American Idol Star Elliott Yamin: What's Next?

One would believe that a voice and a man as talented as Elliott Yamin would find a label to produce his efforts as he matures and grows as an artist.  With his talent it would be a shame if he winds up as just another "former American Idol contestant." 

Elliott Yamin Looks Forward (Image: Shirley Kennedy)

So - what's next for Elliott?

In this third and final installment of my interview with Elliott Yamin, we discuss his future and where he’d like to see himself in five years. We talk frankly about whom Elliott is as an artist and how that self-view guides his goals. I have always sensed that his artistic integrity is extremely important to Elliott, so I posed that question to him.

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Shirley: I get the impression that your artistry is very important to you, that it’s probably more important to you than, say, selling 10 million CDs. I get the impression that it’s more important to you to maintain your integrity as an artist.

Elliott: Absolutely. You know, these days, it’s hard to sell 10 million records. People don’t sell records like Mariah Carey did when she first came out. The industry is constantly evolving and changing, and there’s so many new ways to sell and market your music than just putting out a record in the store. I mean, there’s the Internet, there’s downloading—there’s anything you name. You can pretty much find music any which way possible, so—I definitely want to maintain my integrity. I’m more about the music. I’m not about the sales and the money. Everything will come—the success will come. I just want to make good quality music that everybody can feel and love and, you know, from the heart, and I just want to be able to portray that on stage and just go have fun on the stage with all the songs that we create.

S: One of the things that your fans have said about you is that you sing from the heart, so that’s apparently coming through for you in your performances, and I assume that’s pretty important---

E: It is. I feel that I was truly born to do this, and I’m finally doing what I always thought I could do, what I’ve always dreamed of, so it’s just—

S: It’s become your “day job” now.

E: It is! Well, it’s how it’s supposed to be. If my life story was written up to this point, I belong right where I’m at.

S: So, you think perhaps that you appreciate it more because of some of the adversities that you’ve been through?

E: I think so—well, yes and no. I feel like everyone has to pay their dues and I guess going through the whole Idol boot camp and then the tour was kind of a good crash course. Take for instance, Chris Daughtry or Taylor and Bucky. Those guys have had bands, they’re used to performing on stage, and they’ve been doing it for years whereas I really haven’t been. I’ve just been worried about trying to survive and take care of my diabetes and trying to make a living so I can pay my rent. They’re just way more experienced than I am. They’ve been doing it longer than I have, so they’ve definitely paid their dues in that respect, but everybody crawls before they walk, you know? I just—I guess I do—I have faced some adversity. We all do. That’s what builds character and makes you stronger, you know?

S: So, I was asking you if you had your preference, would you rather work—do you think you’d get more artistic freedom with a small label as opposed to a bigger outlet, and if you had your choice, is that what you’d do?

E: I really don’t know to be honest with you. Given my experience of trying to find a record deal (laughs), I think the smaller label. Common sense wise, maybe it would be a lesser-known label. I think that whatever I do—whoever I sign with—I think that will be a part of why I sign. The main part of my decision will be based on how much freedom that I have. Right now, without a deal, I have all the freedom I want to kind of work with whoever I want, and I’m really focused on just compiling a whole catalog of songs that we can work with. If I get a deal along the way, then that’s great, and if I have to wait until I’m done recording, then I’m just going to really focus on working on the product now, you know?

S: So, would you consider going the independent route?

E: I don’t know. That’s definitely an option, you know. I just don’t know. I don’t really know—I don’t know what the best fit is for me to do right now.

S: And that’s why you have managers and advisors and that type of thing to kind of help you along with it.

E: Yeah. Most definitely. I have a great team around me, so, I mean, I put myself and my faith in them as far as choosing the best deal for me and they know the options.

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Elliott is a good singer, but he is only too willing to give props to other artists. During the course of our interview, we got on the subject of Atlanta and the fact that the city represents a large part of the R&B/hip-hop market. The conversation naturally flowed to one of the hottest producers in music today, Jermaine Dupri.

E: One of my managers also manages Jermaine Dupri.

S: Oh really?

E: You never know; I might hook up with him.

S: That would be awesome. I mean, would that be like a dream producer for you?

E: It would. Yeah, definitely. I mean, he’s got some serious hits under his belt, and he’s well established and he’s—his dad, Jermaine Dupri’s dad was in the business for years, so he grew up—he breathes and sweats music. I would love to work with him.

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I asked Elliott about a couple of other people. When I asked about Terry “Big Planz” Thompson, Elliott responded: “He’s quite a guy. He’s a very good friend of mine. . . .  We’ve done quite a bit of work together.” We then got on the subject of a former competitor on Idol, when I mentioned the song, “A Change is Gonna Come,” by Sam Cooke.

E: Oh, you know what? That is one of the songs I was going to perform on the show, but I don’t know if you recall that guy—black guy with kind of dreds—he got voted off in the top 24.

S: Gedeon McKinney?

E: Gedeon McKinney sang that.

S: That’s right. But, see, you could have done it because I forgot. A lot of people forget. It’s pretty fast and furious. He should have made it into the top 12, but whatever.

E: He can blow, man. And he has such a stage presence. I loved him.
Finally, Elliott gives his take on The Little Memphis Blues Orchestra:

E: They should get—they don’t get enough credit. They should get all the credit in the world. I’m just real proud to be a part of their big family, you know? I’d like to see them achieve—become really successful, and they already are.

S: Do you think you’ll ever work with them again?

E: Absolutely. That’s a very good possibility. I would love to work with LiMBO in the future, and I think there’s probably a 98.9% chance that’s going to happen.

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As our interview neared completion, I asked Elliott the question that so many of us are asked about out futures. In addition, Elliott talked about some other things he would like to do with his future. You might just be surprised about something he is really interested in doing.

S: So, where do you see yourself in five years?

E: In five years, let’s see, I see myself being a well-established artist. I like to dream of doing voiceover work for cartoons and stuff like that. I just want to broaden my horizons as much as I can and just stay busy and be successful. Anything I can get my hands on in the business, whether it’s singing or using my voice. Some of these doors are opening up, and it’s just a real exciting time, and I suspect that in five years, I just see myself being very successful at what I do, being a recording artist.

S: You do voices? I’m thinking about the cartoons.

E: Well, I can. I can do some voices sometimes. Before I left for the tour, I went and met with Disney and I did [some] voiceover work. I went into the studio and just did some run-throughs on some, like, new characters they were testing out for some new shows on the Disney Cartoon Network.

S: So, are we going to see those?

E: Probably not the ones that I did, but I would love to get into that. I think that’s a very lucrative part of the business, and that’s fine with me. There are so many ways you can use your voice and so many ways to be heard. It’s awesome, you know. I love imagining all the possibilities that could happen—that are out there.

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I hope that Elliott is fortunate enough to find a label to back his work. He really does have a fabulous voice. Otherwise, he will always remain a “former American Idol contestant,” which would be a real shame. Many singers with lesser vocal chops than Elliott are hugely successful; why not Elliott? I wish all the best to Elliott in his future goals in the music industry.

As for me, I hope that those of you who read my work will continue to do so as I begin working with other artists, some of whom you may know and some you will not. Be on the lookout for an upcoming interview with a well-known band around the first of the year, and then, the time for American Idol to begin anew will be upon us. I will be writing about the show once a top 24 has been chosen and will follow the show through to the finale this year. Best of luck to all the new Idol hopefuls and let the games begin.

Shirley has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, with an emphasis on Creative Writing, from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia. She is currently pursuing her Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Phoenix.