Adam Lambert is ''building a little clique'' with Sam Smith.

The 'For Your Entertainment' hitmaker believes him and the 'Stay With Me' singer have an ''understanding'' and has praised the star for bringing sexuality to the forefront of the industry.

He said: ''Sam Smith, hats off, he has had an amazing year, he's a lovely guy. I've met him a few times. I'm so happy for him, and I'm so happy his sexuality wasn't a big thorn in his side.

''It was just: 'This is who I am, I'm cool with it and so you should be too.' And his songs are timeless and beautiful, and everybody relates to them. He's doing it right, for sure. I think with me and Sam, there's definitely an understanding there, like, 'Hey gurl, how you doing?'

''But you know, there's only a few of us actually, on a mainstream level. I think we're building a little clique, I hope, but I haven't met that many.''

The 33-year-old singer also spoke up about his meetings with pop icons Sir Elton John - who he dubbed a ''sweetheart'' - and Boy George.

Speaking in the May issue of Attitude magazine, he said: ''I mean, Elton John is amazing, what a sweetheart, and Boy George is also incredible.

''I've sat down and had lunch with him before, he's so smart and has been though a lot, and now he's in a really good, healthy space, and loves music and is DJing and is still really connected to pop culture. He was really interesting to talk to.''