Adam Lambert Unveils New Song With Candid Note About His Mental Health

Adam Lambert surprised fans late Thursday by dropping “Feel Something ,” his first new single in nearly two years. 

The song, which Lambert co-wrote with Benedict Cork and Josh Cumbee, sees him returning to his roots as a brooding balladeer.

“I’ve been leaving my heart in all the wrong places, took it back way too soon when I should’ve been patient,” Lambert sings (listen above). “I don’t need to feel love, I just want to feel something.”

The track is expected to appear on his fourth studio album later this year.

In a lengthy note posed to his Twitter and Instagram accounts Thursday, the singer opened up about his mental health and suggested that “Feel Something” had been inspired by recent experiences with depression. 

“I’m coming out of a dark period of second-guessing my own artistry and having my mental health suffer because of it,” he wrote. “I started asking myself, ‘Is all this hustle really worth it?’ I put all my focus on my work and started to feel detached in my personal life. My self-worth was suffering. I was lonely and becoming depressed.”

Lambert said that touring with legendary rock band Queen  infused him with “positive energy” during his darkest days. Writing the new song, he added, helped him re-discover “the joy [that] was missing,” which in turn prompted him to land a new record deal.

His next album will be released through Empire, an independent label and distributor, Variety reported  on Thursday.

As for “Feel Something,” Lambert said, “This was written about me climbing out of the low period, defying my disillusionment, owning my needs, and opening my heart.” 

While Lambert’s fans or “Glamberts” may have to wait a little longer for the new album, they can catch the singer at the 2019 Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday when he takes the stage alongside Queen for a highly anticipated performance .

He also performed at the 2018 Kennedy Center Honors in December, when he prompted a visibly emotional response from Cher, one of the evening’s honorees, with a cover of her 1998 smash, “Believe.”

CORRECTION: The original version of this article stated that Lambert’s 2018 Kennedy Center Honors appearance was his most recent televised performance. He performed at the “Elvis All-Star Tribute,” which aired on NBC Feb. 17.