Elliott Yamin: Thankful for what he's got (Daily Yomiuri Online)

From Daily Yomiuri Online:

Elliott Yamin: Thankful for what he's got

Saori Kan Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer

American soul singer Elliott Yamin seems to have been blessed with a natural talent: a distinctive voice that is deep, gentle and merciful.

His self-titled debut album, released in the United States in March last year, will be released in Japan on Wednesday, and has taken its new title from his first single, "Wait For You." The Japanese version includes the original's 11 tracks and two Japan-only bonus tracks. The recording highlights his diverse song styles, including blues, pop, R&B, hip-hop and ballads. The producers include Stargate, the Norwegian production team behind Beyonce's "Irreplaceable" and Josh Abraham, who is better known for working with such hard rock acts as Linkin Park, Slayer and Velvet Revolver.

In the United States, the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart, and it was certified gold--signifying sales of 500,000 units--in the United States in October.

For more than a year before his Japanese debut, the 29-year-old singer built up a fan base as the second runner-up on the 2006 season of American Idol, which was the popular singing contest's first season on Japanese television.

Commenting on his experience on the show, Yamin told The Daily Yomiuri during a promotional tour here in March, "[That was one of] the best things I'd ever done for myself. Getting to work with amazing artists, getting to be around so many other talented people at the same time, I learned so much about the business, about myself and life."

Watching the TV show, he struck me as very low-key, and seemed to lack self confidence early on, although it was clear his voice was something special.

However, week by week, he matured as a performer and eventually was praised by the often critical judges as the most improved performer on the show. Stevie Wonder, too, lauded his vocal talent. Looking back on the experience, Yamin said: "Yes, I had to evolve and grow each week, which was what American Idol is all about. I definitely grew and got confident. Everything that I do now...I'm only confident because of my experience on the show."

Born in July 1978 in Los Angeles to an Israeli of Iraqi descent and an American of German descent, Yamin was raised by his mother following the divorce of his parents. Shortly after his promotional trip to Japan, his mother died.

Yamin, with a history of ear infections in his childhood, underwent eardrum replacement surgery when he was 13, which left him 90 percent deaf in his right ear. At 16, he was diagnosed with Type-I diabetes and has to wear an insulin pump.

Although he has no training, he sang in a jazz group and emulated his favorite singers, including Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway. But it was not Yamin's idea to appear on Idol. It was that of his friends. "At the time, I wasn't being productive with the life I had and I wasn't doing positive things. I wasn't very ambitious, and I was kind of stuck in this rut and wasn't going anywhere," Yamin said.

"[But] my friends had a lot more confidence in me than I had in myself. They really pushed me, encouraged me to go and try out for the show," he continued.

Yamin, who now has enough confidence to say, "I want to be successful," is working on his second album, with recording slated to start in June. "We're trying to have more up-tempo songs on the record. You're gonna hear more mature lyrics, I think, as I'm growing as a writer, too," he said.

For the album, he is working again with Stargate, who produced "One Word" and "Wait For You" for his first album. "You have to continue to grow and learn. I think you're gonna see it in my next album," he said.

As a diabetic, Yamin has been acting as spokesman for a variety of diabetics organizations, including the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. "Being on the show, I made a decision to use my platform, to use my celebrity, to help raise awareness and money for finding a cure. That's important, very important to me."

In March, he got involved in American Idol's "Idol Gives Back," which raises money to support children around the world who are suffering from poverty and disease. Accompanied by Fantasia Barrino, winner of American Idol's third season, Yamin went on a short trip to Angola as a guest of the Malaria No More program to distribute mosquito nets to local villagers. "It was an amazing experience that I got through music. Music is a really powerful thing." The story of the trip was aired during the current season of Idol, which shows on Saturdays at 8 p.m. on FOX.

Talking about his ultimate goal as an artist, Yamin, who will return to Japan later this month for more promotion, said: "I want to sing as long as I have a voice to sing, as long as I can talk. I also want to branch out to do new things...maybe start my own label to discover talent.

"As long as I can make a comfortable living, I'll involve myself in music. There's no better thing in this world," he said with a laugh.
(May. 16, 2008)