It’s only Tuesday but the week is already looking great for glam rocker Adam Lambert, whose second album, Trespassing, debuted today and almost immediately hit the number one spot on iTunes.
The pop star tweeted: “Wow!! #Trespassing is sitting nice and high on the iTunes chart! What a great sight to wake up to! Thank you all for checking it out!!”
Lambert, who will return to American Idol on Thursday, performed “Never Close Our Eyes” and other tracks from Trespassing on Good Morning America yesterday. Ironically GMA is the same morning show that cancelled his planned appearance three years ago after his same-sex kiss on the American Music Awards.
What a difference three years makes.
William
With no hit single. Giving me Lana Del Rey flashbacks.
I can only imagine how much he would be selling with non stop airplay. Good job Adam, make us proud
james
Must be a slow week.
Chance
Having listened to the first three tracks to the CD in the car on the way home from the store where I just bought it…no wonder it’s doing well. THIS is the CD most of us wanted Adam to make back before he released FYE (though I did like a couple of tracks off of that CD). If he had released Trespassing or Cuckoo as the lead single for this album instead of Better Than I Know Myself (which is one of the few tracks he didn’t have a hand in writing on this album) I think people would have been even more excited about this than they were. The stuff he writes actually sounds a whole lot better.
ADAMFAN
Love Kickin In.
Tonic
I’ve only listened to it streaming so far, but plant to get it. It’s great and varied – just like the last one. Not at all paint-by-numbers like a lot of other pop.
Cam
Gee, but he CAN’T be selling because being out kills people’s sales don’t they? (Eye Roll)
Maybe bigots in hollywood and the music industry will go fuck themselves and stop telling people to stay in the closet now.
jona
“What a difference three years makes” I say What a difference Adam Lambert makes 😀
maybe
Cam maybe they will if he gets the Billboard number one?
confession, i’m a total glambert but i urge all queerty members to give the album a listen and if you enjoy it, purchase the cd! IMO, it is a fantastic album and adam has really done the glbt community proud. A billboard 200 #1 will open the doors for other openly gay artists.
In order to move forward sometimes you have to break down a few barriers.
ScaryRussianHeather
@Cam: “Gee, but he CAN’T be selling because being out kills people’s sales don’t they? (Eye Roll)”
It must be so exhausting being so clever and supersmart about such things. If only The Village Voice had you advising them, they wouldn’t have to devote a 5 page piece to Adam Lambert on this very topic called “100 & Single: Buy An Adam Lambert Album, Strike A Tiny Blow For Gay Rights”.
BTW there hasn’t ever BEEN anyone OUT at the start of their career EVER and the ones who FINALLY came out, never topped the Billboard 200 Sales chart anyway.
QUOTE Village Voice:
“Because in the nearly 60-year history of the weekly Billboard album chart, no single-artist title credited to an out gay performer has ever been our No. 1 album. (Nope, not him. Or him, either. Or her.)”
Amazing. Most of the country has voted against/have bans against marriage equality but you insist that a full out gay singer has no challenges whatsoever. EYE ROLL.
danB
I was glad to see Adam’s album on iTunes yesterday and dl’d the album. I think his success could def. open doors for those coming after him. While his American Idol background appears to have held him back in terms of acceptance by the music industry, that platform also appears to have enabled him to make inroads in middle America’s willingness to embrace gay men in pop music. That Adam retained and expanded that fanbase as an out gay man NOT following the usual heteronormative, married w/kids model further suggests the public is more open to LGBTQ diversity than corporate American believes. I think it’s great that this new dance-pop album is being praised by mainstream reviewers without a special asterisk for ‘gay singer’. I hope this will mean more and more gay pop singers for us to support. (I love some of pop diva music, like Gaga, but more than a little tired of them using terms like ‘my gays’ and adopting LGBT rights as a ‘sexy’ pet issue to enhance their ~edginess.)
Chris
I liked it, but when I looked at the album half of the songs were dance-pop beat songs that didn’t feature his voice as well, IMO. It was a bit trite and cliche, but I liked the it more than his FYI stuff.
I also think he looks handsomer without all the makeup, but his hair is still silly :p .
chaboy
Watched the clip above and I can’t stand his shrieking.
Jessica
@james: Adam is an amazing singer. His fans are more dedicative than most artists. We give him tons of support. It would take me a while to describe to you how awesome he is. Adam can hit those high notes so easily and they sound so good. If you would buy his album, you would notice in his thank you that he mentions people like you. You people who diss/hate him just encourage him to try harder. Thanks for that.
