Adam Lambert spoke to the Guardian about American Idol, being gay in the limelight, and how he remains in control of his own creativity. The interview took place on the same day he went to visit the North London Mosaic LGBT Youth Centre. 

On American Idol, he explained how it opened his eyes to how gays are treated in the US, having led a charmed life in Los Angeles.

He told The Guardian: "No one gives you an instruction guide on how to be a queer celebrity,

"Ten years ago, it wasn’t a lane that was really that clear. I’d been in the arts, in LA, my whole adult life at that point, so [my sexuality] wasn’t an issue.

“Then all of a sudden, I was like: ‘Oh shit, this is what homophobia is.’ It was a wake-up call for me. It was sad.”

Lambert revealed that his sexuality caused a bit of tension with his former record label, RCA, as he chose the cover art for his debut album, For Your Entertainment, and they weren't keen on it. He got his way but when it came to recording Whataya Want from Me written by P!nk, he was forced to change the lyric: 'he messed me up' to the more vanilla 'it messed me up'.

However, his strong support for the LGBTQ community and being open about his own sexuality has paved the way for other artists to be brave enough to be out and proud, something The Guardian bring to his attention, to which he replies: "I didn’t get into this to be a role model, but then slowly I realised it was a responsibility I wanted. There’s so much good that can come from being a leader and being open.”