I think we can all agree Adam Lambert should have won American Idol the year he competed. It was a year of astounding performances. Why does Adam Lambert not have a career equal to or surpassing some of today’s top artists?
Mr. Lambert has a pedigree that rivals any pop star’s when it comes to music credentials. He has worked with hit-makers that have made superstars of other artists, mainly female pop stars. Penning tracks for him, we have names such as Max Martin, Kara DioGuardi, Bruno Mars and a slew of other hitmakers. His debut album had a song written by P!NK herself, as well as a song by the then constantly chart-topping Lady Gaga. He has even been the front-man for the world popular Queen since 2011. Queen, as in…Freddie Mercury Queen. His first album, “For Your Entertainment,” spawned major hit “Whataya Want from Me,” for which Lambert is arguably best known, and was written by the aforementioned P!NK. His second album, “Trespassing,” has a song co-written by Pharrell, and two of the tracks were produced by him — yes, that Pharrell, who had a huge career resurgence immediately after “Trespassing” with artists such as Robin Thicke and Daft Punk. “Trespassing” is notable in that it is the first album by an openly gay artist to hit number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 — but it did come out in a summer where no other major artists were releasing. When the time came for a third album, Adam’s record label wanted him to release a cover album of 80s songs, and Adam jumped ship. His talent and connections are so good that he landed another major record deal in no time, and released his third album, “The Original High,” this year. Why is this man not more popular?
My theory is it’s because he’s gay.
“But Jerry,” you whine as you read this sentence, decrying the brilliance that is Adam Lambert as something less than what it is. “It’s not because he’s gay,” you whimper sullenly as you hear the knowledge I’m about to drop on you coming in like a wrecking ball a la Miley Cyrus. “There’s always Sam Smith, who is openly gay and has hits, and it must be because he has more talent,” you bemoan from your comfortable chair as you read this sentence and I judge you silently for not being an Adam Lambert fan.
Don’t get me wrong; I love Sam Smith as much as the next guy, and he is equally as talented as Lambert. My argument, however, stems from the simple fact that Adam Lambert is so in your face with his sexuality that the world isn’t able to handle him. We don’t know where to put him, where to categorize him, and his defiance of labels makes him dangerous and threatening to our social norms and comfort zone. Sam Smith is more vanilla and easily digestible, and I mean that in a good way. Sam Smith embodies wholesome values to the point that as a society we are able to overlook his “gayness” because he doesn’t rub it in your face as much as Adam Lambert. Adam takes the time to remind you that he is gay, and it is so brazen that we can’t handle it.
Jerry McCalpin is a senior theatre major from Burnsville, Mississippi.
