Adam Lambert opens up to Jackie Brambles on touring with Queen for 10 years
"It’s a collaboration"
Singer Adam Lambert, who has been touring with Queen for the last 10 years, joined us at Greatest Hits Radio to talk to Jackie Brambles. He opened up about the fans' reactions to him singing with the band, how he thinks Freddie Mercury would have felt about him collaborating with them, and whether it feels like he is part of the band after so long.
Last month, Brian May responded to comments about Adam joining them on tour, insisting Freddie would have wanted Queen to go on, so Jackie asked Adam how he felt about the fans' reactions.
"There’s always going to be haters," Adam admitted. "That’s just how it goes and it’s fine - I get being protective of your memory of the band, I totally understand. I think early on that actually lit a fire in me to prove myself and prove them wrong.
"I was very careful not to imitate Freddie, I always felt that would be tacky and disrespectful, and that’s not what Brian (May) and Roger (Taylor) would have wanted. But I did try to consider the spirit with which the songs were originated, so why the song was written, what it was about, and why Freddie approached singing it that way I try to stay true to the intention."
Mirroring Brian's previous comments, Adam also revealed how he thought Freddie would have felt about him singing with Queen, saying: "Brian and Roger have often said Freddie wouldn’t have wanted the songs to gather dust, he wanted the music to live on, so I hope in whatever afterlife that might exist he’s having a good time and getting a kick out of it.
"I always have in the back of my mind when I’m making certain decisions - how to approach a song or what to wear - I’m always like would Freddie get a kick out of this?"
And with 10 years touring with the band, Jackie wanted to know whether he felt like part of the band now, but as he explained: "It’s a collaboration - the songs were written and originated by the band and everyone knows their songs because of their records, so I look at it as I’m a guest.
"I get to go on stage and sing these incredible songs. I get to be of service to Brian and Roger so they can perform their songs live and the fans of Queen want to hear these songs played so they need a singer. I’ve tried to approach it with that kind of respect. Freddie was one of a kind, there’s no replacing him but what we try to do on stage is really celebrate him and remember him fondly with the audience."
In 2022, Queen + Adam Lambert performed at Platinum Party at the Palace to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Jubilee celebrations, you can watch the performance below...
How can I listen to Jackie Brambles on Greatest Hits Radio?
You can catch The Evening Show with Jackie Brambles on Greatest Hits Radio every Monday to Thursday from 7pm - 10pm.
How can I listen to Greatest Hits Radio?
You can find Greatest Hits Radio on your traditional radio, on our website, on our app, on your smart speakers and on Freeview channel 716.
Check out all of the ways you can listen to Greatest Hits Radio here.
Watch more Greatest Hits Radio interviews:
Watch the full chat between Jackie Brambles and Jamie Lee Curtis talking about Halloween Ends, her favourite music and more.
Simon Mayo caught up with Shania Twain to talk about her new music. Watch the interview below.
Simon Mayo got chatting to presenter James May about new season of The Grand Tour. Watch the full interview below.
Get the Greatest Hits Radio app
Download the Greatest Hits Radio app for Android
Download the Greatest Hits Radio app for iPhone
Check out the brilliant Greatest Hits Radio presenters:
Ken Bruce
Greatest Hits Radio is the home of the legend that is Ken Bruce, weekdays 10am-1pm - including PopMaster, the UK's biggest music quiz for 25 years and counting.
Find out more about Ken and PopMaster.
Simon Mayo
Simon Mayo hosts Drivetime every weekday at 4pm and The Album Show on Sundays from 1pm.
Simon said of his Drivetime show: "I think the thing about Drivetime is that it is like the flip side of breakfast. You kind of know what an awful lot of people are doing, it's the end of most people's day, they're doing some final bits of work, they're shutting the laptop, they're doing a bit of food preparation, they're driving home. I think it is that sense of camaraderie, it's the end of the day, people want to be cheered up and they want to spend some time with some decent folk on the radio!"
Find out more about Simon Mayo here.
