Mary Lambert is back — and she’s not holding anything back this time.
After nearly ten years without a major release, the multi-platinum, GRAMMY-nominated singer, songwriter, poet, and queer icon is reclaiming her space in music with “The Tempest” — a fiery, orchestral anthem that serves as both a call to action and a deeply personal battle cry.
“It definitely feels like my contribution to the revolution,” Lambert tells Celeb Secrets exclusively. “The intention is to galvanize women, trans people, and people in my community to feel seen — and to embrace their rage.”
Inspired by the oppressive systems of modern America, the track isn’t just a song — it’s a statement. One that stands firmly for bodily autonomy, trans rights, queer visibility, and justice in a time of political and emotional chaos.
“This song would’ve inspired my 18-year-old self,” she reflects. “When I was that age, Obama was running for president. There was this hope. I don’t know if young people now get to experience that kind of possibility.”
While “The Tempest” may rage with frustration, it pulses with hope. It’s an anthem for anyone who’s ever felt dismissed, controlled, or invisible — and a reminder that rage can be sacred, healing, and revolutionary.
“When you are angry about your rights being taken away, it means you’re alive. It means you give a sh*t,” she shares. “I hope that today’s young queer and trans listeners feel that sense of possibility and hope, even in the face of so much destruction.”
Originally envisioned as a full album inspired by Shakespearean women, The Tempest stood out as the most powerful piece of the puzzle — a modern-day retelling of systemic oppression through a feminist, queer lens.
“Prospero in The Tempest wields all the magic, enslaves Caliban, and decides what his daughter Miranda is supposed to do,” Lambert explains. “It reminded me of white Christian nationalism — right-wing people in power deciding what women are supposed to do with their bodies.”
At the same time, Lambert had been asked to write a song for a halftime show — and realized she wanted to use her platform to talk about Roe v. Wade being overturned.
“I thought, what a perfect pairing — the parallels of The Tempest and the fight for bodily autonomy. It felt very appropriate to marry those two.”
From those parallels, a protest anthem was born.
“The Tempest” marks the first taste of Lambert’s upcoming third studio album — one she’s been quietly crafting for five years. The record promises an emotionally complex and genre-defying journey that dives deep into personal and political transformation, from heartbreak and healing to resistance and rebirth.
“I went through a divorce, I fell in love again, and I’ve been writing through all of it,” she reveals. “This album is emotionally rich and thematically diverse, but more than anything, it’s a record for people who love songs. I focused on the songwriting first this time — the production came second.”
After years of living publicly as an artist, an activist, and a mental health advocate, Lambert retreated to the country and began rebuilding — not just her life, but her sound. Living in a renovated farmhouse surrounded by nature, she leaned into anonymity, stillness, and self-reflection.
“I moved back to the country,” she says. “I like the anonymity… I don’t want my neighbors to know who I am.”
Far from the spotlight, she began crafting her most vulnerable and intentional body of work to date — including teaching herself how to audio engineer and produce her own music.
“I started audio engineering and production about six years ago out of necessity,” she says. “As a woman artist, it can feel daunting. You get used to a male producer defining your sound. But I really wanted to control how people heard me — to be fully understood.”
She’s now doing exactly that. “The Tempest” is entirely self-produced, marking a major milestone in her career — both technically and creatively.
“It’s so important as an artist to play, to experiment,” she explains. “I have to make every mistake possible so that when I choose something, I know it’s the right thing.”
Lambert’s next chapter is for the fighters, the feelers, the misfits, and the magic-makers. It’s for the girls who were told to smile, the queer kids who were told they didn’t belong, and the creatives who were told their feelings were too much. It’s for anyone who ever felt like their voice didn’t matter.
And if “The Tempest” is any indication, Mary Lambert isn’t just making music — she’s building a movement. Even a single lyric from the unreleased songs hits with weight:
“Got hit by a bus last night. Yours is a hushed gaslight. The sounds and the fears, I’m under your wheels. I wasn’t enough. You’re my blood,” Mary shares.
Chills.
So what’s the Celeb Secret no one knows about Mary Lambert? For starters — she used to busk singing opera while playing cello… and she was born without a sense of smell.
“It’s actually really dangerous,” she shares. “I have gas alarms all over the house. I didn’t even know it wasn’t normal until I was six!”
But here’s what we do know: Mary Lambert is back, and she’s writing the soundtrack for a revolution. So turn it up. Let the rage rise. Let the hope in. And let her remind you that feeling deeply is a superpower.
