I Still Wonder (Etrain - Official Elliott Yamin Forum)

I was watching AI rewind last night, and someone was singing a song by Diane Warren........Simon made some snarky comment about the singing and said Diane was a good friend of his.......

A few days ago, I read somewhere on the board here, that on Elliott's new CD, he was either working with, or singing with, Diane Warren.

Is this coincidence, or did Simon have something to do with that match up? Also, we know Paula is always pulling for him, Randy has him on his new record, Ryan helped get WFY off to a flying start........

Seems like all of the folks at AI really are helping our boy....they seem like they are really behind him.........could this be another "assist"???

I really do think that all of the judge's, Simon included, as well as the staff of AI really sincerely like Elliott and completely recognize his talent (well, other than Clive, David Foster, etc...). I certainly wouldn't be surpised at all if they haven't helped open a few doors for him. But, there is also the Josh Abraham connection that seems to pop up constantly. Even though his voice is enough to get some attention the reality is the extra connections in the business are essential to his success. Elliott continues to prove that he is wise beyond his experience in knowing how to deal with people to keep them in his corner and watch out for his best interests.

I've always felt like they REALLY do love Elliott and are happy that he is succeeding. I too, have felt like that there are some things that are not just coincidence. Like airing Paul's audition of w/WFY. They have hundreds, or thousands of auditions they could air. Randy has included Elliott on his CD. He has been invited back to AI for Idol Gives Back, and he is not even affiliated with them in any business capacity, or has no contract with them. I think he represents so much that IS good and positive about the show. I'm sure they could not be more proud!! These are just my observations.

eta: He said in one interview that he had a writing session w/Diane Warren and then the Atlanta radio interview that he was in the studio recording with her. He even mentioned the title of the song they were recording.

Isn't it Sony that has the rights overseas to Elliott's music?? It has been so long that I don't remember what part Sony plays. but they do have a vested interest in Elliott. that was just a guess....

When you think about it, Elliott was really the perfect AI contestant. He came from nowhere, with virtually no experience, with only an amazing undiscovered talent. He is also a very positive person and gives back at every opportunity. He continues to be a good spokesman for the show. And he, more than anyone else ever on the show , represents what is good about it. It is no mystery why the love and support him. He makes the show look better. It is more than about the dollars or units. It is about good will. He represents the American Dream, that anyone who is willing to work hard can make it.

QUOTE (Taratova @ Feb 3 2008, 02:47 PM)

Isn't it Sony that has the rights overseas to Elliott's music?? It has been so long that I don't remember what part Sony plays. but they do have a vested interest in Elliott. that was just a guess....

I do know that it's Sony Music Canada that released Elliott's CD in Canada.

In an interview somewhere recently, Elliott mentioned he would be going back into the studio to begin working on his second CD and that was the fulfillment of his deal with Sony - it was for 2 CD's. So then he would be done with them. Wonder what that's all about. I'm so out of it when it comes to knowing about all this stuff.

LOL....the judges were always in Elliott's corner. It was AI's corporate machine that saw dollar signs with Taylor and Katharine. I hope they enjoy them...
oh, wait....

:rotfl:

QUOTE (ohioguy45780 @ Feb 3 2008, 05:28 PM)

LOL....the judges were always in Elliott's corner. It was AI's corporate machine that saw dollar signs with Taylor and Katharine. I hope they enjoy them...
oh, wait....

:rotfl:

QUOTE (ohioguy45780 @ Feb 3 2008, 05:28 PM)

LOL....the judges were always in Elliott's corner. It was AI's corporate machine that saw dollar signs with Taylor and Katharine. I hope they enjoy them...
oh, wait....

I don't think the corporate machine ever envisioned dollar signs with Taylor. They envisioned them with Katharine, Chris, and Pickler, but they saw the writing on the wall with the huge vote totals Taylor kept getting, so they were resigned to that, I think.

They may have figured that, with Taylor's huge fan base, he would do at least as well as or better than Elliott, moneywise, but i don't believe Taylor was ever a chosen one. It was just a matter of not being able to fight the Soul Patrol. And since they were pretty convinced he wouldn't be a big hit, they definitely wanted Katharine in teh final two with him, rather than Elliott, because they did envision her as far more of a pop hit than Elliott, and they wanted to be sure they had at least one potential pop star in the top two.

Nevertheless, now that they see Elliott making so much more out of his potential, they've clearly adopted him while dumping Katharine, so it's all come out right in the end, and I still think he was better served by not having the Idol contract. All's well that ends well.

Personally, my guess is that AI's current love fest with Elliott mostly relates to their not wanting to look like idiots when he becomes an enduring, multigenerational, multi-genre star, which he seems to be slowly and steadily working toward. If they ignored an alum (and a nice alum who's grateful to them, at that) who became one of the world's enduring singers, their credibility would be totally shot.

