Why Did Queen Pick Adam Lambert?

Written by Jeff Campbell in Band Members,Hard Rock Last Updated November 17, 2022

Queen pick Adam Lambert lg

Adam Lambert began his musical journey on the reality TV show American Idol, only to join one of the biggest rock bands in history, Queen. But why did Queen pick Adam Lambert?

Here is what I found out:

Queen picked Adam Lambert because of his extensive vocal range and his charismatic and flamboyant on-stage persona. The remaining Queen band members felt that while no one could replace Freddie Mercury, Lambert was a worthy successor. 

As soon as Queen’s guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor witnessed Adam’s performance, they were convinced that Adam had all the qualities of being Queen’s lead singer.

You know a band as great as Queen would never rush into collaborating with anyone.

It isn’t that easy to impress them. In this case, Queen’s members went ahead to collaborate with Adam twice. And this is how you know Adam has excellent talent.

But did Queen’s performance improve after recruiting Lambert? What has been the difference before and after Lambert joined the band? And what about Paul Rodgers, who sang with them in between Freddie and Adam?

Let us find out:

How did Queen choose Adam Lambert?

Queen chose Adam Lambert after meeting him on the set of American Idol in 2009. Queen performed with both Adam, who was the runner-up, as well as with the winner Kris Allen. But despite not winning, Queen felt Lambert was the perfect fit. Lambert joined Queen in 2011 as a permanent member. 

Band members were so impressed by Adam’s vocal range that they contacted American Idol directly, asking for a collaboration to see if the young singer could gel with the band.

While performing, the band members bonded ‘magically with Adam.’

The band’s guitarist Brian May told a magazine:

“I had thousands of people send me the video, saying, ‘You have to see this guy!’ So it immediately put [him] in there. And then we came to see [Adam perform]. That’s where it began. There was immediate chemistry.” 

In addition to the above praises, Brian also told Universal Music that Adam has an uncanny gift of music.

“He could sing all the lines Freddie sang. All those lines. They were complex songs. He sang those lines higher than Freddie could.”

Wondering how many octaves Freddie Mercury could sing?

Read my recent article to see how a genetic defect helped Freddie achieve an impressive vocal range. But was it his buck teeth that contributed to that range?

Just click on that link to read it.

To conclude, I’d say Queen picked Adam because of the bond and the natural onstage presence that they have been missing since Freddie Mercury passed away.

After recruiting Adam, the band started calling itself Queen + Adam Lambert instead of Queen to pay their respects to former frontman Freddie.

Who has the better voice, Freddie Mercury or Adam Lambert?

Queen’s guitarist Brian feels that American Idol contestant Adam Lambert has a better voice, tone, and vocal range than Freddie Mercury. But in terms of originality and charisma, Freddie Mercury is most fans’ preferred choice. 

Although the magic that Freddie could create in the era cannot be easily recreated, Adam Lambert is among those rare singers who can capture the essence of Freddie’s voice, about as close to when Freddie sang them as anyone could.

According to Nova.ie, Adam has been touring with Queen for the past years, essentially interpreting Freddie’s songs with “sensitivity, depth, maturity, awesome range, and jaw-dropping power.” 

Before Adam, the band even recruited Paul Rodgers. But the improvement that Adam’s singing has created has set a benchmark for any other lead vocalist that joins Queen next (if that ever happens).

Here is what the Queen band members think about Adam: 

“Adam can do it easily. He can do it in his sleep. He can sing higher than even Freddie could in a live situation. There’s too much. So many people can’t sing them in the original key-even if they are good singers.” 

But the question here is not about who is better? 

But whether or not people can connect with the emotions intended to be conveyed through these songs, irrespective of who is singing them. There will only ever be 1 Freddie Mercury. But Adam isn’t trying to be Freddie. He’s just himself.

And Adam fills in with Queen flawlessly.

How much money does Adam Lambert make with Queen?

Adam Lambert has a net worth of $30 million, the majority of which was earned as a member of Queen. He receives a share of concert revenue as well as performance royalties for all Queen releases on which he performs. 