Paul Gambaccini
Paul brings us his famous America's Greatest Hits programme every Saturday between 5pm-7pm, featuring two hours of the Greatest Hits that made it big in America.
Sharing some of the things he loves about his show, Paul said: "Radio is the perfect form of one-to-one communication. TV can be direct, too, but the camera operator is always in your line of vision! I enjoy sharing my favourite music, and my admittedly freakish knowledge of it, with people who care about that music. I love the opportunity for challenging talk overs, too!"
Find out more about Paul Gambaccini here.
Alex Lester
The Dark Lord keeps you company in the small hours. Join him for the Music Marathon from 1am and the Best Time Of The Day Show 4-6am weekdays.
Alex brings: "Your favourite songs. Bizarre insights and unusual thoughts," to his show and told us that he loves that during his show: "It's just the two of us. You and me. (Against the world)."
Find out more about Alex Lester here.
Jenny Powell
Jenny plays the biggest songs of the 70s, 80s and 90s on Greatest Hits Radio to kickstart your weekend, every Saturday and Sunday from 6am.
On Jenny's show, listeners can look forward to The Breakfast Club, which she says is: "A warm-up for the weekend, full of positive vibes and feel-good factor when you wake up on Saturdays and Sundays. I insist you have a dance with me on the Kitchen Disco, I share some fun news stories from the previous week on The Headliners and get you smiling no matter what, sharing some of my favourite tracks from the 70s, 80, and 90s."
Find out more about Jenny Powell here.
Andy Crane
Join Andy's late-night community of music and company, Sunday-Thursday at 10pm.
Andy has three hours of the biggest songs from the 70s, 80s and 90s as well as The Top 10 at 10 and Midnight Music Marathon. His show is full of: "Great music and plenty of laughing."
Find out more about Andy Crane here.
Martin Kemp
Join our resident pop star Martin Kemp as he kicks off your Friday night with his Mixtape – three hours of handpicked essential weekend songs from the 70s, 80s and 90s to get you in the mood and dancing round the kitchen.
Then on Saturdays, it's side-two as he brings you nothing but the greatest decade of all time on The 80s Mixtape.
Get your teenage kicks in the company of THE 80s poster boy on Greatest Hits Radio!
Find out more about Martin Kemp here.
Jackie Brambles
Jackie Brambles hosts The Evening Show every Monday to Thursday from 7pm - 10pm.
Jackie promises to deliver: "Great music and great conversations! Every night we're joined by one of your favourite artists of the 70s, 80s and 90s for an in-depth chat about the highs and lows of their careers and their musical influences over the years."
Find out more about Jackie Brambles here.
Kate Thornton
Join Kate every weekday from 1pm, just after Ken!
Find out more about Kate Thornton here.
Richard Allinson
Weekend Good Times never sounded so good!
He's a broadcasting legend with a voice like silk that, alongside the Biggest Songs of the 70s, 80s & 90s, make the perfect weekend soundtrack – Saturday and Sundays at 9am.
Saturdays kick off with your chance to guess the year on The Top 10 Til 10, while Sundays are reserved for an hour of your special songs and dedications.
Speaking about his show, Richard said: "The idea is to recreate all those great memories I have of weekends growing up, a bunch of us meeting up to buy clothes, records, maybe sort a date…everything happened on a weekend and we remember the records we played at that time."
Find out more about Richard Allinson here.
Des Paul
Join Des for Rhythm Of The Night every Friday and Saturday night from 10pm, where he plays all the greatest soul, funk, disco and Motown hits to start your weekend.
Des explained what he loves the most about his show: "The favourite bit of presenting Rhythm of the Night is when listeners contact me to say how much they've loved hearing a particular track and then tell us all about when and where they used to hear it."
Find out more about Des Paul here.
Now read:
Everything you need to know about Jackie Brambles on Greatest Hits Radio
Everything you need to know about Drivetime with Simon Mayo on Greatest Hits Radio
Simon Mayo in conversation with Shania Twain about touring and her new music