Elliott Yamin interview

Four years removed from nearly winning American Idol, Elliott Yamin has released two semi-independent albums and toured the world. With Idol Rewind now re-airing his season on television, Elliott took time to fill me in on what he’s learned from one album to the next, how he’s kept up with his seasonmates over the years, and some plans for the future that might surprise you…

You’ve been living in LA for a couple of years. Are you getting used to it?

It’s fine, it’s normal, it’s another place to live. I’m very adaptable, so I can live anywhere and be anywhere. I was actually born here, so I’m kind of back here full circle.

You released your first record a few years ago, then Fight For Love last year. What do you learn from the process of that first record that helps you the second time around?

I think I learned a lot, man. And everything that I learned, I was able to apply it to my second album. I think between the first album and the second album, I really matured and grew as an artist and a songwriter, and I think I got to really apply all that to the second album and I learned how to use my voice better in the studio, I learned how to write better, I learned how to arrange and kind of produce my own vocals, background vocals and things like that. I learned what kind of album I wanted to make, you know, and I did just that, I made exactly what I wanted to make. I really wanted to make something more contemporary and more poppy kind of R&B on the second album. I think we definitely accomplished that.

The hit single from your first album was about waiting for love, kind of a passive thing. The big single from your new record is about fighting for love. Should we be reading into that?

Yeah, I think so. Most of my songs are about love, and being in and out of it and fighting for it or dealing with the ups and downs of it, and I think that kind of epitomizes the theme of this second album, you know? For me personally, all the songs that I got to co-write on came from personal experiences, so I think that’s a common theme among any songwriter, singer. Love is always a topic of discussion, whether it’s the good, the bad, or the in between.

You signed to Hickory Records. It’s part of a major but it’s still independent in a way, right?

It is. Hickory Records is a defunct label that existed back in the seventies, and it was a label owned by Sony/ATV. And so Sony/ATV is my publisher and even though they’re not in the business of the record business, they own the rights to Hickory. So what we did was we kind of just resurrected it and brought it back from the dead, and we did our deal that way.

I’ve talked with Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee about how they both signed with a major label right after Idol and then they both ended up changing labels after one record because it wasn’t the situation they wanted. Do you think it’s a blessing in disguise that you didn’t go that route?

I think so. And I think what’s really funny too is that because the business has changed drastically since we started on Idol, and just in the matter of time between my first album and my second album, the business has changed drastically and I think it’s just really ironic how nowadays, even today, like let’s take Adam Lambert for example, I think he’s sold 500,000 albums so far, something like that,he may be Gold already. And that’s like a major disappointment in the eyes of his label, but to me those numbers are amazing. Records just don’t sell like they used to. And I think any time you can do that where you’re not on a major label is an accomplishment. And for someone to sell half a million records right now on a major label is amazing to me and truly amazing to everybody else, but it’s just not. And that’s unfortunate.

You performed a tour in Israel last year, right?

Yeah, I did. It was really cool. That all came about basically from the Shimon Peres Peace Center. What is was, was they were commemorating the tenth anniversary of the Peace Center there. And I think they had kind of a big conference, it was a two or three day conference with dignitaries from all over the world and political figures. And to so cap off the end of this conference they had a big concert at the Tel Aviv Opera House, and I was invited to come perform. It was really cool. I got to meet Shimon Peres and perform with Andrea Bocelli and other international artists on that stage. It was really cool. My father’s Israeli, so it was like being home. I hadn’t been there since I was ten years old, and I got to see about sixty of my cousins there, see our homeland and perform abroad and it was an awesome experience. I can’t wait to go back.

You’re one one of the highest profile Jewish contestants from American Idol. Do you feel like there’s any kind of responsibility in that?

[Singing a rendition of Let My People Go] Come on, who am I, Moses? (laughs) I’m just another singer who happens to be Jewish. We make the best Christmas music, by the way. I’m just kidding. No, I don’t feel any responsibility. I just feel a lot of pride, and I’m really proud that I can make so many other Jewish mothers proud.

You know it’s funny, I actually did an interview when I was on the show for, I think it was a Jewish newspaper here in LA, and the headline of the article said “Jewish Idol” on it, and of course I saved it, I have it in my things that I save, but I don’t really feel responsible, I just feel honored and glad that I can make my peeps proud.

You appeared on Taylor’s album, you’ve done a duet with Katharine. Beyond those two, have you managed to keep in touch your seasonmates in general over the years?

Yeah absolutely, I have. I’m really tight with Bucky Covington, I talked to Mandisa not too long ago, she and I keep in touch, we’re good friends. What’s really cool is I’ve met a lot of cool Idols from seasons past and seasons beyond mine. It’s really cool to be in that fraternity to me. Just the other day I met Anoop Desai, who was on last season, I believe. We finally met in person, well actually we met during the season, but finally we actually hung out the other day. He’s great. I met Ruben Studdard a couple weeks ago when I was in Birmingham, and he’s great. I’m good friends with Brandon Rogers, Blake Lewis is another buddy of mine, Chris Richardson.

I think it’s great. I think we’re all kind of in the same boat when it comes to what we’ve experienced on Idol, and very few people can share that experience with us. So to me it’s cool to meet other people that have been through the ringer on the show. Whether they’re doing anything now or not, it’s just cool to know that someone else knows about all the fun you had and everything you went through on the show.

I’ve been following you on Twitter, and I notice that you seem to have no fear of saying what’s on your mind, and I’ve gotten the same sense talking with you now. Is that just something that’s in your personality, or do you ever worry that you’re putting too much honesty out there?

No, I don’t think so. There’s a time and a place for everything, whether it’s said or done. I’m a firm believer in that. I think Twitter is one of those things where you have the exception to kind of be funny and keep it real and not pull any punches, and that’s just how I am anyway, you know? So Twitter allows me to have fun, and I just mainly have fun with it. I will say that if something comes on my mind that bothers me, then I’m not afraid to let it out and say it, whether it’s on Twitter or in person or in a blog or whatever, in an interview.

Awhile back you mentioned that you’d had Broadway offers but that the timing was never right. Is acting still something you’re looking to do at some point?

Absolutely, on the Broadway scale, yeah. I always wanted to do a musical, and I’ve never been in a play or performed at all on that kind of stage. The closest I’ve ever come is I guess result nights on Idol, when we would do those corny group songs. But it’s always been a dream of mine to do that, and I’ll absolutely get to realize that one of these days, hopefully sooner than later. Right now I have a little more time on my hands because I’m in the process of reworking my record deal with Sony/ATV. So it’s funny you asked that, I actually just reached out to some of the casting agencies and people that I know, that I’ve met there in New York, and we’ll see what happens, man. I’m really very down with doing something like that, and I think it’s gonna happen one of these days.

Editor’s Note: Elliott Yamin spoke with Beatweek prior to his trip to Chile, where he is currently trapped (but by all accounts, including his own, safe and unharmed) following this past weekend’s earthquake. This is why there were no earthquake-related questions in our interview. For up to the minute reports from Chile, follow @ElliottYamin on Twitter, where he’s been posting on-site updates.

We here at Beatweek urge all of you to contribute to the Red Cross or other appropriate charities to help earthquake victims around the world.

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