling Adam earlier that back in the early nineteen eighties, using a fake id. I was going to a gay club in Dallas called The Landing and there's a performer there that night named Sylvester. And we'd already dance, already danced to Sylvester's songs. Yeah, but the one that you cover on your album is you make Me Feel Mighty Real, And of course it immediately took me back to a space, to a place. It was it was like reading a history, my history book of me. It to me to that night, the smells of the Landing, which just stunk. You know, it's just you know those back in the day of the old gay bars. It didn't have lighting. I mean, it didn't have windows.
I mean, there was a gay bar in West Hollywood it closed only three years ago. That was like the same thing. They also dish.
Oh yeah, exactly. This meant like urine anyway, moving on, Yeah, but that song took me there, and this song, this album is full of covers you're doing in your own unique way that are going to take people places in their memories.
Yeah, I mean mighty real. It's interesting because we put the album out actually in the spring, but we decided to put another song out. We just you know, there's no rules anymore, you can do whatever you want. And my labels I'm working with a label in the UK, and I came up with this idea. I was like, what if we redid you make me feel mighty real by Sylvester, but do it with like a modern DJ and like modernize it. And so we we approached Sagala, who I've actually done some writing with in the past, but we didn't have anything that we had put out yet, and he was really excited for it, and we collabed on this and I was like, I wanted to be able to be played like now in the club and people you know, enjoy themselves and dance to it. And honestly, it really is like a tribute to Sylvester because he was so ahead of his time. He was so the things that you know, he basically was gender fluid before before that word was.
A thing exactly. He was there before there was, you know.
I mean, he really was like a pioneer and a trailblazer in who he was and how he was so bold and brave about it. He didn't give a crap. He was like, this is me whatever everybody else can you know?
F off.
It was really he was really bold.
And other great songs that you're covering on here. Was there one or two that really are your favorites?
I mean, I did a version of holding Out for a Hero, like a little guilty pleasure of Bonnie Tyler song. But we did it like a glam rock, like a very seventies glam rock kind of arrangement. That one's fun. I can't Stand the Rain is really fun. I did some current stuff too. I mean I did Chandelier by Sia. I did Pink's My Attic, which is kind of a B side on one of her last albums. I did Lona del Rey West Coast. That's a really fun one. And I did a song by Billie Eilish as well.
And you chose every single song on this album. Yeah, and a great I think I'll do this one in that one, no, and that one no.
I mean it was definitely like a collaboration, and it was like as far as you know, working through some of these decisions and choices, for sure. But I didn't do it alone. But I but yeah, I feel like I'm in the driver's sea, which feels really good.
I love hearing that. Yeah, next time you're here, I want to catch up again. I'm sure between now and then a billion and one great things so I hope so a lot of great things are going to happen.
We like being busy now well good, you know, stay busy.
It keeps us out of prison. Absolutely exactly, Adam Labrett, thank you so much for being on the podcast, which is called called Thinking out Loud with Elvis Duran.
This one's this one.
They wanted to call it. What do we want to call it? I'm contractually obligated to do this podcast dot com. It's great having you here.
Thank you, Adam, Thank you.
Wow. Wasn't that awesome spending time with Adam Lambert? Loved it. Hope you loved it as much as I did. As always, thanks for listening. Make sure your rate review, and of course subscribe to our show so we can pop up and tell you what's new, and tell your friends, tell them all about this interview and the other ones we've done so far. Thinking out Loud, that's what we're doing. Thinking out Loud is hosted by me Elvis Duran. The podcast is produced and edited by Mike Coscarelli. Executive producers are Andrew Paglsi and Katrina Norfel special thanks to David Katz, Michael kind Heart, and Caitlin Madore. Feaking Out Loud as part of the Elvis duran Podcast Network on iHeartRadio. For more, rate, review and subscribe to our show and if you liked this episode, tell your friends. Until next time, I'm Elvis Durant.
