Adam Lambert: more glam, more drama!

BETTING À DAY

Since his debut on American Idol, Adam Lambert has built his army of fans through the songs of others. The singer therefore returns to the sources, from Saturday, with High Drama, an album entirely composed of songs borrowed from Sia, Bonnie Tyler or Billie Eilish. And all thanks – in a way, at least – to Cher 

December 2018. On the stage of the Kennedy Center, in Washington, Adam Lambert is called upon to pay tribute to Cher at an official ceremony. As he pushes the note on Believe– this time reworked in the form of a powerful ballad –, the singer blows the whole floor and at the same time draws hot tears at the American diva.

The experience, he attests, was transcendent. Unforgettable. But she also germinated in her mind the idea that would eventually become High Drama, her most recent album, released yesterday. 

“My version of Believe caught the attention of many people. I imagine that, in many respects, this evening was the starting point of High Drama”, attests Adam Lambert, in interview with Journal. 

“I've always loved taking well-known songs and completely transforming them. I realized over the years that this is the kind of thing people like to hear me do. And since I like to give people what they want, I decided to embark on an album project”, he adds.

This time, this are titles borrowed from Sia, Billie Eilish, Duran Duran, Culture Club and other Bonnie Tyler who are mixed, passed through the multicolored prism that is Adam Lambert. They come out transformed, of course, and endowed with pop and rock accents or mind-blowing synthesizers.

“I like challenges”

But above all they adopt the distinctive signature of Adam Lambert, with many perilous vocal acrobatics. He admits it, he allowed himself some liberties on this level. However, he was stricter on one aspect: the original melodies had to remain intact. 

“These are all songs that are widely known and loved, so there was no question of taking away the essence of them, which makes people love them. The melody is sacred. But I like challenges, athletic vocal flights. And I can say that I spoiled myself on this level”, explains the singer, laughing. 

If he admits that the idea of ​​displeasing certain purists – or even worse, the original performers – with his freedoms crossed his mind, Adam Lambert early chose to fall back on his instincts to guide him through the creative process of High Drama.

“At the basis, to cover an artist's song, it is to pay him a great compliment. It means that she touched us, influenced us. So I kept that in mind, in addition to being very careful to be respectful of the original work,” he explains. 

As Bonnie Tyler was quick to praise her version of Holding Out for a Hero, launched last month, one thing is certain: Adam Lambert can sleep soundly. 

♦ The album High Drama is currently on the market.