On Diane Warren: For the typical Warren song, even her good ones, it seems to take a great singer to pull them off. A lot are really hard to sing (and a lot are kind of awful, too, in my opinion.). In Elliott, she's got the great singer, so I kind of imagine she's happy to work with him. He's got a lot of connections now. Another thing that I had never heard before about his connections is that Randy Jackson shared studio space or something with Josh Abraham back when both were starting out producing, apparently. So Elliott's multiply connected, through Idol and elsewhere.

Its' weird how cruel AI was to Elliott during his Idol run, but how kind they have been to him now, post-AI.

My theory is that they probably never thought he could sell any albums and that he could never get any radio play (Elliott obviously proved them wrong), so they never signed him. But I think they've always loved him as a person. Hey who could blame them? I think they've always somewhat rooted for him, and thus want him to succeed. As much as I dislike Nigel and all that he stands for, I read somewhere that he actually cried when they were making Elliott's Bad Day montage. So yeah, I think they've always loved him but never thought he would amount to anything. Now that he's had success that not even their top 2 experienced, they've finally seen his potential, and are now wanting to help further his career in any way possible.

My conspiracy theory is this: let's all remember that Elliott's 2-album deal with Sony will end with the coming of his sophomore album in a few months. Now the question is, is 19E trying to woo him to sign with them? Elliott's album went gold with barely any TV promotion. Maybe they're finally seeing Elliott's potential as an artist? Who knows? His manager (I think) confirmed here in Manila that big labels have been wooing him, but his team wants him to stay put.

I have no doubt that big labels have been wooing him all along. I think it was absolutely his choice to go independent.

QUOTE (durden @ Feb 3 2008, 07:56 PM)

Its' weird how cruel AI was to Elliott during his Idol run, but how kind they have been to him now, post-AI.

My theory is that they probably never thought he could sell any albums and that he could never get any radio play (Elliott obviously proved them wrong), so they never signed him. But I think they've always loved him as a person. Hey who could blame them? I think they've always somewhat rooted for him, and thus want him to succeed. As much as I dislike Nigel and all that he stands for, I read somewhere that he actually cried when they were making Elliott's Bad Day montage. So yeah, I think they've always loved him but never thought he would amount to anything. Now that he's had success that not even their top 2 experienced, they've finally seen his potential, and are now wanting to help further his career in any way possible.

My conspiracy theory is this: let's all remember that Elliott's 2-album deal with Sony will end with the coming of his sophomore album in a few months. Now the question is, is 19E trying to woo him to sign with them? Elliott's album went gold with barely any TV promotion. Maybe they're finally seeing Elliott's potential as an artist? Who knows? His manager (I think) confirmed here in Manila that big labels have been wooing him, but his team wants him to stay put.

True. So many of you have expressed my thougts. Thanks, all. :friends2: :worship:

All of this speculation is interesting!!

QUOTE (E-dog @ Feb 3 2008, 03:10 PM)

When you think about it, Elliott was really the perfect AI contestant. He came from nowhere, with virtually no experience, with only an amazing undiscovered talent. He is also a very positive person and gives back at every opportunity. He continues to be a good spokesman for the show. And he, more than anyone else ever on the show , represents what is good about it. It is no mystery why the love and support him. He makes the show look better. It is more than about the dollars or units. It is about good will. He represents the American Dream, that anyone who is willing to work hard can make it.

Love your post. Elliott has come to represent American Idol in a positive way because he is one for real.

Does anyone know what some of Diane Warren's hits have been? What songs has she written? I am just curious. Would love to try and get some idea of what type of song she will write for Elliott.

QUOTE (efan22 @ Feb 3 2008, 11:10 PM)

Does anyone know what some of Diane Warren's hits have been? What songs has she written? I am just curious. Would love to try and get some idea of what type of song she will write for Elliott.

She has had pop hits, country, mostly ballads.....

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

http://realsongs.com/

Unbreak My Heart, Because You Loved Me, How Do I Live, etc....
She is known as the most prolific songwriter of our time, I believe.

The two records are for Hickory, not Sony.

QUOTE (Linda4Elliott @ Feb 3 2008, 02:44 PM)

I've always felt like they REALLY do love Elliott and are happy that he is succeeding. I too, have felt like that there are some things that are not just coincidence. Like airing Paul's audition of w/WFY. They have hundreds, or thousands of auditions they could air. Randy has included Elliott on his CD. He has been invited back to AI for Idol Gives Back, and he is not even affiliated with them in any business capacity, or has no contract with them. I think he represents so much that IS good and positive about the show. I'm sure they could not be more proud!! These are just my observations.

eta: He said in one interview that he had a writing session w/Diane Warren and then the Atlanta radio interview that he was in the studio recording with her. He even mentioned the title of the song they were recording.