Appearing with Queen, the Grammy Award nominee Adam Lambert quickly jumped the ladder of fame and money. His collaboration with the legendary rock band certainly gave his career the push that any new musician hopes for.

But of course, he doesn’t get an equal share of what Brian May and Roger Taylor get.

But Adam has received endless support from the band throughout live concerts and appreciation. The band has come together on numerous tours and released their albums as Queen + Adam Lambert.

The albums have sold millions of copies.

A recent estimate by Forbes magazine revealed that Adam Lambert topped the list of highest earners of American Idol, racking up $10 million in 2015. 

source

Adam Lambert is undoubtedly an artist rich in skills, technique, and finance.

To be honest, he deserves it given that he has been consistent in his performance throughout these years. He makes the fans feel the band is back in its golden days.

Who replaced Freddie Mercury in Queen before Adam Lambert?

Singer Paul Rodgers, formerly of Free and Bad Company, sang with Queen when they first reunited from 2004 to 2009 before Adam Lambert took over in 2011. 

And of course, Paul Rodgers and Adam Lambert are radically different from each other.

The band had to rework their framework (which Freddie had meticulously created) to fit Paul, but it was much more natural with Adam.

Honestly, Paul Rodgers was a terrible choice to sing for Queen.

He lacked the range, charisma, and flamboyance of Freddie. He was a rock singer, and while Queen is a rock band, Freddie transcended that by just being who he was.

Just listen to any of the Queen + Paul Rodgers tracks on YouTube or Spotify, and you’ll hear what I mean.

And because of his past, Queen would play Bad Company and Free songs during that time too, which really don’t fit in with their overall sound. I don’t hate Paul Rodgers or his previous bands. I just think he was all wrong as a fill-in for Freddie Mercury, although he certainly didn’t try and copy Freddie.

Adam didn’t try to copy Freddie. 

But he captured Freddie’s essence without even trying. He was able to impress new generations too and make them huge fans of Queen even half a century later.

The second thing is Freddie was an unbelievably incredible musician to see live.

It’s a bit bitter for his fans to accept anyone in his place. This same argument could have been the reason why Adam or Rodgers never attempted to replace Freddie Mercury’s place.

On the contrary, they considered themselves supporting musicians helping the band carry on with Freddie’s memories.

Does Adam Lambert still sing with Queen?

Adam Lambert still does perform with Queen, first touring in 2012 and then every year since 2014, including the current year. 

In addition to touring with Queen, Lambert also pursued a solo career creating albums like Trespassing (2012) and The Original High (2015), premiering at number three and number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, respectively.

But Lambert’s career’s highlight remains his identity as the Queen’s lead vocalist.

He has toured with the band numerous times. With Adam Lambert as lead singer, the band released their first album since Freddie’s death titled Live Around the World in 2020. 

The band was all set to rock the U.K. and Europe in 2020, but that was disrupted by the pandemic and worldwide shutdowns.

However, Queen + Adam Lambert expanded their tour through 2022, with all current dates available on Queen’s official website.

Adam Lambert & Kris Allen & Queen-We are the champions (American Idol) HD

Conclusion

It is said that music is a knot that ties generations. And in the case of the band Queen, this is true.

There is no other reason than the connection and sincerity that Freddie filled in his songs, ensuring the band’s survival for half a century.

To carry on Freddie’s legacy, the band consistently looked for potential singers who could fill the void that Freddie’s death had left in the minds of his fans.

When the existing members witnessed Adam’s skills, they were immediately convinced that Adam could be their next lead singer because he could sing all the Queen’s songs effortlessly in original keys.

The members say that Adam has an uncanny gift to touch the fans on a deeper level of emotions as ideally as Freddie did. The band’s guitarist Brian feels that Adam has a better vocal range than Freddie, so they pick him.

Photo that requires attribution:

Queen & Adam Lambert by Tatianka1986 is licensed under CC2.0 and was cropped, edited, and had a text overlay added.

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