Adam Lambert

Adam Mitchel Lambert is an American singer, songwriter, and actor born on January 29, 1982. Known for his theatrical training and dynamic vocal performances across modern and classic genres, he achieved widespread fame in 2009 as the runner-up on the eighth season of American Idol. Over the course of his career, he has sold more than three million albums and five million singles worldwide while also serving as the lead vocalist for the reunion project Queen + Adam Lambert.

Lambert was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Leila, a dental hygienist, and Eber Lambert, a program manager. He was raised in his mother's Jewish faith alongside his younger brother, Neil. Shortly after his birth, his family relocated to San Diego, California. Lambert began performing at age nine with the Metropolitan Educational Theatre network and continued acting and vocal training through Mesa Verde Middle School and Mount Carmel High School. After graduating in 2000, he attended California State University, Fullerton, to study musical theater, but withdrew after five weeks to move to Los Angeles.

At age 19, Lambert earned his first professional performance job on a cruise ship. He subsequently performed in light opera, toured Europe with the musical Hair, and appeared in productions of Brigadoon, 110 in the Shade, and The Ten Commandments: The Musical. From 2005 to 2008, he served as an ensemble member and understudy for the role of Fiyero in touring and Los Angeles productions of Wicked. During this period, he also fronted the underground rock band The Citizen Vein and worked as a demo singer and session musician.

Lambert's mainstream breakthrough arrived during the 2009 season of American Idol. Later that year, he released his debut studio album, For Your Entertainment, which debuted at number three on the U.S. Billboard 200 and was certified gold in the United States. The album produced the single "Whataya Want from Me", which earned him a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. In 2010, he launched his headlining Glam Nation Tour and released the live projects Acoustic Live! and Glam Nation Live.

In 2012, Lambert released his second album, Trespassing, which premiered at number one on the Billboard 200, making him the first openly gay artist to top the chart. His third album, The Original High (2015), debuted at number three and featured the single "Ghost Town". He later released the studio albums Velvet in 2020, High Drama in 2023, and a self-titled album, ADAM, on July 10, 2026. Alongside his solo releases, Lambert joined the remaining members of Queen in 2012, touring internationally and releasing the live album Live Around the World, which topped the UK Albums Chart in October 2020.

In late 2019, Lambert founded the Feel Something Foundation, a non-profit organization supporting LGBTQ+ and human rights activism, with a focus on education, the arts, mental health, suicide prevention, and homelessness. Lambert made his Broadway debut on September 16, 2024, replacing Eddie Redmayne as the Emcee in a revival of Cabaret.