The Stunning Transformation Of Adam Lambert

Adam Lambert first captivated the world with his rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody" at his "American Idol" audition, impressing the judges with his astonishing vocals and his extraordinary range. The show catapulted Lambert to stardom, but his journey to fame hasn't always been easy.

Lambert had a happy childhood, telling Us Weekly that he had a "great, easy upbringing" in a "supportive" family. While the singer said that he didn't have to overcome many obstacles in his path to becoming an entertainer, once he became famous, things were a lot different. His sexuality — Lambert is the first openly gay artist to have an album hit No. 1 on the album charts — was scrutinized early on in his career, to the point that he told Time that he questioned whether his career was even making him happy anymore.

Lambert continued to pursue his passion despite his hardships, and he is stronger for it. From his early days on the stage to his status as an iconic rock star who takes charge of his career, here's a closer look at how Adam Lambert has transformed over the years.

He may be an internationally recognized music star today, but Adam Lambert was nowhere near as popular when he was growing up. The singer told HuffPost Live (via Pressparty) that, while he wasn't exactly bullied growing up, he also wasn't one of the cool kids. He described his middle school self as "kind of a loner," saying that he didn't have too many friends or much of a social life. Even though he wasn't targeted by bullies, Lambert admitted to spending a lot of time worrying about his social standing and that he deliberately "avoided a lot of social contact" because he was so afraid that he would be bullied.

Fortunately, things got better for Lambert in high school. He said that his social life improved a lot once he got to ninth grade because he was able to join clubs and find "people who had shared interests."

While many performers go to college in order to hone their skills through advanced training, Adam Lambert decided to launch his career fresh out of high school. Lambert moved to Los Angeles and began to land gigs. One of his early jobs out of high school was a 10-month stint on a cruise ship, but it wasn't long before his theatrical career took off.

According to his biography at the Jewish Virtual Library, Lambert landed the role of Joshua in "The Ten Commandments: The Musical" in 2004, starring alongside Val Kilmer at the Kodak Theater (now the Dolby Theater) in Los Angeles.

From there, Lambert landed several more stage credits. That same year, he starred as Phil Mackey in "110 in the Shade" at the Pasadena Playhouse. He was also part of the touring cast of "Wicked" in 2005 and its Los Angeles cast in 2007 as the understudy for Fiyero.

While Adam Lambert never made a secret of his sexuality, he didn't publicly discuss it on "American Idol." Several outlets declared the reason Lambert — an early favorite to win — only came in second was because of homophobia. "Adam Lambert Loses, Homophobia Wins," wrote HuffPost in 2009. Lambert told The Guardian that, as the competition progressed, speculation about his sexuality "was becoming bigger" than his singing, which he described as "fundamentally ... f***ed up."

He ended up publicly coming out in a Rolling Stone cover story shortly after the "American Idol" finale, but his struggle for acceptance was just starting. His first album, "For Your Entertainment," was effectively launched with a performance at the 2009 American Music Awards in which he kissed a male member of the band, something that was censored.

His label, RCA, was afraid that focusing on his sexuality would hurt album sales. Lambert wrote in a 2017 Instagram post that "the powers that be" issued an alternative cover for his first album "for retailers who felt 'uncomfortable'" with his preferred cover, in which he said he "was feelin my gender fluid ... glam rock fantasy."

Adam Lambert's sound has changed a lot throughout his career. His "American Idol" audition established him as a powerhouse and his first album, "For Your Entertainment," was a major hit. HuffPost described his debut as "a disco/glam aesthetic of escapism and liberation" that, while ambitious and impressive, embodied a decidedly mainstream sound.

Lambert has slowly moved away from that sound over his career, making a big departure with his third album, The Original High, which The San Diego Union-Tribune praised for its "musical maturity," hailing the album as an "assured, sophisticated and carefully calibrated work."

Lambert told the outlet that the shift in sound was deliberate and that he wanted to move away from the "ridiculous, thematic pop" of his first two albums. He said that he wanted a sound that was truer to himself and would "connect" with his audience "in a real way" on his third album. Lambert's vocals were noticeably more subdued — but no less powerful — on "The Original High," with Lambert saying that he had realized "less is more."

Adam Lambert started his professional performance career in the theater, so it's surprising that he hasn't done more theatrical acting since he appeared on "American Idol." Instead, Lambert branched out and started acting in film and television.

Lambert has racked up a modest list of credits over the years. From 2013 to 2014, he had an arc on "Glee," playing Elliot "Starchild" Gilbert. He also played Eddie in the live 2016 TV performance of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again," and he had an uncredited cameo in the 2016 Freddie Mercury biopic "Bohemian Rhapsody." Lambert has also done voice acting, providing the voice of Emperor Maximus in 2019's "Playmobil: The Movie."

