“A lot of my male vocal influences are British - people like David Bowie, Freddie Mercury and Robert Plant.”

“After my tour I had time to stay at home, be with my boyfriend and hang out with friends and that brought me down to earth and helped me write music from a more relaxed place.”

“All these songs honestly explore the ups and downs of my reality.”

“At least I can say that I'm honest.”

“Bowie's been a huge influence on me.”

“Carving out an identity for yourself is important so I'm trying to do that as well.”

“'Come out' is so funny to me because I've never been in.”

“Coming up with something new and original is so exciting.”

“Conforming is not cool.”

“Female performers have been doing this for years - pushing the envelope about sexuality - and the minute a man does it, everybody freaks out.”

“For me, one of the important things about keeping vocally healthy is warming up and making sure I'm aware where my voice is at, drinking lots of water and getting plenty of sleep, and just taking care of myself with exercise and eating healthy.”

“I am gay, and I'm very comfortable with it.”

“I am who I am.”

“I breeze through Twitter - I look at the mentions, the pictures, the videos.”

“I didn't feel attractive in high school.”

“I don't feel closeted.”

“I don't like to look typical.”

“I don't think it should be a surprise for anyone to hear that I'm gay.”

“I get why certain actors want to stay in the closet.”

“I had a lot of fun with my costume designer.”

“I had self-esteem issues into my early 20s.”

“I have crushes on women all the time.”

“I have crushes on women all the time. I don't have intimate relationships with them, but I find women beautiful.”

“I have nothing to hide.”

“I knew that it was my only shot to be taken seriously in the recording industry, because it's fast and broad.”

“I like 'Rocky Horror.'”

“I like to get real pretty.”

“I love myself and I am a good person.”

“I need to be able to explain myself in context.”

“I never wore full-on eyeliner in high school, but I wanted to.”

“I nitpick details.”

“I started to realize I wasn't like every other boy.”

“I think, for the majority of my twenties, I was always so concerned with what I didn't have, or what I still wanted.”

“I think Lady Gaga is great and is changing pop music and bringing back a certain rock 'n' roll spirit, swagger to the game.”

“I think sometimes we're meant to do something but things aren't lined up correctly.”

“I think the British audience might be more open-minded with some of my imagery and weird choices.”

“I think the difficult thing is the transition between TV competition series and going into the actual music industry. There still seems to be a slight disconnect there.”

“I think theatricality is just one way of performing. I don't think it's a better way or the way, but it's my way.”

“I think you kind of have to put yourself out there.”

“I try not to get trapped in any one musical or visual style at all.”

“I try to go throughout my daily life just as if nothing has changed, but you don't have much anonymity anymore, which feels really good. People come up, and say hi and they enjoy your work.”

“I wanted the focus to be on my ability as a singer and as an entertainer - not on my private life.”

“I was afraid to express myself for a while.”

“I was really beating myself up about performances and how I looked and this and that.”

“I wasn't unhappy, but I was a little like: 'Is this it? Really?' I was thirsty.”

“I worked at Starbucks when I was 16... It was all right.”

“I wouldn't ever give myself the label bisexual, but bi-curious, yeah.”

“I'm not a babysitter.”

“I'm proud of my sexuality.”

“I'm proud of my sexuality. I embrace it. It's just another part of me.”

“I'm trying to be a singer, not a civil rights leader.”

“I'm trying to convey to my audience that you really can't judge a book by its cover, and there's more to the universe than you can see with your eyes.”

“I'm very inspired by past music.”

“It's been a transformative period and I really wanted to make music from what I've experienced.”

“I've always been fond of the glam-rocker title.”

“I've been kind of toying around with the bi thing in my head. I wouldn't ever give myself the label 'bisexual', but bi-curious? Yea.”

“I've been known to make out with girls from time to time. Couple drinks involved, you know. It's fun. And who knows? Maybe it'll go further someday. I don't know.”

“I've only dressed in drag three or four times.”

“I've sung other people's music all my life.”

“My first album was completed in three months.”

“My M.O. is just do what you do and don't feel like you have to make apologies for it. I'm sure there will come a point when I have to apologize for something, but not yet.”

“My mother was always supportive.”

“Nowadays in pop, there's not a lot of men that are singing big and loud and high - it's not as common as it once was.”

“Pop is a little bit theatrical. That's the whole vibe. That's the point - is that it's great music, great melodies, great hooks. But, on top of it, it's a presentation. There's a showmanship about it. And that's why I wanted to be a pop star.”

“So pretty much, to sum it up, if you can freak someone out and bring that kind of emotion out of somebody with a song, you're doing something right.”

“The biggest risk I've ever taken is going on American Idol and trying to be myself. I wasn't going to try too hard to conform, and I knew that it could possibly not work out.”

“The kids that are different and out there and expressive and are bold with those choices, those are the people that grow up to be people we all want to hang out with, that become celebrities or become really successful in what they do because they believe in who they are.”

“There are female artists I can look at that I find more in common with than the male artists, because they're blending the pop, dance and theatricality... but currently there aren't a lot of guys who go there.”

“There was a lot of me trying to be a 'fixer.' I was that kind of guy. I'd meet someone who had 'so much potential' that needed 'help.' I think that was kind of my curse for a long time.”

“There's a certain level of pageantry with 'Idol,' and in order to work the show, you kind of have to feed into it.”

“There's no regrets for me.”

“There's not a blueprint for me to follow.”

“Those shows I did with Queen were pretty surreal. I was really excited and super-flattered, but intimidated at the same time.”

“Wait a minute, I'm a fan of yours; you can't be a fan of mine!”

“When I was kid, I remember playing 'Vogue' by Madonna over and over and over again. And ah, you know, something about the beat was really cool, and Madonna, visually, was on TV all the time and I thought she was just so beautiful.”

“Yeah, I think speculation keeps things really interesting.”

“You can't plan everything - if I did a performance exactly how I rehearsed it, it would be so boring.”

“You know, if it weren't for these fans, I wouldn't have gotten as far as I did.”