Adam Lambert on the reaction to joining Queen: ‘There’s always going to be haters’

Adam Lambert has addressed the backlash he got after joining the rock band Queen.

The 41-year-old singer, who recently released the glam-rock cover album High Drama, addressed the comments with Jackie Brambles on Greatest Hits Radio (1 March). 

“There’s always going to be haters,” Adam said. “That’s just how it goes and it’s fine. I get being protective of your memory of the band, I totally understand.”

Adam noted that the initial reaction to him joining Queen involved some hate. This “lit a fire” within him to “prove them wrong.”

Adam also said he was careful to ensure he did not become a tribute act for Freddie Mercury.

“I hope in whatever afterlife that might exist he’s [Freddie Mercury] having a good time and getting a kick out of it.”

Lambert noted that he promised himself to remain distinctly separate from the ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ singer.

“I was very careful not to imitate Freddie,” Adam continued. “I always felt that would be tacky and disrespectful, and that’s not what Brian [May] and Roger [Taylor] would have wanted.”

Adam said he wanted to “consider the spirit with which the songs were originated.” This was in order to stay true to the original intention of the tracks. 

With this year marking a decade of Queen and Adam Lambert, he reflected on what he believed Freddie’s reaction would be. 

“I always have in the back of my mind when I’m making certain decisions – how to approach a song or what to wear. I’m always like would Freddie get a kick out of this?”

“I hope in whatever afterlife that might exist he’s having a good time and getting a kick out of it.”

“I’ve tried to approach it with that kind of respect,” he concluded. 

“Freddie was one of a kind, there’s no replacing him,” Adam also emphasised. “What we try to do on stage is really celebrate him and remember him fondly with the audience.”