San Diego, California. In May 2009, he finished as the runner-up on the eighth season of American Idol. He is the first openly gay mainstream pop artist to launch a career on a major label in America.
Lambert released his debut album, For Your Entertainment, in November 2009, via RCA Records/19 Recordings. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 in December 2009 selling 198,000 copies in the United States in the first week.