Adam Lambert is speaking out about his time on American Idol, 15 years after he finished second in the singing competition’s eighth season to Kris Allen.

The 42-year-old has enjoyed continued success following his stint on the then-Fox series.

In a new interview on Made in Chelsea alum Jamie Laing’s Great Company podcast, the singer opened up about what led him to the show. 

“I tripped on acid and had this amazing experience where I saw my fear in front of me … as a physical manifestation,” he recalled of a time he was at a music festival.

Adam said he was “in the desert and heard the voice of some higher power.”

“It was like ‘kick it away,’ and I kicked it away, and I saw it shoot across the floor,” he claimed.

Adam Lambert reveals what led him to American Idol

As a result, Adam told himself that he was “gonna say yes to everything, I’m gonna put my eggs in more than one basket,” he said.

Adam appeared on American Idol when the series was still generating marketable contestants.

In recent years, singing competitions have had great talent, but the winners and showstopping performers have struggled to break free from the show to the point that many wonder why these shows are still produced.

Adam is up there with Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood, Katherine McPhee, and Jordin Sparks, who have all made it big in the years following their time competing on the series.

Adam is currently a member of Queen + Adam Lambert, a band that has succeeded greatly over the years.

It’s crazy to think about the season’s trajectory if Adam wasn’t present because his talent made him a force to be reckoned with.