Even before his 'American Music Awards' performance became the most talked about musical TV appearance since a certain singer (cough cough Janet Jackson) flashed America during the Super Bowl, Adam Lambert knew that his brazen style and love of theatrics was going to be polarizing. "If you are in the public eye and you are a certain type of persona, you're putting certain ideas out there you're bound to have people look up to them. You're also bound to have people who completely reject them and hate you for it," Lambert told Popeater exclusively when we visited him in the L.A. offices of his management team, 19 Management. "I could be somebody's role model, but on the flip side I could be somebody's worst nightmare at the same time. You never know how you're going to affect people, being in this position." More Role Model Talk After the Jump!

Adam Lambert knows how to make a splash. With his debut album, 'For Your Entertainment,' out on Tuesday, "Glambert" has already got everybody talking over his sexually-charged 'American Music Awards' performance from Sunday. But for all his poise and obvious confidence, Lambert can still be blown away by the places his career takes him.

Take tomorrow for instance, when Lambert will be in New York to celebrate the album's release with a special appearance. "I'll be preparing for a talk show experience on 'David Letterman,' which is like totally surreal and amazing," he tells PopEater. "I'm going to be nervous as hell. Hopefully I'll get through it."

John Mayer's new album, the smart, sophisticated, and sweet 'Battle Studies,' has just been released. And no one is happier than Mayer himself. "I have no problem releasing it into the open and letting everybody have at it, poke the bear with sticks -- and that's the fun of it," he told Popeater when we went to visit him at the Burbank, Calif., studio where he was rehearsing for an upcoming tour. Mayer, of course, is used to having every aspect of his life poked with a camera these days. He spoke with Popeater about why he can't complain about that in song, how the whole music industry may one day be working for Taylor Swift and his epiphany moment with the new record.

Sure, it was Katy Perry who kissed a girl and Britney Spears who sang "Livin' in sin is the new thing," but the words are actually those of Max Martin, a 38-year-old Swedish producer that some would argue is the biggest pop songwriter in the world.

"He was the guy who ushered in teen pop being more like a form of creative expression," Ann Powers, pop music critic for the L.A. Times tells PopEater. "Look at [producers] Stargate, Ryan Tedder -- they wouldn't exist without Max or the success he had. There's been a huge shift in the 21st century towards appreciating mainstream pop and I would base that as a shift to when Max Martin started."

Talk about bad timing. The Backstreet Boys have crafted a new album, 'This is Us,' they are incredibly proud of, working with the likes of T-Pain, Ne-Yo, Max Martin, and more. And after months of preparation and rehearsals, the week of release date, with appearances booked on 'Ellen,' Jimmy Kimmel, and Conan O'Brien among others, BSB's Brian Littrell was diagnosed with Swine Flu.

"It's a part of everyday life that even artists/entertainers can get sick with the Swine Flu," Backstreet Boys Howie Dorough tells Popeater. "And it definitely affected our promo week here and we were actually really bummed."

"It's a circus, it's fun to watch," Nelly Furtado tells PopEater of what she calls the "fever pitch" of pop culture right now. Furtado, like most, has her faves, including a particular polarizing pop star. "Someone like Lady Gaga -- people like her and I'm somewhat of a fan because she definitely tries her hardest and puts a lot of energy into what she does," Furtado says. "At the end of the day, people just like that electric energy. You feel that commitment from her and people get excited about that."

"I've left my fans ready for anything. They sort of never know what to expect next from me," Nelly Furtado tells PopEater. True that. This is a woman who started her career in 2000 doing world rhythms with a decidedly pop flavor. Two albums later she was a hip-hop queen, teaming with Timbaland on 2007's 'Loose.' But even for her open and adventurous nature, following up the biggest-selling record of her career with her first Spanish-language album, 'Mi Plan,' is more than daring.

Furtado admits the decision led to some questions from her camp. "From a business perspective the move didn't really make much sense to a lot of people," she says laughing. But that's not Furtado's problem. "Usually what I do is I kind of go about my musical business and I let the marketing people decide how to market it."