Derrick
REQUEST Adam’s song NEVER CLOSE OUR EYES! Do it! Top 40 and Hot AC radio stations are Adam’s target. Request every day.
http://sites.google.com/site/urbrhypopradiostations/
Cam
@ScaryRussianHeather: said…
“@Cam: “Gee, but he CAN’T be selling because being out kills people’s sales don’t they? (Eye Roll)”
It must be so exhausting being so clever and supersmart about such things. If only The Village Voice had you advising them, they wouldn’t have to devote a 5 page piece to Adam Lambert on this very topic called “100 & Single: Buy An Adam Lambert Album, Strike A Tiny Blow For Gay Rights”.”
————————
Heather, this right here shows why some of his fans are so bad for Adam Lambert. If you bothered to read my post with a little comprehension and a rational mind, you would see that I was supporting him and attacking the industry that tries to keep people in the closet. But of course you can’t do that, because you don’t think clearly.
The fact is, there haven’t been out singers/actors because Hollywood has demanded that they stay in the closet. EXACTLY how they were demanding that Adam stay closeted until pictures surfaced that pretty much killed that.
The fact that he is selling so well negates their claims that out people won’t sell, as I pointed out.
But please, by all means, keep acting crazy, and attacking people who support the guy.
Daez
Some of his stuff is amazing. However, his problem on idol is the same as it is now. He DOES NOT KNOW his own range. When he goes for a high note it sounds worse than Bristol Palin screaming. Considering the amount of skill that most pop artists possess at this current time, he is still more talented than most of them.
Clement
I don’t understand why people call it ‘screams’ and ‘shrieks’ when he hits those high notes. Oh well, nothing I can do about that. I think that those HIGH NOTES are appropriate for live performances as they fill up the air and resonate, whereas those notes are used less when he recorded the studio versions, which is more practical. I think Adam has a perfect understanding of his own voice and how it fills up the space.
If you have not given the studio versions of his new songs before passing off a comment simply based on the above video and his live performances during Idol, then it would be simply judging him on wrong subjects.
Lauren
LOVE this post! Who doesn’t love Adam Lambert? Glad to see such great music coverage on this site 🙂
ravengirl
CAM AND SCARYRUSSIANHEATHER, You are arguing with each other and yet you are on the same side. There is a thing called sarcasm and reading comprehension. Just saying. Sit back, relax, enjoy the music, preferably Trespassing, which is fabulous.
ScaryRussianHeather
@Cam:
And keep making shady personal attacks, I’m used to you by now.
Adam Lambert’s fans are very well regarded. You just aren’t keeping up. Go find ONE SINGLE negative mention of Glamberts anywhere, other than from snarky comments like yours, that isn’t from 2009 – obviously your point of reference.
Now…Your premise that he is “selling” on iTunes proving there is no barrier to his success. Call that “support” if you must but MY point is that you are wrong.
Selling on day one on iTunes FFS, is no measure of future success on BILLBOARD charts. It’s common knowledge that he has a big embedded fanbase for these early days.
It has no bearing either on charting on radio and THAT is the only measure of success in the pop world. People will buy ANYTHING that’s burnt into their ears on radio, and that’s what pushes sales up on Billboard in the pop world.
His first Trespassing single stalled on radio at #17. The second one isn’t picked up yet. They chose a Bruno Mars written song because allegedly the program directors said they’d play it. Every single review gives Trespassing great reviews. But without radio they’re worthless.
Here’s a quote from Fault Magazine that even says they were unfairly biased against him until they caught him live and went ahead and featured him on their cover. In this case the bias was towards Idol, but do you really think that ANYBODY is going to print they have a gay bias?
If you even listened to pop radio, as painful as it is, you would hear all the dj’s snarking out about his sexuality. Less now than before, yes, but MY POINT you didn’t address.
Do you contend that with most of the US being anti equality that it’s not a roadblock for Lambert? It’s a simple conflation.
Fault Magazine Editor’s Note:
“First on that list is a certain Mr Adam Lambert. Now that the issue is out, we’ll admit to a shameful secret. One of our editors was not in favour of Adam’s inclusion from the start. Now, before Glamberts start hurling bricks, let’s put that into context: It can occasionally be difficult to drop one’s blinkers in a creative environment which is so often saturated with mediocrity. That is particularly true when you are confronted with an artist who, firstly is unashamedly “pop”, secondly retains such a strong visual element to his personal brand and thirdly – lest we forget – one who shot to fame through a reality TV show. Any doubts this editor may have had, however, were immediately wiped out by attending Adam’s London showcase during which he was privileged enough to hear what is undoubtedly one of the finest voices in live music – of any genre – in the world today.”
