Adam Lambert likes to keep audiences guessing

Adam Lambert so far has been a moving target musically over the course of his three solo albums.

Each of those albums has had a distinct musical personality, with his 2009 debut, “For Your Entertainment,” being a mix of classic rock with pop, electronic music and plenty of modern production touches. His second album, 2012’s “Trespassing,” emphasized more of a synthetic, funky and dance-oriented side to his sound.

Now on his current album, “Original High,” Lambert has eased back on some of the flamboyance of the first two albums, delivering a mix of ballads and more assertive songs that show a bit darker and introspective side, while still offering plenty of hooky pop melodies to sweeten the package.

Some might argue that a music career can benefit from continuity from album to album, but that’s not what Lambert wants out of his career.

“I think one of the things I’ve learned about show business is you’ve got to keep the audience guessing,” he said in a late-February phone interview. “You want to surprise them with things. That’s sort of what I did on ‘Idol’ from week to week. I changed it up dramatically. If anything, that was sort of an indication of how I like to do things.”

Lambert will perform at the Cotillion in Wichita on Monday, March 28.

Lambert came into the public eye in 2009, when he created a stir nationwide as a finalist on the then hugely popular show “American Idol.”

With his colorful clothes, spiky black hair and fondness for eye shadow, he was flamboyant and theatrical on stage, as he showcased his huge vocal range and courage with his creative versions of songs ranging from Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” to the Miracles’ “The Tracks of My Tears” to U2’s ballad “One.”

Lambert rode the momentum of his stint on “Idol” into “For Your Entertainment,” which sold nearly 2 million copies worldwide and produced a top 10 hit in “What’aya Want From Me” on Billboard magazine’s all-genre Hot 100 singles chart.

Three years later, “Trespassing” debuted at number one on the Billboard album chart.

Before the release of Trespass, Lambert had also garnered attention for a handful of performances fronting the legendary British rock band Queen. Lambert had met Queen guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor when the band appeared on “American Idol” in 2009, backing Lambert and eventual winner Kris Allen on a version of “We Are the Champions.”

Lambert said the venture was not without its complications.

“At first, I was quite intimidated by the whole thing, to be honest,” he said. “I thought, this is an offer and an honor that I really cannot refuse. But then in the back of my head, I was like, oh God, I hope this goes over correctly. I know I have to try it. I can’t turn it down.

“But I didn’t know. I didn’t know how the Queen fans would accept me. I didn’t know how the band would accept me. I didn’t know if I would be really able to pull off the music. … And it was definitely a growing process, because when we first got together and I first performed with them, it was good, but it wasn’t great, to be honest, when I look back on it.”

In 2014, Lambert did a 24-date U.S. tour with Queen, and shows are scheduled for this May and June in Europe.

Lambert plans to showcase the full range of his solo albums and his musical personality in his live shows this spring.

“I think that one of the things I’ve learned is there are a few different ways in which I like to present my music and my performance stuff,” he said. “There’s a segment in the middle of the show that is very much just me and a microphone, vocal, no frills, very straight ahead.

“But there’s also a section in the beginning of the show that’s big, with dance and lighting and video and very modern fashion. And then at the end of the show, we have like a full-on club/house music rave.

“It was really important for me to sort of kick all of those boxes because those are kind of three different parts of personality, really. There’s a part of me that’s angsty and brooding and thinking too much and kind of being hard on myself, and a lot of my music kind of comes out of that. Then there’s the heartfelt, emotional, lovey-dovey, sensitive side. Then there’s me who likes to party. There you go.”

This story was originally published March 22, 2016 at 3:06 PM with the headline "Adam Lambert likes to keep audiences guessing."