Elliott said on the Atlanta radio interview the name of the Diane Warren song is
How Could I Break The Heart That Loved Me. He said that it is kind of Unbreak My Heart---ish.

Then one of the dj's said "I think Diane Warren songs automatically enter the charts at #11, don't they? " I couldn't tell if he was being real or trying to be funny, but it was an interesting comment.

What a coup for Elliott to be able to do a song with Diane Warren!! I hope he is taking notes because she is said to be one of the best song writers around.
He can learn a lot from her.

QUOTE (applesauce @ Feb 3 2008, 07:48 PM)

QUOTE (ohioguy45780 @ Feb 3 2008, 05:28 PM)

LOL....the judges were always in Elliott's corner. It was AI's corporate machine that saw dollar signs with Taylor and Katharine. I hope they enjoy them...
oh, wait....

I don't think the corporate machine ever envisioned dollar signs with Taylor. They envisioned them with Katharine, Chris, and Pickler, but they saw the writing on the wall with the huge vote totals Taylor kept getting, so they were resigned to that, I think.

They may have figured that, with Taylor's huge fan base, he would do at least as well as or better than Elliott, moneywise, but i don't believe Taylor was ever a chosen one. It was just a matter of not being able to fight the Soul Patrol. And since they were pretty convinced he wouldn't be a big hit, they definitely wanted Katharine in teh final two with him, rather than Elliott, because they did envision her as far more of a pop hit than Elliott, and they wanted to be sure they had at least one potential pop star in the top two.

Nevertheless, now that they see Elliott making so much more out of his potential, they've clearly adopted him while dumping Katharine, so it's all come out right in the end, and I still think he was better served by not having the Idol contract. All's well that ends well.

Personally, my guess is that AI's current love fest with Elliott mostly relates to their not wanting to look like idiots when he becomes an enduring, multigenerational, multi-genre star, which he seems to be slowly and steadily working toward. If they ignored an alum (and a nice alum who's grateful to them, at that) who became one of the world's enduring singers, their credibility would be totally shot.

On Diane Warren: For the typical Warren song, even her good ones, it seems to take a great singer to pull them off. A lot are really hard to sing (and a lot are kind of awful, too, in my opinion.). In Elliott, she's got the great singer, so I kind of imagine she's happy to work with him. He's got a lot of connections now. Another thing that I had never heard before about his connections is that Randy Jackson shared studio space or something with Josh Abraham back when both were starting out producing, apparently. So Elliott's multiply connected, through Idol and elsewhere.

Good post, applesauce.

QUOTE (Linda4Elliott @ Feb 3 2008, 11:14 PM)

QUOTE (efan22 @ Feb 3 2008, 11:10 PM)

Does anyone know what some of Diane Warren's hits have been? What songs has she written? I am just curious. Would love to try and get some idea of what type of song she will write for Elliott.

She has had pop hits, country, mostly ballads.....

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

http://realsongs.com/

Unbreak My Heart, Because You Loved Me, How Do I Live, etc....
She is known as the most prolific songwriter of our time, I believe.

Thanks for the site about Diane Warren. I have heard her name but did not really know very much about her and now I am REALLY impressed that Elliott has had a chance to work with her. I am excited to hear what he will be singing.

I seem to remember that see was one that sat in on the judging going to hollywood rounds a few of years ago. I think it was before season 5

QUOTE (jluv'selliottmusic @ Feb 4 2008, 06:07 AM)

I seem to remember that see was one that sat in on the judging going to hollywood rounds a few of years ago. I think it was before season 5

Actually, she was on in Season 2, Top 6 which was Diane Warren night and she was a guest judge. :)

Just to add, below describes Elliott's association with Sony:

"In December 2006, he announced a music publishing contract with Sony/ATV Music Publishing.[9] On January 25, 2007, Yamin signed a record deal with Hickory Records, a Sony/ATV-owned imprint set up as a "virtual label,"[10] and RED Distribution, a leading distributor for independent record labels in the United States.[11] Yamin has stated that "Sony invested in [him] as a partner" as part of a 50/50 deal, which means that "[they] both stand or fall."[10]"

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

:)

QUOTE (harleywoman @ Feb 4 2008, 08:09 AM)

Just to add, below describes Elliott's association with Sony:

"In December 2006, he announced a music publishing contract with Sony/ATV Music Publishing.[9] On January 25, 2007, Yamin signed a record deal with Hickory Records, a Sony/ATV-owned imprint set up as a "virtual label,"[10] and RED Distribution, a leading distributor for independent record labels in the United States.[11] Yamin has stated that "Sony invested in [him] as a partner" as part of a 50/50 deal, which means that "[they] both stand or fall."[10]"

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

:)

thanks for clearing that up. And doesn't this arm of Sony operate independently of Sony/BMG?

when I first heard this and did a little bit of research on Diane Warren all I could think was maybe Elliott's song will be played with some movie! A big hit movie I'm hoping. Wouldn't that be so cool? :awe:

I'm listening to her home page now (thanks Linda), I thought one of the songs sounded like Taylor Hicks singing... is that right?

eta: I see now where you can change the songs, it was Taylor singing "Places I've Been".

