Adam Lambert has opened up about encountering the internalized homophobia of other gay people in the music industry.

The New Eyes singer of course rose to fame on the 2008 series of American Idol.

Speaking to Variety about homophobia in the music industry in 2019 compared to when he was starting out, he said: ‘It’s gotten better but I can’t make a blanket statement that it doesn’t happen anymore.

‘There are always going to be shades of homophobia — sometimes internalized homophobia that I’ve encountered from other gay people in the industry. They might feel that [I am] “too gay.”‘

‘I need to connect with as many people as I can’

Adam furthermore discussed his own experiences of internalized homophobia.

He told the publication: ‘I rejected mine quite a long time ago to be honest with you. Maybe in certain cases: with artists in the age of social media, a lot of expression is edited or curated for an audience.’

He also added: ‘When you’re making pop music, one has to keep in mind: “I need to connect with as many people as I can.”‘

‘You want to make entertainment for the masses,’ he continued. ‘The most important thing is to balance that with some sort of personal integrity. And that’s the headspace I’ve been in of late.’