The result often sounds more like EDM than pop or rock. “Adam came to us with a new direction that inspired us to get involved in a big way,” says Martin. Last year, Lambert reunited with Martin, the Swedish Grammy winner behind the hits from his first album, who agreed to produce his new project with frequent partner Shellback. He’s more comfortable with himself and his vision.” “His path has had its bumps and ups and downs,” admits Warner CEO Cameron Strang. contacted him the next day, and he eventually signed with the label.
He didn’t have to feel that way for long. “I felt unsettled, disenchanted.”Īdam Lambert Smolders in ‘Ghost Town’ Music Video: Watch “I thought about that too,” he confesses. “Like, what’s going to happen? What’s the expression - in a boat without a paddle?” Just as frightening were visions of being another forgotten Idol grad. It felt forced.”Īnnouncing his split from the label in July 2013 - just three months after he broke up with his boyfriend of three years, Finnish reality star Sauli Koskinen - was “scary,” recalls Lambert. I have a lot of respect for the label’s opinions, so I sat with the idea and started researching the time period, but it just wasn’t resonating with me. There was just one problem: “I’m not an ’80s guy,” he says. But then, says Lambert, he faced a growing disconnect with RCA, which, after releasing two albums by the singer, saw only one way to a third: an ’80s covers record. A strange gig for a young pop star, sure, but one that felt “fated,” says Lambert - he auditioned for Idol with “Bohemian Rhapsody.”Įxclusive: Adam Lambert Signs New Major Label Deal, Max Martin to Executive Produce Album That same year, he entered a new phase in his career, as touring frontman for Queen. Neither hurt his career: His 2010 major-label debut, For Your Entertainment, landed two top 10 hits, “If I Had You” and “Whataya Want From Me.” His edgier, glammier follow-up, 2012’s Trespassing, made him the first openly gay male artist to top the Billboard 200. He came in second place, and revealed himself as gay in a Rolling Stone cover story shortly after.
#My heart is a ghost town software
Raised in San Diego, where his mother worked as an interior designer and his father as a software professional, Lambert started out as an American Idol anomaly, a sexually ambiguous rocker with a flair for operatic shrieks and studded leather outfits among earnest pop singers. “A lot of us go through life trying to re-create something that has already happened, and that causes us to run around in circles chasing our tail,” Lambert says softly. His third studio album, The Original High (due June 16), features a new Euro-dance-inspired sound via pop maestros Max Martin and Shellback ( Taylor Swift, Maroon 5), darker lyrics - loneliness is a recurring theme - and a new label home, Warner Bros., after a split with RCA due to creative differences in 2013.Įxclusive: Adam Lambert Premieres Blood Diamonds’ Remix of ‘Ghost Town’ I think I’m searching for some sort of answer.”Īfter six years in the spotlight, Lambert, 33, is still trying to find himself and his comfort zone in the music industry. “Even if things are going well, I tend to look at the negatives and be really critical of myself. “Now I know my heart is a Ghost Town” he declares over a spacious house beat and – crucially - a ludicrously catchy whistle that immediately lodges itself in the brain.“It’s hard for me to be happy with things,” he says. “I tried to believe in God and James Dean but Hollywood sold out” he sings, before the whole things drops away and morphs into a chorus that is short on lyrics but big on hooks. The song itself opens with a dramatic guitar strums that will inevitably be compared to Avicii’s Hey Brother. Fortunately we were allowed to listen to it again. When it comes to pop music, this is usually a good thing. So what does it sound like? After one play we only wrote one word in our notes: ‘BONKERS’.
And while the prospect of Adam teaming up with him is exciting enough, even better is that Ghost Town is as much a departure for Max as it is for Adam.
#My heart is a ghost town full
In case you’re not aware, Max responsible for several barrel loads of incredible pop songs over the past 20 years by the likes of Taylor Swift, Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Kelly Clarkson and Pink ( click here to look at his full list of production work). Excitement about Adam Lambert’s new music started back in January, when it was announced that he had signed a new record deal with Warner and had brought in pop aficionado Max Martin to helm his third studio album.