Yamin: R&R and writing
Richmond Times Dispatch - Richmond,VA,USA
By MELISSA RUGGIERI You would expect Elliott Yamin to be relaxed after a 10-day vacation in Hawaii with his girlfriend. Chatty and forthcoming, the guy who ...




Yamin: R&R and writing
Back from Hawaii, he is studying and readying releases

Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 - 12:04 AM Updated: 01:01 AM

By MELISSA RUGGIERI
MUSIC CRITIC

You would expect Elliott Yamin to be relaxed after a 10-day vacation in Hawaii with his girlfriend.

And he is.

Chatty and forthcoming, the guy who will always be tied to Richmond, no matter how long he lives in L.A. or how many gold records he earns, is relishing a little well-deserved time off.

An exhausting nine-month tour of clubs, small theaters and radio-station holiday shows that crisscrossed the country and brought him to the Philippines and Malaysia recently wrapped.

For his efforts, Yamin had a smash ballad in "Wait for You," the eighth-most-played song on Top 40 in 2007, according to radio site www.allaccess.com. "Wait" also sold more than 800,000 digital copies, spawned a dance mix and propelled Yamin's self-titled debut album to sales of more than 486,000.

But what about that all-important follow-up?

"One Word" -- arguably a better song -- hasn't dented radio quite as noticeably, but Yamin isn't deterred.

"Who knows [why it didn't take off]? You never know. It's always a crapshoot," he said. "I was a little bummed at first, but [songs] don't all take off. We're really in a great place right now. And you know what? It just motivates me to keep getting better."

Yamin isn't sure if a third single will be released (anyone want to start a campaign for "I'm the Man"?), and he says there has been talk of a remix of "One Word."

But his next project should certainly keep him visible. Yamin is part of "Randy Jackson's Music Club, Vol. 1," a compilation of guest artists produced by the dawg-ish "American Idol" judge, set for release March 11.

Though the hype has surrounded "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow," the first new recording from Paula Abdul in more than a decade, there are plenty of Yaminions primed to snag the disc solely for the duet between Yamin and his season five comrade, Katharine McPhee.

"Real Love," written by R&B hit king Ne-Yo, has "a dance-y vibe," says Yamin. "It's kinda a love song . . . it's just talking about real love and finding the one you've been searching for your whole life."

Coincidentally, another former Richmonder, Jason Mraz, whose family still lives here, is also on Jackson's disc. Yamin says he's yet to meet Mraz, who's a San Diego guy now, but hopes to one day.

Jackson, however, couldn't get more praise from Yamin.

"I've kept in touch with Randy since the show, and he's always expressed interest in working with me and vice versa. I didn't know how dope he was as a producer. And when I was rehearsing for my first leg of the tour in L.A., he called me up and said, 'Is now a good time [to record something]?' So we hooked up," Yamin said.

"He's a great, great human being. He's so talented. He's the same way you see him on TV. He doesn't put up any facade.

"He let me listen to some of the early cuts on the record, the one with the Tabernacle Choir ['I Understand,' with Bebe Winans, Kim Burrell, Rance Allen, Mariah Carey and Hezekiah Walker & The Love Fellowship Tabernacle Church Choir], which is amazing. He's got a great ear. . . . He's always hitting me up on my BlackBerry. I definitely think I'm going to do a couple of tracks with him on my next project."

Yamin, 29, admits he's still learning how to advance as a songwriter. Last week, he had a writing session with Diane Warren, known for her prolific mainstream success. (Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me," Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" and Cher's "If I Could Turn Back Time" are among Warren's hundreds of hits.)

According to Yamin, Warren has a few songs in mind for him to record.

"I don't want to be the type to say it's me or nothing. I'm not afraid to sing other people's songs. Not to discredit myself, but I'm not a polished writer yet. I definitely want to write a lot more for this next album and learn," Yamin said.

But even with his Hollywood hookups, talk inevitably returns to his hometown, where the whirlwind began two years ago. (Yamin will be in town next month and in March for special events.)

When the topic of the R-Braves' leaving Richmond comes up, Yamin is genuinely incredulous: "Aw, that [stinks], man. I always loved going to Braves games."

When reminded of his momentous homecoming at The Diamond during "Idol's" final weeks in May 2006, Yamin laughs softly.

"That was one of the few times I've seen it full. That and the Fourth of July," he said. "But that day . . . that was a special day" mruggieri@timesdispatch.com.

great article, thanks Nancy!

What a GUY!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Who knows [why it didn't take off]? You never know. It's always a crapshoot," he said. "I was a little bummed at first, but [songs] don't all take off. We're really in a great place right now. And you know what? It just motivates me to keep getting better."


And with an outlook like that, he'll never lose!

Oh one more thing....
GREAT PICTURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great interview. Loved it. Working with Diane Warren. WOW! Reading this article gave me goosebumps.

