‘Prince, Prince, Prince, Prince’ – Adam Lambert’s Inspiration for New EP

Adam Lambert revealed Prince was his main influence for new EP Velvet: Side A, and that he felt the release was the strongest representation yet of his own creativity.

He’s been singing with Queen on a regular basis for eight years, but although Brian May and Roger Taylor had given him advice about the six-track title, their band hadn’t been the biggest inspiration while he worked on it.

“The intention was that it'd feel more timeless; it wouldn’t be something that would sound out of date in three years,” Lambert told Billboard in a new interview. “A lot of it came from referencing songs from the past: '70s piano singer-songwriter pop, funk and soul music, Motown -- a lot of things people still love. This music sort of falls into a new lane. It’s more classic, there’s a lot of instruments in it.”

He added: “It’s made me feel active; it’s given me a sense of purpose and confidence in my ideas. And it’s let me walk away feeling a sense of accomplishment. … [S]inging great music all over the world for the past eight years – it’s made me a better creator.”

When asked if “any classic artists” had been particularly influential, Lambert replied: “Prince, Prince, Prince, Prince. He's one of my all-time favorites. In a moment where I’m like, ‘How should I approach this part vocally?’ I always think, ‘What would Prince do?’

Adam Lambert - ‘Closer to You’

Lambert described Velvet: Side A and its upcoming companion EP, Velvet: Side B as the “most similar” work he’d done since his debut album For Your Entertainment, saying the 2009 release had been “a little more varied… there was a handful of other genres on there.” He continued: “The thing about For Your Entertainment – and I’m so proud of that album – I did not write much on that album. If I was to look back and realize what I’ve learned, it's that I’ve become a songwriter. I also think the big difference is that I know my voice more now, and I know who I am as a person and as an artist.”