QUOTE (itslate @ Feb 4 2008, 08:23 AM)

when I first heard this and did a little bit of research on Diane Warren all I could think was maybe Elliott's song will be played with some movie! A big hit movie I'm hoping. Wouldn't that be so cool? :awe:

Then he could get a Grammy AND an Oscar....well actually Diane would get the Oscar, but he could get alot of recognition!! lol

QUOTE (Linda4Elliott @ Feb 4 2008, 08:15 AM)

QUOTE (harleywoman @ Feb 4 2008, 08:09 AM)

Just to add, below describes Elliott's association with Sony:

"In December 2006, he announced a music publishing contract with Sony/ATV Music Publishing.[9] On January 25, 2007, Yamin signed a record deal with Hickory Records, a Sony/ATV-owned imprint set up as a "virtual label,"[10] and RED Distribution, a leading distributor for independent record labels in the United States.[11] Yamin has stated that "Sony invested in [him] as a partner" as part of a 50/50 deal, which means that "[they] both stand or fall."[10]"

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

:)

thanks for clearing that up. And doesn't this arm of Sony operate independently of Sony/BMG?

That was my understanding. However, RED Distribution is owned by Sony/BMG

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

Here's Sony/ATV:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony/ATV_Music_Publishing

QUOTE (Linda4Elliott @ Feb 4 2008, 08:26 AM)

QUOTE (itslate @ Feb 4 2008, 08:23 AM)

when I first heard this and did a little bit of research on Diane Warren all I could think was maybe Elliott's song will be played with some movie! A big hit movie I'm hoping. Wouldn't that be so cool? :awe:

Then he could get a Grammy AND an Oscar....well actually Diane would get the Oscar, but he could get alot of recognition!! lol

I like the way both of you think. Let's see what would I wear. LOL

QUOTE (Linda4Elliott @ Feb 4 2008, 08:26 AM)

QUOTE (itslate @ Feb 4 2008, 08:23 AM)

when I first heard this and did a little bit of research on Diane Warren all I could think was maybe Elliott's song will be played with some movie! A big hit movie I'm hoping. Wouldn't that be so cool? :awe:

Then he could get a Grammy AND an Oscar....well actually Diane would get the Oscar, but he could get alot of recognition!! lol

Elliott singing on the Oscars...I hope it is the year I get nominated!!!

(Hey...he said DREAM BIG, right???)

QUOTE (Rick1965 @ Feb 4 2008, 08:48 AM)

QUOTE (Linda4Elliott @ Feb 4 2008, 08:26 AM)

QUOTE (itslate @ Feb 4 2008, 08:23 AM)

when I first heard this and did a little bit of research on Diane Warren all I could think was maybe Elliott's song will be played with some movie! A big hit movie I'm hoping. Wouldn't that be so cool? :awe:

Then he could get a Grammy AND an Oscar....well actually Diane would get the Oscar, but he could get alot of recognition!! lol

Elliott singing on the Oscars...I hope it is the year I get nominated!!!

(Hey...he said DREAM BIG, right???)

:rotfl: We'll look for you on the Red Carpet, Rick.

Etrain on the Red Carpet!! Now, THAT'D be a winning picture!! :yes:

QUOTE (E-dog @ Feb 3 2008, 08:10 PM)

When you think about it, Elliott was really the perfect AI contestant. He came from nowhere, with virtually no experience, with only an amazing undiscovered talent. He is also a very positive person and gives back at every opportunity. He continues to be a good spokesman for the show. And he, more than anyone else ever on the show , represents what is good about it. It is no mystery why the love and support him. He makes the show look better. It is more than about the dollars or units. It is about good will. He represents the American Dream, that anyone who is willing to work hard can make it.

:agreed:

Diane Warren? That is incredible! I can't wait to get his 2nd CD. It will be here soon enough. I like that AI has been doing nice things for E since the end of Season 5. I'm very appreciative and hope they continue to be a positive force for E.

Re: Diane Warren, I just ran across this:

Sony/ATV Inks World Ex US deal with Diane Warren

Sony/ATV Music Publishing Chairman and CEO Martin Bandier announced on September 24, 2007 that the company has entered into a publishing agreement with legendary songwriter Diane Warren for exclusive worldwide administration of her catalogue, excluding North America.
http://www.sonyatv.com/index.php/articles/332

Hmmm.

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