QUEEN's ADAM LAMBERT On 2026 'Pride Month': 'It's Incredible How Much Change Has Happened'

QUEEN frontman Adam Lambert, who made history nearly a decade and a half ago as the first openly LGBT vocalist to have an album debut at the No. 1 position of the Billboard album chart, spoke to Audacy Music about this year's LGBTQ+ Pride Month, which commemorates the anniversary of the 1969 uprising at a popular gay bar in New York City. Asked what gives him the most hope today compared to how things were when he first started out, Adam said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it's incredible how much change has happened. When I first came out into the music scene, there weren't really any other gay men doing mainstream pop music. I couldn't find any. Maybe one in the U.K. It was very slim. There were a lot of actors starting to become very visible and coming out that helped, but there was this wave starting of visibility, and I'm really proud to say that I was part of that wave that affected things like gay marriage and the idea that there's a lot of different types of people in the gay community. It's not just one cliché. Because we were coming out of an era where the one clown on a TV show was, queer. But that wasn't a broad, fully comprehensive picture of who we were. So I'm just really proud of all the progress we've made as a community. And yeah, the pendulum is swinging, and there's some ups and some downs, and there's some setbacks and obstacles, and that's just how it's gonna go. That's life and history. But I think we've done really well."

Asked what Pride means to him personally in the year 2026, Adam said: "Well, I think the only way we're gonna get through some of these challenges is with each other, the unity of it all, remembering that it is a community. I think the more mainstream the gay world gets, the less of a community exists. It's like we're not as close-knit because there's a lot more versions of us now, and they're more out there in the world, and people understand what they are. So there's a lot of segregation even within the community that is hard to see. Because in the beginning it felt like more of a small, tight-knit kind of experience. And everybody, if you look at the history of it, like back in the '70s when it was starting, the human rights and equal rights of it all, people were all dealing with kind of the similar thing. Society felt this way about gay people, our families felt this way about gay people. So people had a lot to identify with each other over, because they had the same struggles. Now, there's all these different types of struggles. Some people don't struggle at all, so for some people it's really easy. It's not that hard at all to be gay or bi or lesbian or whatever. For some people it still is.

"I would love to see Pride this year put some emphasis on us as a community," Adam continued. "And everyone's welcome, everyone's accepted, especially like our trans brothers and sisters right now that are really getting some harsh treatment from the country we live in right now.

"There are members of the community that sort of don't wanna acknowledge trans people as part of the umbrella, and it's just, like, come on," Lambert added. "Quit being a bully. It's like the you-can't-sit-with-us energy. That's not gonna get us ahead in this day and age. So I would just like to see Pride just be as inclusive as possible."

Last month, Lambert released the official Vitalii Akimov-directed music video for his latest single, "Eat U Alive". The track is taken from Adam's sixth full-length studio album, "Adam", which will arrive on Friday, July 10 via his own label, distributed via The Orchard. Featuring artwork by renowned fashion photographer Nick Knight and executive produced by Pete Nappi (Jon Bellion, Jon Batiste, JONAS BROTHERS, Rihanna, Pharrell Williams),the self-titled album features 12 diverse new songs and marks a fully realized exploration into all facets of Lambert's humanity and otherworldly artistry.

The "Eat U Alive" release marked the first original music from Lambert since his critically acclaimed Broadway debut in 2024 starring as Emcee in the Tony Award-winning production of "Cabaret" at the Kit Kat Club for which The New York Times praised his "theatrical chops" and Variety called it a role he was "born to play." Due to fan demand, he released "I Don't Care Much" as a single in collaboration with Andrew Lloyd Webber, which he debuted on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon". He followed up that acclaimed role with "Jesus Christ Superstar" at the Hollywood Bowl in August 2025 where he starred as Judas alongside Cynthia Erivo as Jesus. The three-night run of shows received rave reviews with TheWrap touting it as "the theater world's hottest ticket." Variety also praised the "smashing" three-night run of shows saying, "If Lambert and Erivo could both be signed up for Broadway, this show would surely run for as many months, years or millennia as they were willing to commit to it."

In addition to the arts, activism and advocacy are key pillars for Lambert. Continuing his support for the LGBTQ+ community, he founded the non-profit organization Feel Something Foundation in 2020, supporting LGBTQ+ human rights. He also serves as an ambassador for Global Citizen, an advocacy platform dedicated to achieving the end of extreme poverty and will be speaking Thursday, May 14 at the "Global Citizen NOW: New York" impact summit.

Lambert is a Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, actor, and LGBTQ+ trailblazer who rose to global fame on "American Idol" in 2009. He has since built an international career defined by powerhouse vocals and bold artistry, earning multiple Top 10 albums including "For Your Entertainment", "Trespassing" and "The Original High", along with hit singles like "Whatya Want From Me" and "Ghost Town". His album "Trespassing" made history as the first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 by an openly gay male artist, and beyond his solo work, Lambert has captivated audiences worldwide as the frontman for QUEEN, performing sold-out stadium shows across the globe.

His creative reach spans film, television, and stage, with standout roles in "Glee" and his acclaimed Broadway debut as the Emcee in "Cabaret". In 2025, he starred as Judas in "Jesus Christ Superstar" at the Hollywood Bowl alongside Cynthia Erivo, earning rave reviews. A passionate advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, he founded the Feel Something Foundation to support global human rights initiatives. Constantly evolving, Lambert continues to push artistic boundaries as he prepares to release his highly anticipated sixth studio album, "Adam".

"Eat U Alive" was written by Adam Lambert, David Pramik, Alna Hofmeyr, Jordan Brasko Gable, Peter Nappi and Brasko. Produced by Pramik and Nappi, it features Pramik on acoustic guitar, synthesizer, percussion, and electronic drums, Nappi on synthesizer, percussion, and electronic drums, and Hofmeyr on background vocals.