Adam Lambert was the runner-up on American Idol in 2009, but in a new interview, he admits he didn’t think he had a chance of going very far because of his sexuality.
Speaking with OK Magazine, the “Whataya Want from Me” singer said he didn’t hide the fact that he was gay when he auditioned in 2009 and expected that to prevent him from progressing.
“When I first auditioned, I was like, ‘No way, this won’t work,’ ’cause I had seen people who were obviously queer on the show before, and it seemed to be something they were rejected over,” recalled Adam. But he decided to do it anyway.
“I said, ‘Why not? I’ll just try it,’ and every time I stayed in [the competition], I was like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe this is actually happening.’ Then, I realized this is my shot,” Adam explained.
That’s when he realized, he said, that “I might as well go for it, I might as well have fun with it, and so I took it as far as I possibly could.”
Adam who was wildly popular with voters, ended up losing to “Live Like We Were Dying” singer Kris Allen. He came out publicly after the competition and remains one of Idol‘s most successful alums: He’s sold over three million albums and headlined global tours both as a solo act and the lead vocalist for the group Queen + Adam Lambert.
Adam also became the first openly gay artist to have a number one album on the Billboard 200, when his second studio effort Trespassing shot to the top of the chart in 2012.
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