Earlier this year, Adam Lambert spoke openly about the Idol stigma and feeling like an outsider.

“On red carpets at awards shows, other musicians are either really open to embracing me and being friendly and being associated with me, or they just don’t want to,” he told Rolling Stone. “I went to the GRAMMYS this year and felt really weird, like an outsider. Pop music feels like high school again – like, there’s the really cool kids, and I’m not one of those.”

A former contestant of The Voice, Tony Lucca understands Adam’s point of view.

“I can understand maybe Adam Lambert’s apprehension,” Tony told CBS Local. “To him, it’s like he’s got to live this thing down. This Idol thing that wouldn’t have happened had it not been for Idol and I can certainly relate to that.”

“Then again that’s where the benefit of The Voice comes in. They don’t just not shy away from that, they feature it because that’s part of the story. Here’s a guy who’s been at it for a while and we’re just trying to help focus the spotlight a little bit to catapult him into the next chapter of his work,” he said. “Hopefully that’s what happens for people from The Voice.”

However, Tony says it is possible to overcome this stigma.

“I think Kelly Clarkson really proved herself to be a career-long artist. She really handled her early work with grace and still stays relevant and works with great people and gets songs consistently out there,” he said.

Tony had only praises for Carrie Underwood as well.

“Carrie Underwood is amazing, I think she’s the real deal. That does happen. When you see that you’re like, ‘Oh yeah, hands down.’ The process is effective in that regard,” he said. “You’re bound to find someone who’s a natural born career artist.”

With both Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson being nominated for GRAMMYS this year, Tony proved his point.

“At the end of the day, great songs make great records, make lots of money and have great appeal. From what I can discern from the GRAMMYS, that’s what it comes down to,” he said. “You sell enough, you influence the industry enough, you get the votes you needed to be nominated and then to finally win a category.

“It’s anyone’s game really but everything has to be in place. Not just a great story on a reality TV show, not just a sex tape, whatever it is that brings you to the forefront. It really all has to be there unless you want to wind up like a footnote like Mili Vanilli. That wasn’t great.”

-Annie Reuter, CBS Local