Alex Lambert

Alex Lambert

Alex Lambert at a gig at Smith's Bar in New York, June 26, 2011
Background information
Birth name Alexander Don Lambert
Born (1990-12-10) December 10, 1990
North Richland Hills, Texas, United States
Genres Pop, R&B, blue eyed soul
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter
Instruments Vocals, guitar, ukulele, piano
Years active 2009–present
Associated acts Alex Lambert & The Lights

Alexander Don Lambert (born December 10, 1990) is an American singer-songwriter from North Richland Hills, Texas, who was a semi-finalist on the ninth season of American Idol and starred on a web show, If I Can Dream.

Early life

Lambert was born and raised in North Richland Hills, Texas.[1] He is the son of Harold Lambert and Gwen Henderson-Lambert and has six siblings.[2]

Lambert attended Richland High School,[2] where he played junior varsity and varsity football and was a member of the 2008 7-on-7 state and national championship team.[3][4]

Lambert started singing and playing the guitar at the age of nine; at sixteen, he began taking his music more seriously and writing his own songs, citing his grandfather, a country musician who worked with Conway Twitty and Willie Nelson, as his main inspiration.[5] Prior to auditioning for American Idol, Lambert was self-taught, both vocally and on guitar, and had only played in front of small coffee shop audiences for friends and family with his band, Hands that Hurt.[6][7]

Lambert's musical influences include The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bob Marley, James Morrison, John Mayer and John Legend.[8]

American Idol

Lambert auditioned for the ninth season of American Idol on August 25, 2009, in Dallas, Texas, at the encouragement of his mother, and earned a golden ticket to Hollywood Week.[2][9]

During Hollywood Week, Lambert sang "Sunday Morning" by Maroon 5 in the first round, "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac in the group round along with Mary Powers, Hope Johnson, Erynne Hundley and Margo May, and "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz for his final solo performance.[10] Although Lambert's group, The Dreamers, gave a rocky performance, his ukulele-accompanied final solo was well received by the judges, and he secured a spot among the Top 24 finalists.[2][11][12]

On the first night of the live semifinals, Lambert sang "Wonderful World" by James Morrison, giving a performance that was described as "uncomfortable" by Simon Cowell due to Lambert's nerves; however, all the judges complimented his voice and tone, and Lambert moved into the Top 20.[13][14] In the next round, Lambert sang "Everybody Knows" by John Legend, which earned praise from the judges.[15] Lambert was eliminated following his performance of "Trouble" by Ray LaMontagne during the Top 16 round, in what was labeled one of the most shocking elimination nights in the series' history.[16][17][18] The LA Times has ranked Lambert 57th in their list of the top 120 American Idol contestants, selected from seasons 1 to 9 of the show.[19]

Performances

Week # Theme Song choice Original artist Order # Result
Audition Auditioner's Choice "Everybody Knows" [10] John Legend N/A Advanced
Hollywood First Solo "Sunday Morning" Maroon 5 N/A Advanced
Hollywood Group Round "Dreams" Fleetwood Mac N/A Advanced
Hollywood Second Solo "I'm Yours" Jason Mraz N/A Advanced
Top 24 (12 Men) Billboard Hot 100 Hits "Wonderful World" James Morrison 10 Safe
Top 20 (10 Men) "Everybody Knows" John Legend 4 Safe
Top 16 (8 Men) "Trouble" Ray LaMontagne 2 Eliminated

Post-Idol

Immediately after his elimination, Lambert was invited to appear on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where he discussed his American Idol experience and sang "Let Me Love You" by Mario, the song he had initially intended to perform during the Top 16 round.[6][9][20] Backstage on Ellen, Lambert was filmed playing "Butterflies," an original song written the day after his elimination.[21] He also made an appearance on Good Day Texas, performing another original song, "I Been Workin'."[22]

Lambert's elimination continued to create a stir, due in large part to an online petition.[23] The petition called for his reinstatement to the show and was signed by over 19,000 people, including notable celebrities like Demi Moore.[24] The outpouring of support caught the attention of 19 Entertainment executive Simon Fuller, the creator of American Idol and new venture If I Can Dream.[25][26]

If I Can Dream

On April 1, 2010, Lambert joined then-cast members Giglianne Braga, Justin Gaston, Ben Elliott, Kara Killmer and Amanda Phillips on If I Can Dream, a web reality series that followed aspiring artists as they pursued their dreams in Hollywood.[27][28][29] His entrance was watched live by over a million internet viewers.[30]

