Adam Lambert was awoken by something a lot more exciting than his regular cup of coffee last week: a phone call that informed him of a Grammy nomination for the single "Whataya Want From Me."

"I was so excited," the singer tells The Hollywood Reporter of his reaction after learning he was up for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. "After our call, I saw that a bunch of friends and family had texted and written emails."

Lambert is up against Michael Bublé, Michael Jackson, Bruno Mars and John Mayer in the category.

Adam says the nomination validates both his talent and the credibility of American Idol as a "dream platform for any artist," adding:

"I made music for years prior to the show, but knew that most major labels wouldn't be interested in me as a mainstream pop artist unless I could develop a legitimate fan base and prove that I had talent. Idol gave me these opportunities. But I feel I earned my current success by preparing and executing a variety of strong performances every week on the show and being comfortable being different."

We certainly agree with that assessment. Concludes Lambert:

"In addition to the writers and producers of the track, I hope that at this point, after all the hard work I've done over the past year, the nomination will give me credibility as a true vocalist in the industry and perhaps help fade some of the stigma that comes from rising to fame on a competition show."