Ray Mickshaw/FOX"What a night, right?" asked Adam Lambert backstage after tonight's American Idol finale, a big smile on his face. "It felt so good. I got to sing with Queen and with KISS. I mean, first or second, it doesn't matter to me—I got to sing with two great, heroic rock bands."
Check out else what he had to say about the big show, coming in second and his future plans...
What did you feel in those last moments when they announced the winner?
Well, you know, I knew it was going to be a close race. Kris is incredibly talented, and he's a good person. For me it was like, OK, we know it's going to be close. Whatever happens, happens. We made it this far. We got to do a really cool finale, and we're both gonna get to do great things in the future. For me, it's not really about what happens tonight. It's about tomorrow.
What's immediately next?
We're going start working on some music right away. That's what I can't wait to do: to collaborate, to write, to cowrite, to create visuals that go along with the music, too. That's gonna be really exciting.
Have you received any offers yet?
A couple. Just a few here and there.
What did the judges say to you after the show tonight?
Paula from the get-go has been supersupportive. I walked into the room and she just had the warmest, most positive energy. She just said she's proud of me. It's been a very encouraging environment. I never felt like, Well, you can't do that or you can't sing that and you can't say that and you can't wear that. It was like: Adam, do your thing. Which was really cool. When I was younger, it was scarier to take risks and I kept pushing myself throughout my early 20s to where it wasn't scary anymore.
Will you collaborate with Allison Iraheta?
I love Allison; we'll see. That'll be really cool.
Blogs are going to say, "If he wins it's because he's gay, or if he loses it's because he's gay." What do you think of that?
Is that what they're gonna say? [Laughs.] Those blogs have a lot of opinions, don't they? [Laughs.] I think that Kris won because he's a great artist and I was happy to be a runner-up to that.
What's your goal now?
My dream now is to make a really dope record. Do something new. Push the boundaries a little bit. Push people's buttons. Open people's minds up a little bit. If there's anything that can come from this experience, I hope that all the fans out there can pick up that even if you're really different there's a way to get along with each other. [When] we did the Queen duet, we made it work because we found a common ground with each other.
What was your strategy on the show this season?
My strategy was to show all different sides. There's a very fine line between giving the audience what they wanted and then also me trying to give them stuff that maybe they didn't know they wanted.
Tell us about your style.
I like things that make you look. I don't like to blend in. I like to stand out. This is a Cavalli jacket that I'm really, really into.
Are you happy with your new Ford Fusion Hybrid?
The Fusion is beautiful. It's so whisper quiet. Hybrid all the way. Let's protect the environment.