While on If I Can Dream, Lambert collaborated with numerous notable songwriters and music producers, and completed multiple tracks for inclusion on an album.[31] Several demos were released, but most were kept under wraps.[32][33][34] "Dream With My Eyes Open," one of the first songs Lambert wrote and demoed, became the theme song of the show i, replacing Elvis Presley's "If I Can Dream" in episode eleven.[35]

Notable performances include the U.S. Open of Surfing at Huntington Beach,[36] the 2010 Sunset Strip Music Festival[37] and Elvis Week in Graceland.[38] Celebrity appearances include Don't Forget the Lyrics!,[39] celebrity presenter at the 2010 Young Hollywood Awards[40] and a "Star Spangled Banner" performance at Dodger Stadium.[41]

Lambert had a romantic relationship with a house guest country-pop singer Veronica Ballestrini. The couple broke up in the Winter of 2010.

Since the end of the show, Lambert remained in Los Angeles and continued to work with 19 Entertainment songwriters and producers.[42] Lambert has performed in support of several charities including Stickam Live for Japan Relief[43] and Breast Cancer Awareness.[44]

"I Didn't Know"

"I Didn't Know," a soulful pop song written by Lambert with Nasri Atweh and Adam Messinger, was selected and made into a music video by Clear Channel and 19 Entertainment, and then released on July 26, 2010, through iheartradio, then across the web.[45] The video features Lambert playing at several Play Me I'm Yours piano art installations across the five boroughs of New York City, including prominent tourist locations such as the Brooklyn Bridge, Coney Island and Times Square.[46][47] The 15th Annual Webby Awards selected Lambert's "I Didn’t Know" music video as an Official Webby Honoree in the Online Film & Video: Best Editing category.[48]

Songwriting

Lambert saw his first significant songwriting placements in 2012. On June 26, 2012, "Trouble," a song co-written by Lambert and busbee was released as The X-Factor finalist Chris Rene's second single.[49] In September 2012, Lambert had his second studio album writing credit when his original song "What Makes You So Beautiful" (later shortened to "Beautiful"), co-written with Toby Gad, was included on Carly Rae Jepsen's album Kiss.[50]

