Adam Lambert tells us about upcoming new music, and why artists need to “use their platforms for the greater good”

Adam Lambert has spoken to NME about why it is more important than ever for people to speak out in support of trans rights, and revealed that he has a new solo project coming later this year.

The solo star and Queen frontman caught up with us backstage at the ‘Trans Mission’ show at Wembley Arena last night (Wednesday March 11), which raised funds for non-profit organisations Good Law Project and Not A Phase.

He took to the stage to break out two of his tracks, joining a stacked line-up that included Wolf Alice, Beth Ditto, Sugababes, Olly Alexander, HAAi, Jasmine.4.T, Kae Tempest, Kate Nash, MNEK, Romy, Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

The night also saw guest appearances from Sir Ian McKellen, Jordan Stephens, Munroe Bergdorf, Nicola Coughlan, Russell Tovey, Tia Kofi, Zack Polanski and more.

Backstage, Lambert opened up to us about why he “said yes without hesitation” when he was asked to take part.

“These are the types of events and causes that I always try to put my energy into,” he told NME, adding that the message of “inclusivity” aligned with both his own views and those of Queen. “This is when being an artist is amazing, because we can use our platforms to affect the greater good and create a great ripple effect.”

He also shared his stance on whether an event of that scale could be seen in the United States right now, and said that it had inspired him to consider curating a similar event on that side of the pond – particularly as it is “all pretty hardcore right now” with “everything that is going on politically”.

“Trans people have definitely been targeted by the current administration in the US,” he continued. “There are events going on, but something like this at this scale would be amazing. Maybe I’ll help try and put something together.”

Lambert also told NME about why he thought it was so important for people to speak up in solidarity with LGBTQIA rights, saying that it ultimately boils down to being a “human rights issue” and giving people the same level of respect you’d like to be given.

“[It’s about] if you can look in the mirror and say that you treat people how you’d want to be treated. That’s a simple way of putting it. Everyone deserves respect and everyone deserves the safety of being able to exist. Trans people are no exception to that,” he told NME.

“In many cases right now, trans people are being so scrutinised and so under the microscope, [so] if you have some compassion and if you want to treat people how you’d want to be treated, just do something, even if it’s small.

“If you can’t make a donation, just put something on social media, or repost something. Get some visibility going because every single thing helps.”

As for what he had planned for after the ‘Trans Mission’ show, Lambert revealed that there was “nothing going on at the moment with Queen” as the band are “all chilling” and taking some time away from writing new music.

However, he did share plans for new solo material – saying that he had been working on his “own project for the past year-and-a-half”.

“There is definitely new music on the horizon. I can’t give too many details yet about what that is, but it’s a whole new situation, so I’m excited to unveil that soon,” Lambert explained, before saying he was planning on sharing it at some point “in 2026”.

More details about the new solo material from Lambert are expected to be released soon.

Olly Alexander helped organise the ‘Trans Mission’ show last night alongside Mighty Hoopla’s Glyn Fussell.

Ahead of his performance, the Years & Years singer was introduced to the stage by acting legend Sir Ian McKellen, who recited Shakespeare’s The Strangers’ Case speech from Thomas More to the crowd. That speech is the same that he shared in his recent appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, and relates to immigrants and the treatment of people who were different.

One of the most powerful moments of the night was when Caroline Litman – the author of Her Name Is Alice, a book about her transgender daughter who took her own life – made a moving speech, before introducing Beth Ditto and model and activist Munroe Bergdorf.

Find out more about what went down at the show, including photos, footage, speeches and more, here.