Adam Lambert recently had an interview with Ynet, where he opened up about his experiences joining Queen as their lead vocalist and the challenging side of stepping into the role previously held by Freddie Mercury.
Although many thought that the band’s career would end with its frontman’s death in 1991, surviving members Brian May and Roger Taylor decided to continue with Lambert in 2011 after seeing his performances on American Idol. The three went on to tour as Queen + Adam Lambert, but questions remained about whether the musician could truly fill the late vocalist’s shoes.
During his interview, the band’s current lead singer admitted that he had his own doubts about taking on the role. He felt honored when May and Taylor asked him to join the band but was also aware that fans would be protective of the band’s legacy. In his statements, the singer recalled questioning whether he could ‘pull this off.’
His words went as follows:
“I was really honored and flattered that they asked me to do it, and yeah, I think in the beginning, I was very aware that fans would be super protective of the legacy of the band, and I had my own doubts personally, like, can I even pull this off?“
The artist recounted that his bandmates, Brian May and Roger Taylor, advised him never to mimic Freddie from day one, urging him to bring his own style to the performances. Adam himself also felt that offering his own interpretation of the songs, rather than imitation, was a more respectful way to honor the band’s legacy.
That’s why he aimed to strike a balance between staying true to the original and bringing his own unique flair, as veering too far from the source material could be considered disrespectful too.
Recalling his early days, Adam said:
“The first thing they said to me the first day of rehearsal is, ‘Do it like you, don’t imitate the records and Freddie,’ and I thought, yeah, that’s probably smart.
I think making it an authentic interpretation, from my own point of view, was really important out of respect for the band, and still, even then, I thought you still had to find a balance between the original and sort of what my impulses were. Because straying too far away from the original also would be a bit disrespectful. So, it was definitely a bit of a balancing act.”
Looking ahead, Queen + Adam Lambert are gearing up for their ‘Rhapsody Tour,’ set to kick off in October. Taking place in North America and running until mid-November, the tour will offer fans the opportunity to enjoy the combination of Lambert’s fresh interpretation melded with the essence of Queen.
