New York (AFP)

When he took over the famous "Bohemian Rhapsody" in 2009 for the show "American Idol", Adam Lambert was far from imagining that one day he would do better than pay tribute to his idols Queen: sing with them.

And yet, after his debut in this famous American singing competition, he has become accustomed to joining the British rock legends - without singers since the death of Freddie Mercury in 1991 - on stage.

Saturday night, at Central Park in New York, they will headline the Global Citizen festival, an event to support the fight against poverty in the world.

"I want to give people a sense of trust, pride and power, so that they feel they do not have to accept misfortune and have the right to ask for more for themselves", he explained to AFP in the boxes he shares with guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, 142 years between them.

"I think a lot of songs boil down to that: they make people feel stronger and more proud," says the 37-year-old Californian singer.

While he has just released a new EP (a short disc), Adam Lambert explains that working with Queen has allowed him to "expand" and become known from two different generations: the one that looks "American Idol" and the one who grew up with Queen in the years 1970-1980.

"I obviously have an incredible respect for Freddie Mercury but it's not possible to replace him," says the one whose name is added to that of Queen on the concert promotion posters.

"I chose not to imitate him, it would be a lack of respect for his memory, the group and the fans," he explains.

"He was above all visually and acoustically," says this glam-pop singer, also known for his extravagance.

Global Citizen, which coincides each year with the United Nations General Assembly, distributes free tickets to those who promise to mobilize against poverty.

Queen's performance will be held more than 30 years after their legendary show at London's Live Aid charity concert in 1985, one of the most famous in the history of music.

- "Door wide open" -

Adam Lambert admits to being "much more interested in politics now".

"I hope a lot of other people are like me, because in my opinion, we are in a very dark period of American politics," he says, explaining that he hopes the ambient "negativity" will push the Americans to go to the polls in 2020, while Republican Donald Trump will seek a second term.

If he did not want to support a particular candidate, this openly homosexual LGTBQ community rights advocate explains: "Those of us who represent identity groups, I think he is very important that we support that by joining the gesture to the word ".

In the music industry, he explains "having worked with a lot of great people who were not necessarily homophobic but who considered (his sexual orientation) under the prism of business," wondering if it was something " salable"

The identity of gender is no longer considered a "dam", rejoices this singer whose deep blue eyes contrast with the black eleyeliner that surrounds them, even if "in any part of this country, and in "Other countries of the world, the right is on the rise", he regrets, pointing to "a contradiction".

His personality and his convictions are reflected in the six tracks of his new album, whose rock and funk accents convey the influence of artists like Prince.

To produce this record "I said to myself, I'm going to do exactly what I want," he explains in a burst of laughter.

"And of course my door is wide open, and everyone is invited to my party, but it's my night," he warns.

© 2019 AFP