Adam Lambert on covering Billie Eilish, what's up with Queen and queer representation

Adam Lambert has always strived to expand his creative instincts.

In the 14 years since he dazzled “American Idol” viewers with his stylish flair and imaginative remodels of popular songs, Lambert has conquered radio with glammy synth-pop hits (“For Your Entertainment,” “Whataya Want From Me,” “Ghost Town”), judged a season of the Australian version of “The X-Factor” (2016) and used his visibility to support numerous LGBTQ causes.

Oh, and that other entry on his resume: Since 2014, Lambert has toured with Queen, admirably creating his own presence in the ever-looming shadow of Freddie Mercury.

Given Lambert’s inherent theatricality, it’s completely on brand that he has also been developing a musical since the early days of the pandemic. But first, on Friday, Lambert, 41, will bestow fans with 11 classic songs reimagined in his style, both booming pop-rock and delicate balladry.

For his fifth album, “High Drama,” Lambert tackles Duran Duran (“Ordinary World”), Noel Coward (“Mad About the Boy”) and Bonnie Tyler (“Holding Out for a Hero”) among his choices, a fittingly diverse platter for a true music devotee.

Lambert talked to USA TODAY about choosing his cover songs, the status of Queen and his feeling that “a lot has changed” with queer representation in music.

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Question: Your last album, “Velvet,” arrived three years ago, at the start of the pandemic. Did the idea to do a covers album come to you during lockdown?

Adam Lambert: I started working on a different project during the pandemic. It’s a lot of rock music, a lot of music from the ‘70s, but the process of putting a musical together is a longer timeline. I said to my team, I wish I had new music to put out on the quick side for all of my beautiful fans and the idea for a covers album felt like we could get that done quicker.

A lot of people still remember you from your game-changing reworking of “Mad World” and “If I Can’t Have You” on “American Idol,” so reinterpreting songs is nothing new for you. What were you looking for when you started choosing songs to remake for this album?

I’ve always loved to flip songs and challenge the ear to hear them in a different way. I did it on “Idol,” and for the Kennedy Center Honors (in 2018) I did “Believe” for Cher and turned it around. I’ve heard from so many fans that they love (when I do) that and it’s gotten such positive response. It had to be a song I knew I could do something new with, and these all sound quite different from the originals.

With some of the artists you cover – Duran Duran, Culture Club, Billie Eilish – was it a matter of hey, this is a cool song or more about being a fan of the artist?

I think all of the songs on this album are by artists I appreciate, respect and love. I knew I wanted to do a Lana Del Rey song (“West Coast”) because she’s so original. With Billie, I thought I could do a big hit or I could challenge myself even more by doing something a little more obscure. “Getting Older” is the first track on her (“Happier Than Ever”) album and it’s very understated. I think she was 20 when she put it out and she describes the feeling of getting older in such a universal way that any adult that listens to that lyric can relate to it.

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Let’s talk about Queen. I saw the comments Brian May made recently about your voice being unparalleled. What do you think when you hear the band compliment you like that?

Brian and (Queen drummer) Roger (Taylor) are the sweetest guys. At this point it feels like family. We've been on and off the road for 10 years. We can be onstage and look at each other and it just flows; it’s a really nice energy. I think we’re definitely not done. … I always think ours is a collaboration in the live space. That’s what makes it feel so special.

Did you watch the Grammys?

I did.

Kim Petras gave such a moving speech after winning best pop duo/group performance with Sam Smith for “Unholy.” Do you think queer representation is in a good space right now in music?

I think it’s definitely come long way. There is still work to be done, but if I contrast that to me starting out 13 or 14 years ago, it was very different. When I got signed to the label after “Idol,” everyone was excited and they were eager to support me. But no one knew how it was going to work and there were certain gatekeepers – radio and advertisers – that were scared of putting a gay man out front and promoting him to a country that they weren’t sure if it would be well-received.

We’ve made a lot of progress as a gay community the past decade, but now there are some setbacks politically, socially. I think the arts are the front line of affecting and swaying pop culture and so much of being a queer person and becoming mainstream and being harmonious with the rest of society has to do with removing the ignorance, taking away fear of the unknown.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Adam Lambert talks covers album, Queen, queer representation