Image belong to WireImage.
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NOT SAFE FOR WORK – This post contains photographs that may not be acceptable for persons under the age of 18 and of a suggestive nature with mild BDSM.
You have been warned.
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During his performance on Sunday November 22, 2009, American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert sang his debut single, “For Your Entertainment.” The performance was loaded with Lambert thrusting his pelvis into the faces of dancers, kissing his male keyboardist, flicking his middle finger to the camera and singing some stuff that ABC felt the need to mute.
A few weeks ago, I blogged in {Rules of PR no. 27} about Adam Lambert getting too hot too soon post-American Idol, in light of his Details Magazine spread, and apparently I was the only one who agreed with myself…until the American Music Awards 2009.
Leashes, pelvic thrusts, BDSM gear and a trip down the stage… I called it weeks ago.
If there is anything that Adam Lambert’s performance proved, it is that he still can make an excellent headline!
But seriously, folks, like that Gloriana fiasco from the AMAs (Team Gloriana! That’s what I say, btw), are you surprised? Because I hate to break it to you, but I am not.
I’m not surprised because if you couldn’t see this coming from his watered down performances on American Idol, then you’ve been living under a rock.
I bet Jennifer Lopez is probably ridiculously happy that attention is off her and on Glambert and his performance was also censored on the West Coast.
Interestingly enough, ABC received 1,500 complaints about the performance from viewers and it was the “Hot Topic” of the day on The View.
Image belongs to Getty.
- Too Hot Too Soon: The Original Statement
Okay, again, back to target audiences and all that jazz. Adam’s original audience is a group of people who watch a television show called American Idol. This television show is aimed at people who enjoy pop music and their main target audience are tweens, teens and early 20-somethings.
Now of course, there are a lot of other people who watch the show too, but the show is intended to market the winner as a pop idol aka what Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, the Spice Girls etc., were all in their prime.
Taking all of that into consideration, I completely understand that Adam wanted to separate himself from a ‘wholesome’ and ‘traditional’ image that he isn’t a part of. But I definitely think that he got too sassy too soon because with this single performance, he was canceled from performing on Good Morning American during Thanksgiving week and his fans are completely divided on whether they loved or hated his performance; or him.
Image belongs to Getty.
“It’s all fantasy – that’s what entertainment is. I’m here to entertain you, and if my sexuality is apparent and you respond to it, and you’re attracted to it, then great, I’m doing my job.” – Adam Lambert in Details Magazine.
- Redefining the Brand
I’m convinced that Lambert’s performance is actually public redefinition of who he is and it was either really smart or really stupid.
This is because he’s either going to branch out into a new world, with new fans and old fans who appreciate his ‘true’ style OR he’s going to alienate a chunk of people who will stop following him.
Every person has their own style and every singer has their own unique way of singing. For example, the song “I Dream a Dream” — Eliane Paige sang it and people loved it. Hayley Westenra sang it and people continued to love it. Then Susan Boyle got a hold of the track and it’s reemerged from the music vaults with force. As the debut single and title of her album, “I Dream a Dream” has made Susan Boyle’s debut album the most pre-ordered album worldwide of all time.
My point of telling you this is that prior to the AMAs, people knew Adam Lambert as that kid on American Idol. They knew what he wanted them to know, now they know who he truly is. Whether they like it or hate it, that decision is in their court. The point is, now they know.
It’s like the song, you think you know what it sounds like, until you hear it through new chords. In the case of Adam, see him with new eyes.
You can see a video from BEFORE the AMA’s below:-
Image belongs to Getty.
“There’s a feeling of entitlement [with the fans] because they voted to get us where we are. But you know what? I am responsible for what I created on the show. You voted for what I created, and thank you, but I created it, you didn’t.” – Adam Lambert in Details Magazine.
After the AMAs, in an interview with Rolling Stone, Lambert said,
“Female performers have been doing this for years — pushing the envelope about sexuality — and the minute a man does it, everybody freaks out.”
I have a huge problem with this statement because it’s a lie,
- Madonna/Britney Spears/Christina Aguilera -- three way kiss at the MTV VMAs in 2003.
That blows Adam’s argument completely out of the window AND there are countless other examples. But that is the most prevalent because Britney, Madonna and Christina got a huge about of bad press from this performance. Granted, a the time, it was not unexpected from Madonna, but it was from the other two and regardless, there was still a huge backlash!
That is just a controversial incident, but let’s talk about well-received bi and homosexual tidbits on television:-
- The L-Word
- Queer As Folk
- Will & Grace
- Callie Torres on Grey’s Anatomy
- Torchwood
- Willow on Buffy the Vampire Slayer
- Queer Eye for the Straight Guy
- Kevin on Brothers & Sisters
Umm, hello, some of those examples involve men.
Critics and fans alike, are divided on the performance and it’s been creating an interesting stir online.
You can see a video of AFTER the AMAs below:-
For example, on RollingStone.com, Rob Sheffield said that Lambert’s performance was,
“We didn’t get to hear much of his vocal exuberance — but given the technical glitches that riddled the whole show, there was no way Adam was going to get his high notes heard in the detail they deserve. So he was smart to go for spectacle rather than subtlety on an occasion like this. And when he took an apparently unplanned tumble halfway through the performance, he just kept moving without missing a note, like the trooper he is.”
Image belongs to Getty.
On the flip side, Bill Werde of Billboard.com said that Lambert’s performance was similar an Andrew Lloyd Webber “coaxing an S&M performance out of Barry Manilow.” He also said that,
“Lambert is now complaining that ABC edited his performance for west coast airing. I’m not sure I disagree with his concerns, but Adam, don’t miss the headline here. The people you should care about here aren’t the ones persecuting you because of your coarse and clumsy display of sexuality. They’re the ones persecuting you because you showed no ability to pick a song and perform it well. Get thee to the [Lady] GaGa school of controversial but credible pop entertaining.”
Image belongs to Getty.
In my opinion, Lambert wanted his performance to be edgy and sexy; borderline phenomenal.
It completely wasn’t.
I felt like it was theatrically over done which made it quite the opposite. It seemed like Adam concentrated more on the theatrics of his performance versus his voice because he sounded strained, screechy and almost hoarse.
Maybe it’s me, but in terms of sexuality and conveying sensuality, I feel like less is more. The entire AMA performance seemed overly vulgar and crude. I wasn’t offended, but I was disappointed. He is a talented guy, you just wouldn’t know it from this showing.
If you missed it, the performance below is the only video I can find online that wasn’t pulled offline by Dick Clarke Productions…unless of course you visit the Japanese version of YouTube:-
If that doesn’t work, try this foreign one:-
By the way, the entire debut, “For Your Entertainment,” is $3.99 on Amazon.com in Mp3 Format. Amazon has a early Black Friday deal where you enter MP34FREE which is a $3.00 Mp3 credit. For Adam’s $3.99 Mp3 album, take $3.00 off of the price and you can get it for $0.99 or you can do what I did and just get three free Mp3s 
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Sasha Muradali runs the ‘Little Pink Book’ . She holds a B.S. in Public Relations from the University of Florida (’07) and an M.A. in International Administration from the University of Miami(’08). She loves Twitter and all things social media, so you should find her @SashaHalima or get a copy of the ‘Little Pink Book’ delivered to your Kindle.
Copyright © 2009 Sasha H. Muradali. All Rights Reserved.
