Adam Levine rips American Idol for its treatment of gay performers, talks gay rumors
Mon. August 15, 2011 1:18 PM by GoPride.com News Staff
adam levine featured in out magazine
photo credit // out.com
Maroon 5 front man Adam Levine is addressing the gay rumors swirling about him in a new interview with Out magazine. The self-identified exhibitionist is also talking about his brother's coming out gay and how NBC's The Voice differs from Fox's American Idol in the treatment of gay performers.
"There's no way to hide my straightness," Levine says of questions concerning his sexuality, "but if people didn't think there was a small chance I was gay, then I wouldn't be doing my job very well. Look at the best ones, guys whose sexuality was always questioned. Bowie. Jagger. Freddie Mercury. I wouldn't be the front man of a band if that question hadn't come up at some point."
The 32-year-old singer tells the magazine that his younger brother is gay and that his family is alright with his sexuality.
"I can single-handedly dispel any ideas that sexuality is acquired," he says. "Trust me, you're born with it. My brother is gay, and we knew when he was two. We all knew."
The Voice coach goes on to rip competitor American Idol for it's treatment of gay performers.
"What's always pissed me off about Idol is wanting to mask that, for that to go unspoken," he says. "C'mon. You can't be publicly gay? At this point? On a singing competition? Give me a break. You can't hide basic components of these people's lives. The fact that 'The Voice' didn't have any qualms about being completely about it is a great thing."
Levine has long been an ally to the LGBT community and was one of the first performers to participate in the It Gets Better project.
Season Two of The Voice airs this February on NBC.
Read the full interview in Out magazine.
Check out Levine's new song, with The Voice co-judge Christina Aguilera:
"There's no way to hide my straightness," Levine says of questions concerning his sexuality, "but if people didn't think there was a small chance I was gay, then I wouldn't be doing my job very well. Look at the best ones, guys whose sexuality was always questioned. Bowie. Jagger. Freddie Mercury. I wouldn't be the front man of a band if that question hadn't come up at some point."
The 32-year-old singer tells the magazine that his younger brother is gay and that his family is alright with his sexuality.
"I can single-handedly dispel any ideas that sexuality is acquired," he says. "Trust me, you're born with it. My brother is gay, and we knew when he was two. We all knew."
The Voice coach goes on to rip competitor American Idol for it's treatment of gay performers.
"What's always pissed me off about Idol is wanting to mask that, for that to go unspoken," he says. "C'mon. You can't be publicly gay? At this point? On a singing competition? Give me a break. You can't hide basic components of these people's lives. The fact that 'The Voice' didn't have any qualms about being completely about it is a great thing."
Levine has long been an ally to the LGBT community and was one of the first performers to participate in the It Gets Better project.
Season Two of The Voice airs this February on NBC.
Read the full interview in Out magazine.
Check out Levine's new song, with The Voice co-judge Christina Aguilera: