Adam Lambert's Rendition Of "Believe" Brought Cher To Tears

Mar 15, 2021

Cher is a legendary musician who's transcended into a pop culture icon, as she's loved just as much for her music as she is for her fashion sense and activism. It's no surprise then that in 2018 she was honored at the 41st Kennedy Center Honors for her contributions to the music industry. The night also saw a number of other artists honored including Reba McEntire, Philip Glass, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. 

On such occasions, it's common for other musicians to perform covers from the honoree's repertoire. With the number of artists being honored, there were quite a number of performances, but one stood out — Adam Lambert's rendition of Cher's number one-hit "Believe." 

After finishing in second place during the eighth season of the hit reality show "American Idol," Lambert has kicked his musical career into high gear. First up was the release of his highly successful album "For Your Entertainment." This was followed by his second album "Trespassing" and third album "The Original High." He's also collaborated with the legendary English rock band, Queen and eventually, even found his way to singing "Believe" to Cher herself. 

It's an especially poignant moment considering Lambert is openly gay and is also an LGBTQ+ activist — a cause that Cher has also been vocal about for much of her career, especially since her son Chaz Bono came out as transgender. The emotion that Lambert was able to convey in his performance is incredible, so much so that it even brought Cher to tears as she watched on.

Although he only broke through in 2009 when he appeared on "American Idol," Adam Lambert has been working incredibly hard ever since. After coming in second place to Kris Allen on the signing competition show, Lambert went on to prove that you didn't need to win the competition to make it as a world-famous pop star. He released his first album "For Your Entertainment" in 2009 and even earned himself a Grammy Award nomination for the single "Whataya Want From Me," which also landed Lambert on various top charts, with critics praising his talent and dedication to his craft.

But it was his inclusion in the six-concert tour for Queen in 2011 that really cemented Lambert's name as an industry icon. The rave reviews and comparisons to the iconic Freddie Mercury inspired the band to invite Lambert on full time.

He followed up his debut album with a second studio record titled "Trespassing," which was released in 2012. It premiered on the U.S. Billboard 200 at number one and made history with Lambert being the first openly gay musician to top the album charts. In 2015, he released his third album titled "The Original High," which debuted on the Billboard 200 at number three.

Since then, Lambert has continued to tour extensively, including with Queen, and both through his music and activism, he's been a shining voice for the LGBTQ+ community. In 2019 he even started a non-profit organization called Feel Something Foundation, which focuses on supporting projects and organizations that impact the LGBTQ+ community, particularly in regard to education, mental health, homelessness and suicide prevention. 

Queen's original guitarist, Brian May, has repeatedly praised Lambert for his range and voice quality. May said that watching Lambert develop as a vocalist is akin to the time he spent watching Mercury work his trade. May told "GuitarWorld," "Adam can do all the stuff that Freddie did and more. It doesn’t matter what you throw at Adam — he can do it." He went on to add:

"He’s not Freddie, and he’s not pretending to be him, but he has a parallel set of equipment. He knows how to deal with an audience. . . . He’s a born rock star and frontman, so it’s a very vibrant relationship we have with him. We treat Adam exactly the same as we treated Freddie in almost every way."

As if being Queen's new frontman was not enough for him, Lambert recently took on a new challenge. In a ceremony honoring the legendary musical artist Cher, Lambert brought her to tears with his rousing rendition of her song "Believe." Regardless of whether Lambert is performing his original songs or channeling another artist, he always seems to hit all of the high notes.  

The event was the 41st Kennedy Center Honors in 2018, and Cher wasn't the only artist being honored that night. Others include Reba McEntire, classical composer Philip Glass, and the creators of the musical "Hamilton," including Lin-Manuel Miranda. A video of Lambert's performance from that night has since made its way onto the internet and not only does the public get to witness his incredible rendition, it also shows Cher's reaction to the beautiful cover of her hit song.    

As the video begins, Lambert walks onto the stage and begins singing the opening lines of "Believe," accompanied only by a soft piano. His version of the song is much slower, making for a more emotional rendition. His incredible vocal talents are showcased beautifully as he hits the high notes of the song's famous chorus. About halfway through, the soft piano is bolstered by a big orchestra, which only adds to the song's sentimentality.

Shots of the audience throughout the video confirm just how magical Lambert's rendition is, with many bobbing their heads and some even singing along. But it's when the camera lands on Cher that the full impact of the performance is felt. Smiling on, towards the end of the song Cher begins to wipe tears from her eyes. It's an incredibly emotional moment — here she is being honored for her life's work, while another incredibly talented artist is performing an emotional cover of her most famous song to honor her and in front of a packed crowd. At the end of the song, Cher and the rest of the auditorium even stand up to give Lambert the ovation he deserves. 

The video has been viewed over 13 million times and commenters have heaped praise on Lambert. A fan club of Cher's put it best when they wrote,

"If Cher approves, then so do we. ❤️"

Cher is a national treasure and Lambert's cover of her work was spine-tinglingly powerful. It confirmed how emotional a great performance can be and truly did both of these two very talented artists' justice.   

Are you a fan of Cher and Adam Lambert? Be sure to take the time to check out Lambert's version of "Believe." After you see the beauty of the performance for yourself, you can spread the magic to others. Lambert's exceptional talent is just too good to keep it all to yourself.