Adam Lambert Reclaims His Anthem for Pride

May 12, 2024
ALEXANDER

Adam Lambert Reclaims “Whataya Want From Me”

Almost 15 years ago, Adam Lambert released his debut studio album For Your Entertainment hot off the heels of becoming runner up for the 8th season of American Idol. One of his singles from the album, “Whataya Want From Me,” earned a Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Well now he's brought the song back, reclaimed it, remixed it, and has made it ready in time for Pride season.

For this reissue, he's collabed with DJ White Shadow to release a "HeMix" of the anthem. He's redone the vocals and added a dance beat, and, more importantly, changed the lyrics “it messed me up” to “he messed me up.” It might seem like a little pronoun change but it is actually a huge indicator on how Adam as an artist has changed, and how the music industry in terms of LGBTQ representation has changed.

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Because of the pressures of hitting the scene as a solo artist right after his reality show appearance and because of the lack of representation in openly queer artists at the time, Adam used the non-specific lyric to give the song a chance. While he had the backing of the studio and his team, he was told that radio stations would be hesitant to play a gay song. Now, with a successful career and strong platform for the LGBTQ community, he has decided to reclaim that decision to make a statement. He told USA Today, “We’re in a different era. And in a lot of ways, it kind of illustrates all of the growth that I’ve been able to do as an artist and as a creative person.”

Little fun fact, the song was written by Pink and was supposed to be for her album. When she didn't end up using it, it ended up in Adam's lap. The song's original producers have given Adam support for changing the lyric. No doubt the song will be popping up at Prides all over the place and at his future live appearances.

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Adam first publicly came out for his cover story with Rolling Stone right after his American Idol finale. He then expanded on his sexuality for an in-depth interview for ABC's 20/20. He stated that he didn't come out publicly before because he didn't want his sexuality to get in the way of his competition. As it was, the media was already focusing on just that rather than his immense skill.

Check out the redo of “Whataya Want From Me”