Adam Lambert No Duh News

After winning fans with his stage presence, vocal range and take on Tears For Fears’ “Mad World” and Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love,” along with a few interesting costumes and a good dash of guyliner, Lambert was widely expected to take the prize for Idol’s eighth season. Either way, whether you love Lambert’s signature scream or call it a horrible screech, nobody could deny he was set to sign a record deal after the finale.

Today the 27-year-old singer announced he has signed with 19 Recordings and licensed to RCA Records. His debut album is set for release this fall. Yesterday eighth season “Idol” winner Kris Allen announced he had signed a record deal with 19 Recordings and Jive Records.

“To find a talent as exceptional as Adam Lambert is a rare and special event,” Simon Fuller, Creator and Executive Producer of American Idol and Founder & CEO of 19 Entertainment, said in a statement. “I am thrilled that ‘American Idol’ was the platform for the world to discover this brilliant young man. He is unique and unforgettable and a certain star of tomorrow.”

Lambert previously told E!Online he wanted his debut to “be kind of a rock-pop-electronic-dance thing,” naming David Bowie, Michael Jackson and Madonna as influences.

“I’m thrilled that we’ve come to a creative and collaborative partnership and look forward to developing a really exciting album,” Lambert said in a statement. “We are 100% on the same page and are all anxiously awaiting the start of the recordings. It’s going to be ridiculous! Get Ready!!!”

Ever since pictures of Lambert kissing another guy surfaced online, many in the media have focused on the question of his sexuality, trying to get Lambert to spill the beans.
When asked about the kissing photos by Access Hollywood, Lambert simply said “I have nothing to hide. I am who I am. And this is about singing … nothing else.”

Lambert refused to expand on the subject until the recent issue of Rolling Stone, which was revealed online today and hits news stands this week.

“I don’t think it should be a surprise for anyone to hear that I’m gay,” Lambert says in the cover story.

“Right after the finale, I almost started talking about it to the reporters, but I thought, ‘I’m going to wait for Rolling Stone, that will be cooler,’ ” he tells us. “I didn’t want the Clay Aiken thing and the celebrity-magazine bullshit. I need to be able to explain myself in context.

“I’m proud of my sexuality,” Lambert adds. “I embrace it. It’s just another part of me.”

Catch Lambert, Allen and the rest of the top 10 on their 50-city U.S. summer tour, kicking off July 5 in Portland, Ore., with dates through Sept. 15 in Manchester, N.H.

Click here for Lambert’s Web site.

Click here to read excerpts of the Rolling Stone cover story.