Double whammy

Good times are rolling in for American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert. He has just landed on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine - where he talks about his sexuality and his Idol experiences - and he also signed a record deal with RCA Records.

The 27-year-old singer from San Diego acknowledges in an interview to the Rolling Stone that he's gay, and says it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. "I embrace it. It's just another part of me."

Lambert says he was inspired to audition for the singing competition after having a "psychedelic experience" at the Burning Man festival in Nevada. There, he says, he experimented with "certain funguses".

"I knew that it was my only shot to be taken seriously in the recording industry, because it's fast and broad," he says of Idol.

Lambert emerged as an early front-runner and judge favourite, thanks in part to his soaring vocal range.

When he moved into the show's Bel-Air mansion with the other finalists, he roomed with Kris Allen, who won the Idol title over Lambert last month.

"He's the one guy that I found attractive in the whole group on the show: nice and nonchalant. I mean, he's open-minded and liberal."

According to Rolling Stone, Lambert was open about his sexuality backstage at Idol. "I'm an entertainer, and who I am and what I do in my personal life is a separate thing," he says.

Meanwhile, Lambert's announcement of inking a record deal comes right after Idol champ Allen signed one with 19 Entertainment.

Lambert, 27, is already preparing to start work on the album and will record it this summer. It is expected to hit record stores this autumn. "I'm thrilled that we've come to a creative and collaborative partnership and look forward to developing a really exciting album," he said in a statement on Tuesday.

"We are 100 per cent on the same page and are all anxiously awaiting the start of the recordings. It's going to be ridiculous! Get ready!"