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Adam Lambert hesitated to speak out on gay rights, saying he did not set out to be a role model for LGBT youth. ?Adam Lambert hesitated to speak out on gay rights, saying he did not set out to be a role model for LGBT youth. The 30-year-old Lambert said he accepted the responsibility with a great deal of reluctance. ?At the beginning I was a little bit like, 'I don't know what to say, I don't know how to be that role model,' even though, all of a sudden, people are telling me I am,? Lambert said in a video interview with Billboard.com. ?One of the things I find very gratifying now is that I have grown a lot more comfortable with my position and I'm embracing the opportunity to be able to address this stuff through music.? ?There's not just one type of gay person,? he added, ?and that's the hardest part about being one of the few in the public eye. I'm not the guy next door, necessarily. I dress kinda crazy, I'm a little bit more in-your-face about some of my instincts, and I?ve gotten

On a mock-up stage in a Philippine music studio, single-mum Joanna Talibong is singing for her life.

Singer Adam Lambert is honored at being the first openly gay artist to have a number one record in the United States. Singer Adam Lambert is honored at being the first openly gay artist to have a number one record in the United States. The 30-year-old Lambert made history when his sophomore album Trespassing debuted at Number One on Billboard's album chart. Trespassing sold 77,000 copies according to Nielsen SoundScan, making Lambert the seventh American Idol finalist to climb to the top spot on the chart. ?It's a big milestone,? Lambert told the AP. ?I didn't realize it hadn't been reached, either. It feels like an honor to be that artist. I think America is progressing, slowly but surely, in regards to equal rights with the LGBT community.? ?On this album, I address it directly. It was something that was really important to me, because it is a part of who I am.? ?But what I'm really trying to say with the messages on the album in like a broader sense is that yes this is who I am and

On a mock-up stage in a Philippine music studio, single-mum Joanna Talibong is singing for her life.

Like many Chinese girls her age, Qi Ji enjoys singing and dancing and dreams of becoming a star. But rather than trying to make a start in vast and crowded China, she is pinning her hopes on Taiwan.

Like many Chinese girls her age, Qi Ji enjoys singing and dancing and dreams of becoming a star. But rather than trying to make a start in vast and crowded China, she is pinning her hopes on Taiwan.

Adam Lambert's sophomore album 'Trespassing' has been described as reinforcing gay stereotypes by a group opposed to gay rights. Adam Lambert's sophomore album Trespassing has been described as reinforcing gay stereotypes by a group opposed to gay rights. A review of Lambert's second effort on the site PluggedIn.com, part of the Christian conservative group Focus on the Family, describes the album as so offensive that they could not repeat some lyrics. ?Like [Lady] Gaga, Lambert is unapologetically shameless when it comes to singing about his voracious sexual appetites.? The lyrics on Underneath ?explicitly reference Lambert's homosexual desire,? the reviewer claims referring to the lines: ?I'm standing here with no apologies/Such a beautiful release/You inside of me/A red river of screams.? ?Several songs hint at his willingness to engage in a risky sexual encounter with someone he's just met. And in this, Lambert perhaps unwittingly reinforces the stereotype historically held about g

Singer Adam Lambert can't think of anything nice to say about Clay Aiken. ?Singer Adam Lambert can't think of anything nice to say about Clay Aiken. Lambert appeared Thursday night on cabler Bravo's Watch What Happens, where host Andy Cohen asked him to play along with Plead the Fifth, a regular show segment where guests are asked provocative questions and can ?plead the fifth? on all but one. The American Idol season eight runner-up decided to keep quiet when asked about Aiken, the season two runner-up. ?Say three nice things about Clay Aiken,? Cohen asked Lambert. ?Can't think of any,? Lambert said with a smirk. ?Want to plead the fifth?? ?No, I just can't think of any nice things,? Lambert answered with a laugh. (Watch the entire segment at BravoTV.com.) Lambert's sophomore album Trespassing debuted at Number One on Billboard's album chart, making him the first openly gay male artist and the seventh American Idol finalist to climb to the top spot on the chart. Aiken returned to tele

Singer Adam Lambert made history this week when his sophomore album 'Trespassing' debuted at Number One on 'Billboard's' album chart. Singer Adam Lambert made history this week when his sophomore album Trespassing debuted at Number One on Billboard's album chart. The 30-year-old Lambert is the first openly gay male artist to top the chart. Trespassing sold 77,000 copies according to Nielsen SoundScan, making Lambert the seventh American Idol finalist to climb to the top spot on the chart. Lambert officially came out gay on the cover of Rolling Stone after competing on the talent show. But more recently he's said that even while on Idol he didn't actively conceal his sexual orientation. ?I was out of the closet the whole time [I was on American Idol]. The whole time. No one ever said to me, Ryan Seacrest didn't go, 'You gay?'? he told Chelsea Lately host Chelsea Handler. In discussing Trespassing, Lambert told NPR that the track Outlaws of Love is about the discrimination faced by gay p

Grammy-winning disco legend Donna Summer died Thursday after a battle with lung cancer, aged 63, her family and media reports said.