References

  1. ↑ Philpot, Robert "'Idol' announces 3rd semifinalist from Tarrant County", 'Star Telegram', February 18, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Philpot, Robert "'Idol' singers agree that Mom knows best", Star Telegram, February 24, 2010.
  3. ↑ "Richland Rebels High School Football Alex Lambert Profile", 'MaxPreps', Fall 2008-2009.
  4. ↑ "Texas’ Richland Takes adidas 7-on-7 National Title". Retrieved 2011-09-14.
  5. ↑ "Michael Checks in with Alex Lambert" Archived 2010-06-03 at the Wayback Machine., 'Hulu'.
  6. 1 2 Reiter, Amy "Alex Lambert's post-'Idol' appearance on 'Ellen'", 'Los Angeles Times', March 17, 2010.
  7. ↑ "Alex Lambert: 'I probably won't be able to look at a banana the same'", USA Today, March 12, 2010.
  8. ↑ Harper, Rebecca "Exclusive Interview: Alex Lambert", 'Hulu Blog', April 1st, 2010.
  9. 1 2 "Alex Lambert on Ellen", 'USA Today', March 17, 2010.
  10. 1 2 "Alex Lambert: 'People are going to like my style of music'", 'USA Today', February 24, 2010.
  11. ↑ Kaufman, Gil "'American Idol' Thins The Herd On Group Day", MTV News, February 10, 2010.
  12. ↑ Byrne, Katie "'American Idol' Reveals Final Top 24 Contestants", MTV News, February 17, 2010.
  13. ↑ Kaufman, Gil "'American Idol' Top 12 Men Have A Rocky Live Debut", MTV News, February 24, 2010.
  14. ↑ Slezak, Michael "'American Idol' Power List: We're down to 20! Who's your favorite?", 'Entertainment Weekly', March 2, 2010.
  15. ↑ Kaufman, Gil "'American Idol' Top 10 Men Step It Up", MTV News, March 2, 2010.
  16. ↑ Kaufman, Gil "'American Idol' Gets A Boost From Tim Urban, Michael Lynche", MTV News, March 10, 2010.
  17. ↑ Byrne, Katie "Alex Lambert Says 'American Idol' Stage Fright Was 'All In My Head'", MTV News, March 12, 2010.
  18. ↑ Montgomery, James "Alex Lambert, Lilly Scott Join 'American Idol' Most Shocking Eliminations", MTV News, March 12, 2010.
  19. ↑ Halperin, Shirley "The ultimate 'American Idol' power ranking", 'Los Angeles Times', May 31, 2010.
  20. ↑ Ram, Archana "'Idol' exit Q&A: Alex Lambert on stage fright and the song he wish he sang", 'Entertainment Weekly', March 12, 2010.
  21. ↑ "Four more for Friday: Alex Lambert, Crystal Bowersox, Lee DeWyze, more", 'USA Today', March 19, 2010.
  22. ↑ "Alex Lambert on 'Good Day Texas'", 'USA Today', March 24, 2010.
  23. ↑ Kaufman, Gil "Alex Lambert Petition Demands His Return To 'American Idol'", MTV News, March 15, 2010.
  24. ↑ "American idol 2010: Demi Moore supports petition for Alex Lambert’s return" Archived 2010-03-23 at the Wayback Machine., 'Unreality TV', March 15, 2010.
  25. ↑ Herndon, Jessica "Idol Cast-Off Alex Lambert Nabs Web Series", 'People', March 30, 2010.
  26. ↑ Kaufman, Gil "'American Idol' Castoff Alex Lambert To Join 'If I Can Dream'", MTV News, March 31, 2010.
  27. ↑ Slezak, Michael "Alex Lambert joins 'If I Can Dream'...will American Idol's loss be Web series' gain?", 'Entertainment Weekly', March 31, 2010.
  28. ↑ "Alex Lambert joining 'If I Can Dream' cast", 'USA Today', March 31, 2010.
  29. ↑ Gonzalez, Sandra "'American Idol' castoff Alex Lambert: 'If I Can Dream' will show people 'the real me'", 'Entertainment Weekly', April 2, 2010.
  30. ↑ Martin, Lara "'Idol' star Lambert enters 'Dream' house", 'Digital Spy', April 2, 2010.
  31. ↑ Martin, Lara "Alex Lambert ('If I Can Dream')", 'Digital Spy', July 27, 2010.
  32. ↑ "Alex Lambert posts music on 'If I Can Dream' site", 'USA Today', July 16, 2010.
  33. ↑ "New Alex Lambert Demo – Imperfectly Perfect", 'MJs Big Blog', July 16, 2010.
  34. ↑ "Alex Lambert “Untouchable” – New Demo!", 'MJs Big Blog', August 5, 2010.
  35. ↑ "Alex Lambert Nabs Theme Song For If I Can Dream", 'MJs Big Blog', May 11, 2010.
  36. ↑ "Alex Lambert – US Open of Surfing – Huntington Beach CA", 'MJs Big Blog', August 27, 2010.
  37. ↑ "Saturday, Aug. 28 Street Fest Schedule", 'Sunset Strip Music Festival'.
  38. ↑ "Alex Lambert to Perform at Elvis on Tour Pre-Event Party", 'Elvis Week Press Release', August 11, 2010.
  39. ↑ "Your Random Weekend Memo", 'USA Today', October 8, 2010.
  40. ↑ "12th Annual Young Hollywood Awards - Arrivals", 'LIFE', May 13, 2010,
  41. ↑ "Dodgers return home to take on Diamondbacks, Braves, Cardinals and Angels", 'MLB.com Press Release', May 28, 2010.
  42. ↑ Longs, Herb "Bits & Pieces: October 28, 2010", 'AINow', October 28, 2010.
  43. ↑ "Star-studded Stickam Live For Japan webathon May 27", 'Stickam Blog', May 20, 2011.
  44. ↑ "Alex Lambert Performs Fort Worth Breast Cancer Awareness Benefit", MJs Big Blog, October 25, 2010.
  45. ↑ "Clear Channel Radio Creates Music Video for Rising Star Alex Lambert", 'MarketWatch', July 26, 2010.
  46. ↑ Parker, Lyndsey "Alex Lambert Beats DeWyze & Bowersox To The Punch With First Season 9 'Idol' Music Video", 'Yahoo! Music', July 26, 2010.
  47. ↑ "Alex Lambert's 'I Didn't Know' video", 'USA Today', July 27, 2010.
  48. ↑ "15th Annual Webby Awards Official Honoree Selections" Archived 2012-10-10 at the Wayback Machine., 'The Webby Awards', April 12, 2011.
  49. ↑ Parker, Lyndsey "Chris Rene Finally Releases New Song, Collaborates with Alex Lambert'", 'Reality Rocks', June 21, 2012.
  50. ↑ BMI Repertoire "Beautiful - Carly Rae Jepsen'", 'BMI', Retrieved November 4, 2012.
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