Adam Lambert’s new album ‘Velvet’ is "partially" inspired by him being "frustrated’ with chart music.
The 37-year-old pop star has admitted that he became fed up with the songs in the top 40 all sounding the same and so he started listening to alternative bands such as Tame Impala and The Black Keys and late music legend Prince.
Speaking about the album’s lead single ‘New Eyes’ and the rest of the record’s influences on the ‘Official Charts: Take The Hit’ podcast, Adam said: "There’s a little bit of Prince and there’s a blues thing going on.
"This song and the rest of the album is influenced partially by that, and partially by me seeing and playing the Top 40 game over the last 10 years and getting a little bit frustrated how everything starts to sound the same. So much of the industry tends to follow and copy.
"I started listening to a lot more alternative music. "They might not be huge giant hits, but it’s still widely regarded as great music and great bands."
He added: "It’s not necessarily about one song but about them as a group or artist and the big picture and their influence as an artist.
"Bands like Tame Impala or The Black Keys … they’ve had their moments with songs but they’re known for creating a [certain] style of music that’s in their own lane, and they’ve influenced a lot of other artists, including me."
‘Velvet’ is a two part release and so far Adam has released three singles, also including ‘Comin In Hot’ and ‘Feel Something’.
The first part of ‘Velvet’, ‘Side A’, is due out in September.
It’s the first studio effort from the ‘American Idol’ alumni – who will embark on an extensive North American stadium tour with Queen in 2020 – since 2015’s ‘The Original High’.