Maps of Music

The Original High (2015)

Where the lyrics of The Original High take you, and where it was really made.

The day after he announced his exit from RCA, Lambert was contacted by Warner Bros. Records, and this album was then made in Sweden with two producers.

Key places

Recording in Stockholm, Sweden (2015)

Recording site Stockholm — Recording took place between 2014 and 2015 in Sweden, the producers' native country. The point marks the city center of Stockholm, not a specific studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• The Original High: third studio album by American singer Adam Lambert
• Released June 12, 2015 by Warner Bros. Records
• Lambert's first release after leaving RCA Records
• Executive produced by Max Martin and Shellback
• Style described as EDM, pop-house, synth-pop, and electropop
• Lead single "Ghost Town" released April 21, 2015
• Second single "Another Lonely Night" released October 9, 2015
• Promoted by The Original High Tour from December 31, 2015 to May 6, 2016

Background

• July 2013: reported that Lambert left RCA Records, his label of five years, over creative differences
• The label was reportedly pushing him to record an album of 1980s cover songs
• The day after his announcement, Lambert was contacted by Warner Bros. Records
• Billboard confirmed the deal in January 2015
• Max Martin and Shellback are the Swedish duo behind his early-career hits "Whataya Want from Me" and "If I Had You"
• Lambert revealed the album title on social media on January 29, 2015, his birthday
• March 2015 Hunger TV interview: style described as less campy and theatrical than his previous material

Recording

• Songwriting began in early 2014
• Recording took place between 2014 and 2015 in the producers' native Sweden

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• American singer, songwriter and actor born January 29, 1982 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
• Raised in San Diego, California; began performing with the Metropolitan Educational Theatre network at age 9.
• Attended California State University, Fullerton for a musical theater major, then withdrew to move to Los Angeles.
• At 19 got his first professional job on a cruise ship; later toured in Hair and appeared as understudy for Fiyero in Wicked.

Career

• Rose to fame as runner-up on the eighth season of American Idol in 2009.
• Debut album For Your Entertainment debuted at number three on the Billboard 200; lead single "Whataya Want from Me" earned a Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
• Second album Trespassing debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, making him the first openly gay artist to top the album charts.
• Third album The Original High (2015) debuted at number three; fourth album Velvet (2020), fifth album High Drama (2023), and sixth album Adam (July 10, 2026).
• Has performed with Queen since 2012, replacing Paul Rodgers in the reunion project Queen + Adam Lambert.
• Made his Broadway debut in 2024 as the Emcee in the revival of Cabaret.
• Founded the non-profit Feel Something Foundation in late 2019 focusing on LGBTQ+ and human rights causes.

Reception

At release

• Metacritic: average score of 70 out of 100 from six reviews, indicating generally favorable reviews
• AllMusic (Stephen Thomas Erlewine): four out of five stars, said Lambert is in perfect control of his style and sound
• The New York Times (Jon Caramanica): positive; found Lambert focused and committed to his style
• The New York Times: noted that modesty may have saved Lambert after years of spectacle
• Rolling Stone (Brittany Spanos): three out of five stars, called Lambert one of the biggest personalities in pop
• The Irish Times (Lauren Murphy): two out of five stars, said the record is neither original nor uplifting enough
• The Boston Globe (Maura Johnson): called it an appealing snapshot of how Lambert has grown
• Houston Chronicle (Joey Guerra): said the album builds on the brash appeal that made Lambert a star
• Entertainment Focus (Pip Ellwood): called it the strongest record Lambert has released to date

Records

• Billboard 200 debut at number three, with 42,000 copies sold in the first week (47,000 units including streams and tracks)
• Top ten on eleven national album charts
• UK Albums Chart debut at number eight, with 9,817 copies in the first week; Lambert's first UK top-ten debut
• Highest album position of his career in the Netherlands, debuting at number ten
• Platinum status in Poland and Russia

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• In a March 2015 Hunger TV interview, Lambert described the album as less campy and theatrical than his earlier work.
• Brian May of Queen and a Swedish singer-songwriter contributed to two of the tracks.
• Music industry forecasters had predicted a US top-10 entry with about 35,000 units; the album sold 42,000 copies in its first week.
• The video for the lead single Ghost Town came out on April 29, 2015, directed by Hype Willians.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org

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