A Minute With: Adam Lambert "For Your Entertainment"

By Jill Serjeant

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Adam Lambert may have lost the battle to be crowned "American Idol" but the glam rocker with soaring vocals says he got what he wanted from the TV singing contest -- an album deal, exposure and a chance to make and present music his way.

Lambert's debut album "For Your Entertainment" will be released on Nov 23. The 27 year-old from California spoke to Reuters about his music, his hopes and how his life has changed.

Q: How would you describe the music on the album?

A; "I think there are a lot of throwback elements to it. There is a lot of 70s and 80s influence. The first track has a little bit of kitschy-ness to it. But 'For Your Entertainment' has a very current pop/dance with a kind of T-Rex feel. I didn't want to turn my back on my love for classic rock and the audience won't appreciate that either because I got most of my cred on 'Idol' singing songs from that era. (But) I love commercial pop music and I wanted to make something commercial."

Q: Do you think there is a gap in the market right now for a glam rocker?

A; "Yes. There are females doing it, theatrical and a bit over the top. Lady Gaga, Pink, Christina Aguilera -- they all put on a show in the spirit of Madonna, dressing up and creating a theme. But there hasn't been a guy do it for a while. In the '70s and '80s there were a lot of artists that did it but for some reason it kind of fizzled out."

Q; You had already enjoyed professional success in musical theater, appearing in "Wicked" and "Hair", before you auditioned for "Idol". Why did you want more?

A: "I wanted to be more active in the creation of what I was performing. Theater is a great art form but I was not contributing much to what was going on in terms of dialogue, costumes, and staging. I just wanted to make my own thing."