Lambert hopes to do more acting in the future. In an appearance on the Australian talk show "Studio 10" in 2019, Lambert seemingly hinted that he'd like to portray Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann's film about the icon, saying that he'd been compared to the king quite a bit (via PopCulture). While the role ended up going to Austin Butler, we will hopefully see more of Lambert on the big screen in the future.

While Adam Lambert's sexuality was a hot topic when he first became famous in the late 2000s, the fact that he's gay is something that most people don't pay attention to anymore. This, said Lambert, is all part of a major — and much-needed — shift in the music industry, which is now more accepting of LGBTQIA+ artists. "It's a totally different landscape," Lambert told Variety. He added that there is now "much more visibility," making it less scary for openly gay artists.

Lambert said that, while everyone he met in the music industry supported him "personally," they were worried that Lambert being openly gay would make him less marketable. Now, however, it's clear that the public is accepting of LGBTQIA+ artists, which has made a big difference and is "allowing a lot more diversity to be pushed through."

Lambert is glad that his sexuality is no longer a popular topic of discussion, especially as it's not something he ever considered to be that big of a deal. "It's just who I am," he told the Independent.

In 2020, Adam Lambert released "Velvet," his fourth studio album. "Velvet" marked another shift in Lambert's style, with Variety describing it as "less glamorously amorously entertaining" than his previous work and "more grimily soulful and sleekly funky." The outlet praised the album as "his most accomplished solo work to date." Velvet didn't just mark a shift in Lambert's style, but it was also a testament to his personal growth. 

Ultimately, Lambert told Entertainment Weekly that "Velvet" is an album of self-exploration and identity. "I've leaned really far into my queerness on this," he said, sharing that he was "very much marching to the beat of my own drum" on the album.

Lambert also said that he wants other people to find themselves and their own empowerment in his music. The album was a deeply personal one for Lambert and is hopefully indicative of the kind of music we will see from him in the future.

In December 2023, Adam Lambert was invited to help spread Christmas cheer at Princess Catherine's carol service, Together at Christmas. The event took place at Westminster Abbey and featured Lambert, along with a handful of other artists, performing classic holiday tunes. Lambert teamed up with British singer Beverley Knight to deliver a glowing duet of "The Christmas Song." The "Velvet" singer stunned in a forest green suit paired with glittering platforms and an emerald-encrusted Gucci brooch. All eyes were on Lambert and Knight as they filled the auditorium with their gorgeous harmonies. Even the royal children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, were transfixed during the performance.

"I had the honor of meeting Catherine, Princess of Wales," Lambert later told People. "She invited the performers she wanted to see at the service, and it was lovely to visit with her before we performed." Lambert's visit also included a stroll around the historic church. "I've always loved history and old architecture, and this is sort of my sweet spot," said the superstar. "I was able to walk around a little bit after my rehearsal and just kind of take a little self-guided tour of some of the areas inside at the Abbey and it's just breathtaking."

Lambert's Christmas performance was certainly a career highlight, but it wasn't the first time he had performed for the royal family. In June 2022, Lambert took the stage during Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebration.

Despite his vibrant stage presence, Adam Lambert still has anxieties about aging in the spotlight. When he heard "Getting Older" by fellow hitmaker Billie Eilish, Lambert resonated with the song's message about growing older while feeling commodified as a celebrity. "I was listening to the lyrics, and I was like: 'How did this 19-year-old land on this feeling that I feel at 40 and that I'm sure that some people feel at 30?" Lambert revealed to NME. "It's a universal feeling, the idea of getting older; all the things she talks about in the song are timeless." The song inspired Lambert so much that he covered it on his 2023 album, "High Drama."

In the video for "Getting Older," Lambert plays an elderly version of himself, complete with deep wrinkles, a receded hairline, and a gruff gray beard. Speaking with People, Lambert revealed that his team used makeup and facial prosthetics to make him appear decades older. "I've always wanted to do a complete transformation with makeup," the superstar raved. "Although it took nearly four hours, the end result was so lifelike, it was worth it!"

Thanks to his makeup expertise, Lambert probably already knew what to expect going into the transformation. As the singer told Yahoo!, he's been studying special effects makeup techniques since childhood. "I had an instructional book of how to make yourself look old, how to make yourself look sick, like theater stuff," Lambert shared.

Things have changed a lot for Adam Lambert over the years. Not only has he become more accepted in the industry, but his priorities have shifted quite a bit over the course of his career. Lambert told the BBC that his happiness used to be tied to how successful he was commercially. "It was unhealthy," he admitted. "I had to rethink things."

Things are a lot different now. In an interview with Variety, Lambert said that his "idea of success has evolved." Instead of defining his worth by his commercial success, Lambert is happy just to be able to do what he loves to do. "Being allowed to continue being a creative as a career — and live comfortably — is a blessing," said the singer. Though Adam Lambert is worth a lot of money these days, he added that "personal satisfaction" matters far more to him now than popularity and financial success.