Underdogs · 3 min read ·

Kris Allen beat Adam Lambert on Idol. Lambert went on to front Queen.

Kris Allen won Idol in 2009, left RCA and started his own label. Adam Lambert became Queen’s singer and played the Emcee on Broadway.

Adam Lambert sings into a gold microphone and points forward, wearing a black leather jacket with metal studs against a red stage background.

Adam Lambert performing with Queen at Glasgow SSE Hydro · January 14, 2014

Photo: marcen27 from glasgow uk · CC BY 2.0 · Photo source.

Brian May, Roger Taylor and Adam Lambert first shared an American Idol stage at the May 2009 finale. Kris Allen won the season, with Lambert finishing second, and Lambert formed a stage partnership with May and Taylor as Queen + Adam Lambert. In June 2009, deals with 19 Recordings were announced, licensing Allen’s recordings to Jive and Lambert’s to RCA.

6 studio albums each since the 2009 final

One square per studio album after the show, by release year.

Adam Lambert6 studio albums
Kris Allen6 studio albums

“We are so excited to be returning to Japan”

Roger Taylor, Queen’s Japan tour announcement, 1 August 2023

Queen kept Lambert in its touring plans

Lambert played the first full Queen + Adam Lambert concert in Kyiv in June 2012, the start of a six-date collaboration tour. Queen’s 2018 announcement of The Crown Jewels, a Las Vegas engagement at the Park Theater at Park MGM, looked back to the 2009 Idol stage. In August 2023, Queen announced Japanese concerts for early 2024 with May, Taylor and Lambert. The announcement followed North American tour dates announced for October and November 2023 and recalled a Japanese tour with Lambert in 2020.

Allen released later work through DogBear

Before Idol, Allen had written and self-produced Brand New Shoes with college bandmates; it came out independently in September 2007. After the show, Jive and 19 released his self-titled major-label album in November 2009. Allen released Thank You Camellia through RCA and 19 in May 2012, and he left RCA that September after changing management. Horizons followed in August 2014 through his own DogBear imprint. DogBear also released Letting You In in March 2016 and Somethin’ About Christmas in November 2016, and Pole Vaulter followed in August 2024.

Kris Allen

Photo: Sean Worrell · Public domain · Photo source.

Lambert’s solo releases crossed several record companies

RCA and 19 released Lambert’s For Your Entertainment in November 2009, and Trespassing followed in May 2012. In a July 2013 letter, Lambert announced that he would leave RCA because of creative differences over his next release. Warner released The Original High in June 2015. Velvet arrived in March 2020 with More Is More credits, High Drama in February 2023 through BMG and More Is More, and ADAM in July 2026 through More Is More.

Lambert took stage and television roles from Wicked to Cabaret

Before Idol, Lambert had worked in Wicked as an ensemble member and Fiyero understudy in the Los Angeles production from 2007 to 2008. In November 2013, he joined the fifth season of Glee as Elliot "Starchild" Gilbert in a multi-episode arc, and in February 2024 he was announced as a judge on the thirteenth season of The Voice Australia. In September 2024, he made his Broadway debut as the Emcee in the revival of Cabaret, replacing Eddie Redmayne in a limited engagement announced through March 2025. For August 2025, the Hollywood Bowl billed Lambert as Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar, with Cynthia Erivo as Jesus.

Allen wrote for another singer and kept touring

Allen made his first headlining tour in mid-2010, then opened for Maroon 5, Keith Urban and Lifehouse later that year. He also co-wrote "Still Got Tonight", a single from Matthew Morrison’s debut album. Allen announced in February 2017 that he had formed The Dames, which released its first song digitally on DogBear Records in May 2017. He announced that he would join the American Idol Live! tour, which began in July 2018, as a special guest, and in 2021 he toured Northern Europe and the United Kingdom with season 7 winner David Cook after COVID-19 postponements. In December 2025, he was billed as a featured guest at Jon McLaughlin’s "Home For The Holidays" concert in Bloomington, Indiana.

Profiles: Adam Lambert · Kris Allen

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