Adam Lambert: Music execs are still ‘scared’ of gay men singing about male lovers
Singer Adam Lambert performs in concert at Terminal 5 in New York City (Noam Galai/Getty Images)
Adam Lambert has claimed that music industry execs are still ‘scared’ of letting gay artists express themselves through music.
The singer remained in the closet while competing on American Idol, before coming out after his run on the show ended in 2009.
He has since toured the world with the band Queen, in tribute to the late Freddie Mercury, becoming one of the most prominent gay male popstars.
However, speaking to Digital Spy, the artist said that music industry gatekeepers are still clamping down on expression – insisting that gay men sing about gender-neutral ‘lovers’ while straight men are free to sing about ‘women’.
He said: “There’s only so much you can do as an artist. Luckily we’re in a moment right now with streaming where there’s more power put back into the artist’s and audience’s hands.
“But the gatekeepers who make a lot of the other big decisions in the music industry, those are the ones hardest to convince on certain things. That’s the reasoning for some of that pronoun stuff.”
Sam Smith has previously defended the lack of male pronouns in his music – while Olly Alexander of Years and Years is among those to have rejected the trend.
Lambert continued: “It’d be nice if there was more. I think it’ll happen slowly but surely. There are success stories happening and that’s the biggest thing for the music industry.
“They need to see that it actually works in order for them to feel comfortable with it. The audiences are there for it, but the industry needs to come around a bit more to it. They are, but it’s the last piece.”
“There’s not as much of a reason to be scared of it, because people in general aren’t scared of it.”
