Adam Lambert Covers “Cabaret”'s 'I Don't Care Much' in New Music Video: 'There's a Timelessness to This Song' (Exclusive)

Adam Lambert is putting his spin on one of musical theater's most-treasured tunes.

The superstar singer is currently treading the boards as the mysterious Emcee in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, director Rebecca Frecknall's acclaimed revival of the landmark 1966 musical currently running at the August Wilson Theatre in New York City. And in a move to mark both the milestone of his Broadway debut and the power of this production, Lambert has recorded a cover of "I Don't Care Much," John Kander and Fred Ebb's haunting Act II ballad.

"This is probably my favorite song to sing in the show," Lambert, 42, tells PEOPLE in a phone conversation to discuss the song, which is streaming now in a release via The Orchard. A music video for the single, filmed on location at the Kit Kat Club, was released early on Friday, Dec. 6, too.

"I'm really proud of it," he adds. "There's a timelessness to this song. It's so beautiful and has this great melody. And out of all the songs I sing in the show, it's one where I really get to show off what I can do vocally and emotionally."

Related: See Adam Lambert and Auli'i Cravalho Prepare for Broadway's Cabaret in First-Look Rehearsal Photos (Exclusive)

Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club is based on John Van Druten’s 1951 play I Am a Camera, which in turn was adapted from the 1939 novel Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood.

The show follows fictional American writer Clifford Bradshaw (Calvin Leon Smith) as he moves to Berlin amid the rise of the Nazi party. His observations about the eccentric characters that populate the Kit Kat Club, led by the Emcee and including English singer Sally Bowles (Moana 2's Auli'i Cravalho, also in her Broadway debut), provide the groundwork for both the musical and Cliff's future novel.

Related: Adam Lambert Was Once Scared of Pushing Boundaries. Not Anymore: 'I Don't Have Anything to Lose' (Exclusive)

"I Don't Care Much" — which Lambert describes as a "torch song," or a sad or sentimental number, typically about unrequited love — comes in as the Nazi occupation begins in the musical.

"It's the most vulnerable that you see my character," Lambert reflects. "The shadow of the Nazi party has started to affect everybody in Berlin at this point, and we're all having to do what we have to do to survive. For the Emcee in this production, that makes taking off all the makeup and his wild outfits to put on a drab suit, so he looks like everybody else in society. He's there to blend in; to not call attention to queerness and his strangeness and everything that makes him an individual."

"That's his defense mechanism," the star continues. "He's saying, 'Well, I don't really care; it doesn't matter to me,' which is what the song is about. The audience see's through the performance. They know that underneath it, he is affected and very sad. But he's going to survive by shrugging his shoulders, which so man people do."

Related: Auli'i Cravalho Left Her 'Comfort Zone' for Broadway's Cabaret. How the Moana Star Found Her Sally Bowles (Exclusive)

It was Lambert's idea to record the number. "I sat down with the production team and suggested it, and they were excited by the idea," says Lambert. "We wanted to put it out to give a glimpse into what the show is about, as well to highlight this experience for me."

The Grammy nominee also sees the song as something many can relate to now in the nation's political climate.

"This show is so meta to what we're going through right now in our society," Lambert tells PEOPLE. "There's a heavy-duty right wing leadership coming into power and a lot of us are feeling pretty vulnerable and upset about it. But seeing this show, and even performing in it, it's sort of a way to tackle those anxieties. It provides a certain amount of therapy.

"We're really asking the audience, 'Hey, how are you dealing with it? Are you just pretending like it doesn't matter? Are you turning a blind eye? Are you ignoring it? Or are you facing it, and being honest with yourself?' "

Lambert only made one significant change to "I Don't Know Much" that audiences who have seen him on Broadway might notice.

"I recorded it without my German accent, for the purposes of a crossover appeal," he laughs. "I figured that would be a bit strange. So, it's more as me singing it, but with the arrangement that we do in the show and the incredible musicians from the Kit Kat Club band."

"I hope fans will love it as much as we do," he continues.

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Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club was nominated for nine 2024 Tonys including best revival. Tom Scutt took home the trophy for best scenic design of a musical.

The production is currently playing an open-ended run. Lambert and Cravalho are scheduled to play a limited engagement through Sunday, March 30, 2025. Casting for their replacements will be announced in the new year.

Tickets for Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club are on sale now.

Read the original article on People