Another Q & A with Adam

You have been dubbed the musical theater guy. What was your first performance?
Adam:I was cast in a production of You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown when I was 10 years old, playing Linus with the blanket. It was at the Lyceum Theatre in San Diego. It was pretty wild, but I don't remember the song I sang.

You have a distinctive look. Is it all you?
Adam: Up until this point, it's been my own eye. Though I did up the fashion a little this week for the performance. It's funny when I started going into rehearsals for Wicked, all the kids looked at me like I was a freak because I was dressed like that in rehearsal. That's always been my style. The stuff you have been seeing me wear on Idol is really my daily street wear.

So it is true you had a part in Wicked in Los Angeles?
Adam: I understudied in Wicked for the lead. And yes, I did manage to hit the stage a handful of times.

Simon is always commenting that certain performances are "too Broadway." How are you going to get away from that?
Adam: Luckily, he hasn't said "too theatrical" yet. But I take that comment as a compliment. Simon makes it seem derogatory, but in the pop music scene right now, a lot of big artists are going theatrical. There are lots of costumes and kind of an angle, so I think it's time for something like that. But the theater experience could be detrimental to me because I am not going for a Broadway sound. I don't listen to show tunes in my spare time [laughs]. I can assure you.

Whose career would you want to emulate?
Adam: I think David Bowie is a really cool artist. Considering he has re-invented himself and taken a ton of risks, both visually and musically. Vocally we are very different, but we have some similarities and he is a great model for me.