Adam Lambert has opened up on the tough time gay men have in the music industry - using Ricky Martin as an example.

Speaking to Queerty, Lambert said that he reckons Ricky Martin - who came out as gay after a number of years - would have seen his career suffer if he had outed himself early on.

He added that he thinks the music industry is a "tough market" for gay men, calling it "really conservative". Speaking about Martin, he said:

"Listen, in the time that he was really popular, it would've been really hard to be out. It probably would've shot his career in the foot. The music industry in general, is a tough market for a gay man. It's really conservative. It's hard."

Lambert also took time to praise Britney Spears - who he says he "loves" - said that if she is offered a rumoured judging role on the X Factor US, it is up to her to do "whatever the f*** she wants". He added:

"I think at this point, an artist like that, with the legacy that she has, I think she should do whatever the f*** she wants to do. Everybody becomes slaves to the machine of entertainment, and sometimes you just have to do things because you feel like it."