Adam Mitchel Lambert is an American singer, songwriter and actor. Since 2009, he has sold over 3 million albums and 5 million singles worldwide. He rose to fame in 2009 after finishing as runner-up on the eighth season of “American Idol.” Take a look below for 30 more fun and interesting facts about Adam Lambert.

1. In 2009, he released his debut album, “For Your Entertainment,” which debuted at number three on the U.S. Billboard 200.

2. The album spawned several singles, including “Whataya Want From Me,” for which he received a Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

3. In 2012, Lambert released his second studio album, “Trespassing.”

4. The album premiered at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, making him the first openly gay artist to top the album charts.

5. In 2015, Lambert released his third album, “The Original High,” which debuted at number three on the U.S. Billboard 200 and produced “Ghost Town.”

6. Alongside his solo career, Lambert has collaborated with rock band Queen as lead vocalist for Queen + Adam Lambert since 2011, including several worldwide tours from 2014 and 2019.

7. Lambert was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on January 29, 1982, to mother Leila, a dental hygienist; and father Eber Lambert, a program manager for Novatel Wireless.

8. His father is of partial Norwegian descent and his mother is Jewish, with roots in Romania.

9. Lambert was raised in his mother’s religion.

10. He has a younger brother called Neil.

11. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to San Diego, California.

12. Lambert began performing with Metropolitan Educational Theater network from the age of nine. A few years late, he began more intense acting and vocal coaching, continuing to perform with both MET and what was to become the Broadway Bound Youth Theater Foundation, as he moved through Mesa Verde Middle School and then Mount Carmel High School.

13. There, he became heavily involved with theater and choir, performed vocals with the school’s jazz band and competed in the local Air Bands competitions.

14. He also appeared in local professional productions such as “Hello, Dolly!”, “Camelot,” “The Music Man,” “Grease”, “Chess” and “Peter Pan,” at venues such as The Starlight, The Lyceum and others.

15. After graduating high school in 2000, he attended California State University, Fullerton, but left after five weeks to move to Los Angeles.

16. At 19, Lambert landed his first professional job, performing on a cruise ship for ten months with Anita Mann Productions. Afterwards, he performed in light opera in Orange County, California.

17. By 21, he was signed with a manager and cast in a European tour of “Hair.”

18. In 2004, he appeared in the Theater Under the Stars production of Brigadoon and a Pasadena Playhouse production of “110 in the Shade.”

19. Since his appearance on “American Idol,” Lambert has lent considerable support and time to charitable causes. As of October 2011, financial donations had reached the $1 million mark.

20. In January 2010, in lieu of gifts for his 28th birthday, Lambert asked fans to donate to DonorsChoose.org, as 2,435 fans donated $322,700.

21. In June 2010, Lambert teamed with the charity for his “Glam A Classroom” campaign, raising another $208,590, supported by 3,020 fans.

22. In October 2010, he collaborated on a second Signature Collection with The Pennyroyal Studio, which sold out after raising $43,092 for DonorsChoose.

23. In January 2011, he began a campaign to raise $29,000 for charity: water to commemorate his 29th birthday and the campaign raised $323,803, which helped 16,190 people receive clean water.

24. Lambert performed at a Royal Albert Hall concert on June 7, 2012, benefiting the Rays Of Sunshine Children’s Charity.

25. On January 31, 2013, he received the Unity Award, which honors artists whose music spreads “peaceful messages,” from the We Are Family Foundation at their 2012 Celebration Gala 2.0.

26. Lambert donated his 31st birthday to the charity, raising more than $82,000 in just over a week.

27. On May 25, Lambert was a participant in the opening ceremony of 2013 Life Ball in Vienna. Appearing as Ali Baba, he performed the gala’s official song, “Love Wins Over Glamour,” which he co-wrote with the Vienna based production team Beat4Feet.

28. In collaboration with Queen, he is a participant in Coca-Cola’s campaign to help end mother-to-child HIV transmission.

29. In July 2016, he took part in the charity single “Hands,” a tribute to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shootings.

30. In August 2017, Lambert performed a mini-set tribute to George Michael at Project Angel Food’s Angel Awards gala, where Michael was the recipient of the Elizabeth Taylor Humanitarian Award, in recognition of his philanthropy.