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Singer Adam Lambert praised rapper Lil Nas X following the latter’s much-discussed performance at the BET Awards that saw him kiss another man. Lambert also spoke about his own story, trying to incorporate queer themes into his work as a pop star and the backlash he suffered.
“I thought it was hot,” Lambert said of Lil Nas X’s performance in an interview with Billboard. “I mean, he really gives it to us. I think he’s definitely like the gay pop star of 2021 – he’s bold, he’s controversial, he’s pushing the boundaries. This is what we want our pop stars to do. It just took so long for him to be gay.
“He’s so grounded and firm in who he is and what he does, he won’t apologize to anyone,” Lambert explained. “What I like about Lil Nas right now is that we need him to be upfront about it. He’s in a position where it works for him, and he’s using it. In the industry. music is like, “How many streams do you have, how many sales, what is their position on the radio?” Once you hit a certain point you get more wiggle room, you get more credibility; the industry gives you a longer leash, so to speak. And I feel like one of the great things about Lil Nas is when you watch “Old Town Road” , you see this massive worldwide success has given him some freedom to make statements and make real art. Timing is everything.
Related: Madonna Who Is Straight Asks For Credit For Lil Nas X’s Gay Kiss And People Don’t Have It
Lambert speaks from experience. In 2009, he made headlines for a performance of his song “For Your Entertainment” at the American Music Awards, in which he kissed his keyboardist. The backlash came swift and hard.
“I was taken off ABC for a little while,” he recalls. “They were panicked, they had groups of Christian parents writing, the censors were panicked. What I found so funny was like, “The censors? It’s a kiss. When was that indecent? “
Lambert then gave an interview to ABC’s morning show Good Morning America to defend his performance. He was not prepared for the near hostility of questions.
“They showed a clip, trying to make a comparison with Madonna kissing Britney and Christina at the VMAs a few years ago. So they showed a clip of that moment, and then right after that they cut a clip of my performance from the day before where I was kissing a guy on stage, and they censored our mouths, “he recalls.” I just remember thinking that was the biggest slap in the face – it’s like that proved my It’s so crazy to me that this double standard was so blatant and obvious, where two women kissing weren’t indecent, but two men kissing were.
Fortunately, for Lambert, he sees signs of progress. “Two men kissing is old news,” he joked. “Of course there are still a lot of issues, and there is still a lot of work to be done, but I think for a lot of people, we’ve got past the shock and alien nature of seeing gay representation in action. are in a very divided and polarized time, but I think we are on the positive side of that polarity. There is so much goodwill for someone like [Lil Nas X], and I’m just happy that I can have the prospect of enjoying it.
Since his performance at WADA in 2009, Adam Lambert has had great success in his career. His albums Tresspassing, The Original High and Velvet all earned him high marks and sold well. The tours for each album also became major draws. In addition to his solo work, Lambert also became the lead singer of the reformed group Queen, taking the place of original singer Freddie Mercury. Lambert has also received widespread praise for his philanthropic efforts, particularly in the area of LGBTQ activism.