Rapper Shawn 'Jay-Z' Carter has compared opposition to gay marriage to racial discrimination. Rapper Shawn ?Jay-Z? Carter has compared opposition to gay marriage to racial discrimination. The 42-year-old Jay-Z, who holds the record for the most number one albums by a solo artist on the Billboard 200 and is a part-owner of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets, explained his position to CNN. ?I've always thought [of] it as something that's still holding the country back,? he said. ?You know what people do in their own homes is, you know, their business. You chose to love whomever you love. You know, that's their business.? ?It's no different than discriminating against blacks. It's discrimination, plain and simple.? When asked whether President Barack Obama's support for gay nuptials would lose him votes ? in particular votes in the African-American community ? Jay-Z answered that the question was not relevant. ?It's the right thing to do. So whether it costs him votes or not. Again, it's really not

A former backup singer for the likes of Alicia Keys moved up to the center stage of US pop music when he emerged the winner of season two of the popular, viewer-voted NBC reality talent show "The Voice."

Adam Yauch, a co-founder of Grammy-winning hip-hop giants the Beastie Boys, died Friday after a three-year battle with cancer, the band's publicists said.

Nate Berkus has announced he has partnered with Target as the exclusive distributor of his new line of home products. Nate Berkus has announced he has partnered with Target as the exclusive distributor of his new line of home products. In a video promoting the upcoming line, Berkus talks about his new collection. ?I'm Nate Berkus and I'm announcing tonight, for the very first time, after a year-and-a-half of very hard work, my new partnership with Target and I am very excited about it.? ?I have a brand new collection that's launching at Target in October.? Berkus goes on to describe his collection as ?jewelry for the home? inspired by ?everything that I've always loved.? (The video is embedded in the right panel of this page. Visit our video library for more videos.) Berkus, who is openly gay and whose daytime talk show, The Nate Berkus Show, was recently canceled after two seasons, could be courting controversy. Target has previously infuriated gay rights supporters. In 2010, Target b

Adam Lambert-Queen collaboration described as 'fireworks' by Queen drummer Roger Taylor. ?Adam Lambert and British rock group Queen will perform together at four concerts dates this summer, a collaboration Roger Taylor has described as ?fireworks.? Queen currently includes guitarist Brian May and drummer Taylor. Taylor and May formed the band Smile, which Freddie Mercury altered to Queen when he joined. Mercury died in 1991 of complications due to AIDS. While a July 7 performance at Sonisphere 2010 has been canceled, Lambert and Queen will perform together at a June 30 show in Moscow's Olympic Arena, and a show with Elton John is also under consideration. They'll also perform two shows in July at the Hammersmith Apollo to provide ?some alternative ? for some of the the people who had bought tickets? to the now-canceled Sonisphere date, Taylor told Billboard. Speaking to Yahoo!'s Reality Rocks music blog, Taylor described the collaboration with a single word: ?Fireworks!? May added: ?So

Adam Lambert and British rock group Queen will perform together at four concert dates this summer. Adam Lambert and British rock group Queen will perform together at four concert dates this summer. While a July 7 performance at Sonisphere 2012 was canceled, four dates are currently planned. According to music glossy Billboard, Lambert and Queen will perform together at a June 30 show in Moscow's Olympic Arena, and a show with Elton John is also under consideration. They'll also perform two shows in July at the Hammersmith Apollo to provide ?some alternative ? for some of the the people who had bought tickets? to the now-canceled Sonisphere date. Queen currently includes guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor. Taylor and May formed the band Smile, which Freddie Mercury altered to Queen when he joined. Mercury died in 1991 of complications due to AIDS. Taylor told Billboard that Lambert fits the group's ?theatricality.? ?We're really excited about it,? Taylor said. ?Adam ? of cours

Jostling for space with younger rivals like Lady Gaga, Madonna brings a grown woman's voice to her new album "MDNA", out on Monday, on which the 53-year-old Queen of Pop evokes the pain of her divorce.

The soul-jazz singer Sade had the biggest US earnings of any British musician last year with $16.4 million, beating multi-Grammy-winning sensation Adele.

Country star Taylor Swift racked up the biggest US earnings last year, followed by Irish rockers U2 -- while British sensation Adele made it into the top 10 despite her health woes.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - R&B singer Chris Brown will release his fifth studio album titled "Fortune" in May, record label RCA said on Thursday, following on from Brown's recent Grammy comeback performance and award win.