2019-12-14 Adam Lambert M&G for 96.5 Tic FM/Mix 104.1 FM toy drive

Adam Lambert Talks Karma, Cooking, and Queen!

The superstar stopped by our 5,000 Toys For Girls and Boys pop-up, NBD!

When Adam Lambert struts into a room at 6’3″ with (green snake skin) boots on, you can feel the immediate energy of rock royalty. This may sound a bit intimidating, and yes, you’ll feel starstruck, but he’ll immediately put you at ease with his genuine charm and instant amiability.

Wrapped in a matching emerald cloak (which was very Velvet: Side A, BTW!), the ‘Superpower’ singer sat down to chat with Salt before doors opened to the hundreds of fans lined up at The Shoppes at Buckland Hills to meet Adam. And this was all for a very great cause, of course — a pop-up style toy drive to reach our goal of 5,000 Toys For Girls and Boys at the We Are The Children Christmas party!

And Adam was happy to lend his name to the cause. “Being somebody in my position, I’m very lucky, I’ve had a great run and to give back and employ a little karma is important to me,” he says.

So, what exactly does a superstar do during the holiday season?

“I’ve found myself working a lot during the month of December over the past ten years,” adding, “I had a big family Thanksgiving. That sort of kicks off the holiday season, and then I’m working. I’m entertaining people and wearing sparkly things.”

Salt wonders if Adam’s family has any strict requirements on him to forgo his rock star status and cook at family holiday parties.

Adam laughs, “Oh, I cooked. I am not fancy at home. I put my sweatpants on, roll up my sleeves, and make things. I’m employed heavily during the holidays.”

And back to that rock star thing… Adam’s gig singing for Queen! What’s it like performing in England where tabloids play dirty and fans of the beloved band can be critical?

“People always say Freddie’s shoes are big to fill, but have you seen mine? I bring some pretty big shoes,” he says with a giggle. But fans love it. “It’s nuts. There’s a lot of countries where fans are singing louder than me. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. I’m so lucky that I get to pay tribute to Freddie and sing these songs that he made famous. I always try to remind people that there’s no replacing him. That’s impossible. But it’s really a treat to be on stage with Brian May and Roger Taylor.”

And no wonder Adam is so busy! In between Queen tours he’s also promoting his recent solo project, Velvet: Side A which has a more soulful throwback vibe than his previous solo albums. What was the inspiration for it?

“In the past, I did pop music that was a little more electronic and dance-oriented. This time I wanted to do something that felt timeless; that felt like you couldn’t put a date on it. It was heavily inspired by a lot of the music I heard growing up in my house. My parents had great albums, vinyl everywhere. ’70s, early ’80s… I love funk music. I was inspired by sort of the classics and the contemporary artists that are also inspired by that time period. I wanted to hear instruments and have things feel really organic. I did tap into a little more soul than I have in the past. It felt good.”

And what does Adam want for the holidays? He says he’s lucky to buy things he wants in the material world, and finds himself really valuing time with family and friends.

“You can’t put a price tag on it,” he says. “You can’t wrap it. I mean, you could, but that would be weird.”

2019-12-14 Adam Lambert M&G for 96.5 Tic FM/Mix 104.1 FM toy drive

2019-12-14 Adam Lambert M&G for 96.5 Tic FM/Mix 104.1 FM toy drive

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