And P.S. It doesn’t help that Queerty only posted his iTunes position on day one and referenced his blackballed GMA history. Reviewing the actual music or at least his positive 4 star reviews is what I would expect. Because I’m stupid that way even after all these years on here.
ScaryRussianHeather
@ravengirl:
Personal attacks don’t negate impersonal valid opinions that Adam Lambert has a much tougher road to success than a hetero pop singer. Read my many posts here going back years (formerly as Swarm) before lecturing me what to do and think. KTHXBAI.
ScaryRussianHeather
Here’s Entertainment Weekly’s insulting homophobic review of Trespassing. It has >1500 outraged comments, thanks to the Glamberts people love to mock. I guess ya’ll think this is cute? But no problem. Hetero people won’t be biased based on this dreck, no not at all. EYEROLL.
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20594232,00.html?order=DESC&page=1#comment-app
ScaryRussianHeather
Let me try that link again:
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20594232,00.html?order=DESC&page=1#comment-app
ScaryRussianHeather
Queerty is truncating. So trying tinyurl:
http://tinyurl.com/ce44o75
ravengirl
ScaryRussian, You are missing the point. I think we are all AGREEING with you but it seems like you want to argue the points no one is disputing. I was simply pointing that out.
Quest
Too bad that radio stations don’t wanna play his songs. He wanted to pick Trespassing or Cuckoo as his singles but the record label thought it was safer going with a Dr. Luke and Bruno Mars song…while incredible they don’t really capture the essence of the album which I think is a brilliant pop album.
All the best Adam, even if sections of the gay community enjoy bringing you down for your looks, voice, style or whatever it is they can come up with….you are talented and beyond that a beautiful soul that is changing the world one song at a time for the better. Many straight people have said how they changed their views on gays after discovering Adam so good for him and wish him all the best!!!!!! Werk bi*tch…. (Kickin In)
ADC143
He’s too weird. I can’t get into a guy who eye wears makeup and finger nail polish. Prince and Poison did that already. I don’t need to see it again.
Vicki Grimsland
CAM AND CRAZYRUSSIANHEATHER:
Crazyrussianheather – I think you totally misunderstood Cam’s comment. It was not an insult! Just agreeing how difficult and unfair the entertainment (TV and music) when it comes to out gay stars. Seriously stop fighting about this. It’s all good and most of us are so happy for Adam!!!!
Ty
@ScaryRussianHeather:
I don’t see the homophobia in the review. All I see is that they’re commending him for no longer trying to please the straight market and is letting his true persona shine on this album. Homophobia how? Didn’t a lot of gays whine when Pet Shop Boys did a rock-oriented album some years back because they felt like they were being betrayed and PSB was courting a “straight” fanbase?
~PR~
@Ty: personally, I think the review has a homophobic slant because it attempts to pigeon-hole Adam Lambert as a singer that MUST cater to the pulsing disco sounds that ALL gay men love. The problem is this review attacks him for actually not being gay enough because he doesn’t use those dance-friendly grooves through-out his entire album, indicating that the “classic rock guitars” he favored in his debut were not gay enough. The reviewer attempts to assign a certain genre of music to gay men and in the end comes off sounding pompous and a tad insulting (her comment about the make up remover does come off a bit tacky).
@ScaryRussianHeather… my dear, you are completely missing the mark and, in my opinion, living up to your chosen screen tag. It is clear that sense cannot be talked into you so I’m just going to leave it at this… you are the type of glambert everyone blasts. And do read through those comments to the review you posted… not all are supportive, not all the supportive ones are from glamberts, and some of the responses attack both the reviewer and the glamberts at the same time. Some glamberts, such as yourself, come off as rabidly fanatic. Of course, this can be true of any celebrities fanbase.
Luz
I have been a fan of Adam’s since I first saw him in Idol. I do not take into consideration his life style when evaluating one of his songs. Adam has demonstrated that he loves people and he is really a humble guy with all of the killer voice, movie star looks and charismatic ways.He looks like the son of Elvis Presley and I believe that Adam is also a better singer. Elvis mostly sang choir music and music to his movies.I regret that Elvis left us too early but for his time on earth he was the best singer. If you were called a degrading name you would be hurt like any other person, why do some people think that Adam does not feel all of the negative comments said about him? He is a sensitive soul and at this time the best male singer ever.No one else compares to him and he will become a legend in the music industry. Buy his music for you will not regret it.