Here's Adam Lambert Before He Was Famous

With a new look and new single "Ghost Town", it seems that Adam Lambert might be embarking on a full out Taylor Swift-esque transformation, and he's barely recognizable — especially when you compare Adam Lambert's performances from before he was famous to now. "Someone said to me 'Oh, you're not wearing all that crazy sh*t, are you trying to tone it down? And I was like 'No, I just got tired. F*ck! It was a lot of work!" Lambert said in an interview with Notion. He's clearly changed a lot as an artist.

According to Lambert, his new album The Original High also marks a new direction for the former glam rock theater kid turned American Idol contestant. He told Notion, "The album is dance-y but bittersweet, and the lyrics are a little darker [than they have been previously]. I've done the more bubblegum stuff, I've done the camp stuff, and now I want to encourage people to face their sh*t." Now, Lambert says he wants his latest album to "show them the part of me that's not all polished or [still part of] the 'pageant on TV' thing — I want it to be real, you know?"

Lambert's updated look and sound may be giving off more Sam Smith vibes than his previous Lady Gaga-esque music and aesthetic, but his vocal talents have consistently impressed fans since before he was famous. Here's proof:

Here he is singing at his high school graduation:

When he was a high school theater kid clearly destined for bigger and better things.

There's this local TV commercial that proves there are no small parts:

Not sure what's being advertised here, but shoutout to Adam Lambert's hair for working that '90s middle part.

This detailed video shows Adam Lambert's transformation from high school theater kid to actual theatre star:

Pre-American Idol moments from 1999-2005.

Here's a voice recording of Adam Lambert in a production of Brigadoon , also pre-Idol:

Killing it, naturally.

Here he is as Fiyero in Wicked:

And starting to grow his signature hairstyle.

And another clip as Fiyero in Wicked, this time performing "Dancing Through Life":

That pivot turn. That messenger bag. That brow game. SO. STRONG.

Here's Adam Lambert's American Idol audition:

The official start of his mainstream pop career.