Adam Lambert Outsells Adele
Image by Getty Images
Glamberts rejoicing because their idol has made it to the number one spot on the Billboard chart. In what After Elton is calling a historic achievement, Adam Lambert is the first openly gay artist to have made it to the top.
Lambert came close when his first album, “For Your Entertainment,” made it to the third spot. But there’s nothing quite like having the number one album in the country, which is what the former American idol runner-up has right now. Having sold 77,000 copies in its first week, “Trespassing” has surpassed albums by Adele and Carrie Underwood.
Gay artists like Clay Aiken, Elton John and George Michael have had #1 hit albums, but they all came out only after having achieved the honor. None of them have reached the top spot again since making their homosexuality publicly known. It’s a different time now, and Lambert, 30, has been able to be who he is and sing his own song from early in his career.
A message from our editor-in-chief Jodi Rudoren
We're building on 127 years of independent journalism to help you develop deeper connections to what it means to be Jewish today.
With so much at stake for the Jewish people right now — war, rising antisemitism, a high-stakes U.S. presidential election — American Jews depend on the Forward's perspective, integrity and courage.
— Jodi Rudoren, Editor-in-Chief
