They were linked throughout 2009 as artists that burst onto the scene and captured the heart of music fans in wholly contrasting ways:
Adam Lambert was loud, in your face, sexy, gay, proud and confident.
Susan Boyle was quiet, timid, reliant on an opera-like voice that’s been hidden inside a (let’s face it) ugly body.
Both released debut albums in November, with Boyle’s breaking records and dominating the charts for months. Lambert’s fared well, but it didn’t stand out in nearly the same way.
Now, Adam has ripped into the Scottish singer, saying in a recent interview:
If only it weren’t for Susan Boyle! I’m happy for her success, but that album is terrible. “Wild Horses” is the one that made me laugh the hardest. I just died when I heard it, I was crying with laughter. It was the most horrendous, sacrilegious treatment of that song!
In his defense, Adam says he’s been misquoted. He and Susan appeared on Oprah together last month and certainly seemed to get along well. He was also clearly laughing when he said the words above, but it’s not hard to see why they’ve created such a stir.
We’re enormous fans of Lambert and have defended him against critics since his run on American Idol. But it’s hard to have any reaction to these comments, IF he said them, aside from: Bitter much?!?
Lambert’s honest and open attitude is a major appeal, but anyone can go too far. When the target is a singer who has outsold him by millions, the attack just seems fueled by jealousy and pettiness.
Was Lambert joking around when he critiqued Boyle? Probably. But he should have known better than to go on record with such pointed words. If he referred to to the album as “terrible,” then he’s entitled to his opinion – but so are others that believe he should have thought more about these comments.
** UPDATE: Through discussion with fans of Lambert, we have modified this article’s headline. They are correct that the initial version – “Adam Lambert Rips Into Susan Boyle” – was unnecessarily harsh and did not paint an accurate picture of Adam’s comment.