Adam Lambert has opened up on how his sexual identity was perceived whilst on American Idol.

The vocal powerhouse was on the US reality TV in 2009 before he launched his solo career.

Speaking to Australia's Same Same, Lambert said that whilst his sexuality wasn't made public during the show, he went into the series with a "what you see is what you get" approach.

The 'Trespassing' star added that people watching him on American Idol with "make-up and heels" should have known what they were "getting". He said:

"I don't think I was ever hiding anything. I more-or-less went into it with a 'what you see is what you get' mentality. I mean, I was a 27-year-old middle-class white guy wearing make-up and heels, what did people think they were getting, you know?"

Lambert continued: "When I came out, I think I kind of did so with a sense of weariness and hesitation. I've lived openly my whole life so was in no way ashamed of who or what I am, but I was aware that coming out publicly, as it were, would possibly alter the way people looked at me or perceived me. But, that said, I'm really an open book. I think I always knew that anybody who had a problem with my orientation probably wasn't somebody I wanted to connect with anyway."