:cheerleaders:

:iloveit:

It is, looks like it was taken at Innsbrook.

Okay, now I have one more thing. I loved this comment about Randy.

"He's always hitting me up on my BlackBerry"


WAY COOL DAWG! LOL


ETA: Holly Molly!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diane_Warren

Melissa always has a way to get more out of Elliott than any other interviewer. Maybe it's because she asks more pointed questions or maybe it's because Elliott has come to trust her, but I'm thankful she keeps interviewing him.

Another great interview. I'm glad he addressed OW, his comments should help put us at ease.

I really can't wait to hear what will be on his next cd. Diane Warren....OMG, she is huge in the industry. I'm sure there are writers out there like her that would love that voice singing their songs.

fantastic interview!!! I am so excited about Elliott working with Randy and Diane Warren. He's probably has many people interested in working on this next CD.

A possible remix of One Word??? a duet maybe?

Good times ahead :grin:

great music industry connections he's made and will make . I'm curious about how he is learning to write music - does he teach himself? does he have a teacher or mentor? and will he get a chance to take voice lessons (I remember him expressing that desire) - so many things I'm curious about!

eta: oops I missed the part about him getting writing lessons from Diane W - holy toledo, what an opportunity! so proud of you, Elliott

Diane Warren? :rocker:

She's the queen of the ballad, and it's very telling that she is working personally with Yamin for the "right" song. Hicks also used one of her songs, but he was only allowed to cover a song, not work with her one-on-one.

I loved the interview! I just wish Melissa had asked him when that duet with Kat would be available. I'm hoping we won't have to wait until March!

Does anyone know why "Movin' On" wasn't made into a single for radio play? I know it was released first as a 'teaser', but I think it would have been a mega hit for him? Have I missed something?

Great, great article.

I'm The Man - In my very humble opinion, this is the most underrated song on the CD. It's catchy, without being repetitive. And I love the fact that even though it's a classic love song, it's not cheezy at all. It's my second favorite, after Trainwreck.

And about the One Word remix - very cool. Looks like they haven't given up on the album as a whole yet.

My gut tells me there's lots about this situation we don't and won't ever know - but to my mind Movin On and Trainwreck point out Elliott's tremendous potential as a songwriter. I'm glad he is still pursuing this with some fantastic tutors - and was not derailed by the criticism of some of his first efforts.

I'm ready to let go of the idea of Movin On as a single - it seems that Elliott's people have - for whatever reasons.

Loved this article! Like all of you I am thrilled to hear that he is working with Diane Warren. Man, I can't wait for the next CD! I was a little bummed that he was a little bummed about the lack of success for "One Word." I could definitely go with Melissa's suggestion of "I'm the Man" for the next single. Loved that song from day 1. Sounds like Elliott is doing just fine though.... :awe:

This is at the bottom of Dianne Warren's Wikipedia entry.

They can add Elliott Yamin :)

......and just because she is know for her ballads, Elliott can add his R&B flava to anything!

:elliottelliott: So glad to hear that he's meeting up some of the best in the music industry like Diane Warren, he's certainly keeping on track and has such a positive attitude. We all know he's going to be just fine and blow the whole world away one day with a fabulous song that will make him really soar . :elliottelliott:

If anyone's reading these boards to get thoughts for a third single, I'm sure TW has come through loud and clear by now.

I sent the disk to the PD of an important group of stations in Israel. Even though she'd never heard of him she liked it a lot, and she played I'm the Man!

Unfortunately she didn't get any feedback about the song.

Great interview and great things to come!!

Yeah, it's great that he was actually writing with her. Most of the Clive Idol signees have gotten stuck with something from the bottomless Warren reject drawer for their first-album efforts, anyway. This is a whole different thing. Yay.

A little trivia for you. AI Season 2, Top 6 was Diane Warren night and she was a guest judge. There are 3 of her songs on Carrie's CD "Some Hearts". But I agree, the other idols haven't worked with her one on one. How wonderful for Elliott.

What a great interview!! He definately sounds refreshed & Lord knows he NEEDED a vacation to finally relax & rest up a lil. I am even more stoked about his next album(if that is possible! lol) after reading about Diane & Randy wanting to work with him on some songs for it. Can't WAIT!!!!

This is really great news!!!!!

Elliott has such a great attitude...I can not wait to see what the future holds for him...and I know we will all be there to do what we can to make it happen..
I hope Diane Warren has something really special in mind for him... :etrain:
I like that he has kept in touch with Randy...he really seems like such a great caring person...

My favorite part was whne Randy called Elliott a "great great human being."

indeed. Really, is there a better compliment than that? I can't think of one.

The way I read it, it is the other way around:

Jackson, however, couldn't get more praise from Yamin.
"He's a great, great human being. He's so talented. He's the same way you see him on TV. He doesn't put up any facade."

That was great to get some fresh news about Elliott. Thanks for posting.