Adam Lambert Tried to Defy 'Cliché And Safe' Gay-Male Stereotype With AMA Performance

American Idol' star also admits on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' that he was nervous before performance.





During his appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" on Tuesday, Adam Lambert admitted that even on the night of the American Music Awards, when he took the stage and delivered a controversial, performance that dominated headlines for much of last week, he was a bit nervous.
"I get nervous a lot — I just learned how to hide it," he told DeGeneres. "Yeah, here and there. I was nervous the other night ... just a little bit nervous!"
Lambert went on to say that he might have taken things a bit too far with the performance. "I think in hindsight, I look back on it and I go, 'OK, maybe that wasn't the best first impression to make again — the first second impression,' " he said. "I mean, I had fun up there, I had a good time, my dancers had fun and the band had fun."
But he also said that he doesn't feel the need to apologize for the performance, even though his dad said he should. He said he felt that the media coverage was blown out of proportion due to the fact that he's a gay man.
"I think people aren't used to seeing gay man portrayed that way on TV," he said. "The gay-male image in the media tends to be very cliché and safe. ... I think I got up there and put more energy — a little more than I was attempting to — [in interpreting] the lyrics of the song, quite simply," he said.
"I was putting on a character, putting on a persona, being this kind of rock star, kind of dangerous kind of guy," he continued. "After seeing one of my favorites, Lady Gaga, tear it apart onstage — she was incredible. I don't know, something came over me and got caught up in the moment and maybe went a little too far."
Lambert capped off his appearance on the show with a performance of "Whataya Want From Me," from his debut album, For Your Entertainment.