Adam Lambert Biography / Pictures

Adam Lambert (born January 29, 1982) is an American singer and actor from Los Angeles, California. He was the runner-up on the eighth season of American Idol.

Biography

Adam grew up in Rancho Peñasquitos, San Diego, California and attended Deer Canyon Elementary School, Mesa Verde Middle School, and Mt. Carmel High School, where he was in theater, choir, and frequently performed with the school's jazz band.

Adam has been a stage actor since he was about ten years old; he was cast as Linus in San Diego's Lyceum Theater's production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. He also played a part in The Ten Commandments: The Musical at the Kodak Theatre alongside Val Kilmer. He was the understudy for the part of Fiyero in the touring and Los Angeles casts of the musical Wicked. Since 2004, he regularly performs at the Zodiac Show, which was co-created by Carmit Bachar of the Pussycat Dolls. He also performed at the Upright Cabaret.

Adam auditioned for the eighth season of American Idol in San Francisco, California. During his initial audition, he sang "Bohemian Rhapsody". In the semifinals, Adam was voted into the Top 13, joining fellow Group 2 performers Allison Iraheta and Kris Allen. Adam and Allen became roommates in the Idol mansion, with Allen stating it was due to their neatness.

During Michael Jackson week, he sang "Black or White" leading to praise from all four judges, with Paula Abdul predicting that he would go on to the finals. The following week, Adam sang a version of "Ring of Fire". While Randy Jackson, DioGuardi, and Abdul all liked his performance, Cowell called it "indulgent rubbish". On Motown night, Adam distanced himself from his rocker persona, singing a slowed down, acoustic version of "The Tracks of My Tears". The judges all liked it, and Smokey Robinson, the week's mentor and the original singer-songwriter, gave Adam a standing ovation. For his Top 8 performance, Adam sang the 2001 Gary Jules arrangement of "Mad World". Because the show had exceeded its time slot, only Cowell gave a critique, which he did by simply giving Adam a standing ovation. During the results next night, the other judges agreed that a standing ovation was the best critique of Adam's performance. For his second Top 7 performance, Adam sang "If I Can't Have You", delivering what DioGuardi described as his "most memorable performance", while Cowell described his vocals as "immaculate". Abdul was reduced to tears, with host Ryan Seacrest joking that Adam had melted her into a "pool of Abdul". In the Top 4, Adam was the first to sing, performing "Whole Lotta Love". Cowell commented, "that was one of my favourite performances... nobody can top that now", while Abdul, punning on the song's title, described Lambert's performance as "a whole lotta perfect".

Photos of Adam kissing a man were shown and discussed by conservative commentators on The O'Reilly Factor; they agreed that the images would likely have no impact on the competition because the focus remains on the singers' talent. Adam confirmed that the photos were of him, stating he had nothing to hide and has always been open about his life.

For the top three show, Adam chose to sing at his alma mater, Mt. Carmel High School. While there, he performed both Michael Jackson's "Black or White", and Tears for Fears' "Mad World." After his performance, San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders declared May 8 "Adam Lambert Day."

On May 20, 2009, Adam was announced as the runner-up for the eighth season of American Idol. Adam performed a medley with rock band Kiss during the final episode. His version of the winning single "No Boundaries" was later released on iTunes alongside American Idol winner Kris Allen's version.