American Idol Fan Site | Who got voted off American Idol

Yamin on the trip of his life Touring with the “American Idols Live” show, touring with any show, is a completely new, completely cool experience for Elliott Yamin, Richmond’s entry in the year’s biggest reality show.
Click here to find out more!

Season 5’s finale garnered Fox’s “American Idol” its highest ratings ever, with 36 million viewers.

“The fact that I’m doing this now, I still have to pinch myself,” said the 28-year-old Yamin, whose most recent job was at Westbury Pharmacy.

“I’ve always dreamed of being in this position,” he said, “singing on a stage in front of thousands of people every night and them going absolutely crazy.”

Yamin was calling from Bridgeport, Conn., where he and fellow “AI” finalists sang Tuesday night. They had Wednesday off, played Pittsburgh last night, are in D.C. tonight and — da-dahh! — will hit Richmond tomorrow, when it’s a pretty good bet thousands of people will be going absolutely crazy.

That’s not soon enough for legions of E-Fans. To tide them over, herrrrrre’s Elliott:

Q. With nearly nightly shows on the tour, you don’t see much. But any favorite cities so far?

A. Philly was a lot of fun. . . . I go there all the time because that’s where most of my mom’s family is from. She was born there but . . . she was raised in Virginia, in Richmond.

We have a huge, huge family up there. I had probably 33 first cousins alone at the concert. . . .

My best friend back home, Rob, is a huge Sixers fan; we’re all big NBA fans, sports fans. It was cool to be in the Wachovia Center. I’ve been there as a spectator to many games, but to be there playing to a sold-out crowd and not being in the audience, it was really cool.

I had fun in Cleveland. I had time to go visit the Rock [and Roll] Hall of Fame, which was awesome.

Q. Hey, you might be in there one day.

A. Who knows? Yep, you never know.

Q. How’s the tour bus?

A. The bus is a lot of fun, man. Me, Ace, Bucky, Chris and Tay Tay, we just have a blast. It’s a big luxury condo bus. We have 12 bunks on it; we have a lounge in the back where we hang out.

We jam, we’ll play the guitar, we’ll listen to some music, watch movies, got a big-screen TV, play cards. We’ll joke around; the camaraderie among us is really great.

Q. Taylor, Chris, Kellie and Katharine all have signed with 19 Recordings, and it’s rumored Bucky has a Nashville contract pending. Is it true non-”American Idol” contracts can be announced after August 24?

A. I’m not sure when they can be announced, but I’m on the verge of doing that as well. Because it’s not going to be with 19, I’m not sure . . . and I’m not too worried about it.

People keep asking me, when are you gonna sign? There’s no particular reason; we’re just trying to do it right. Right now, I’m on tour. My business team and managers and everybody are working on that on the outside for me. I’m in no hurry. You’ve kind of gotta take it one step at a time.

I’m definitely going to have something to announce.

Q. What kind of music do you want to record?

A. I want a classic, R&B, soul sound with a more moderate sound, though, you know what I mean? I’m really looking forward to getting into the studios. . . . I’ve already recorded a couple of songs in L.A. I’ve been writing and working on these deals here. Things are very promising.

Q. Hold the bus! Writing, as in songwriting? Have you done that before?

A. Not really, not really. I’m kind of honing my skills on the road here, and I’ve got a lot to write about. I’ve been trying to put the pen to the pad and, you know, be as creative as possible in all aspects.

Q. Do you rehearse between shows or is the show down pat?

A. No, we don’t rehearse anymore. The only thing we do is we just have a sound check every day. . . . It’s not mandatory, but I think all of us realize how important it is. You don’t want to wait till the live show for mistakes.

Q. Since Katharine is joining the show now, will you and Chris lose your duet “Savin’ Me” to make room for her songs?

A. It’s a crowd favorite, and everyone from the fans to the whole tour crew are in love with it. From what we understand, they’re going to keep it.

Q. What are your favorite parts of the show?

Probably that, “Savin’ Me” with Chris, and I like it when we all sing “Patience” together. It’s me, Bucky, Ace and Chris, and we get to harmonize with each other and it sounds really good. I think it’s a really cool moment in the show.

Q. What tips would you offer wannabe American Idols?

A. The most important thing would be if you really want to go and do it, try it. It can be looked at as a shot in the dark, but as long as you understand there’s nothing to lose and just take that first step . . . . Don’t be discouraged by all the people you see at the tryouts.

That’s one thing that kind of got my mind a little baffled. I was like, “Oh, my goodness, I’m not even going to get an audition, there’s 10,000 people out there.” Every year, it gets bigger and bigger. Just be confident in yourself.

I never knew where that first day in Boston [where he auditioned] was going to take me. If music is in your heart and soul, if it’s something you have a true passion for, then go after it.

Q. Is being a professional musician what you expected?

A. I didn’t know what to expect in the beginning. I’m kind of flying by the seat of my pants, and all of us probably would say the same thing. It’s just been a crazy, very fast-paced, whirlwind experience; there’s no way to prepare for something this big. I had no idea how huge it was going to be.

Q. So are you planning to dress up for President Bush? [The "AI" Top 10 are scheduled to meet Bush this afternoon.]

A. You know, it’s funny, I was just talking to Tay Tay about that; we were talking about how we need to get dressed up. It’s funny because I didn’t bring any dress clothes for this tour. . . . I might have to do some shopping here soon. I don’t want to go in there looking like a slob.

I’m not necessarily a big Bush fan, but anytime you get a chance to meet the president and hang out at his crib . . . I know I’m going to be the first person on my block to say I actually got to do that. I’m psyched, I’m stoked.

Q. How’s your mom, Claudette, holding up? She’s become a celebrity in her own right.

A. She’s a super woman, she’s a trouper. She’s been doing a lot to help me out with my fan base . . . doing a lot of stuff with the diabetes organizations. She’s loving every minute of it.

She’s working very hard, but she gets a lot of joy out of doing it. I never delegated this job to her, I never appointed her. She’s just being the mom she’s always been: real supportive. This has a lot to do with how healthy she is, and that’s a good thing.

Q. You’re getting a lot of female attention [which could accelerate now that he's no longer with his girlfriend]. Any stalkers yet, anyone trying to get your attention?

A. Not particularly, no, not really. I am aware of that, but I don’t read any blogs or go online. But from what I hear from my friends, they’re constantly telling me about that.

We see a lot of ladies at the show, but I haven’t been getting any extraordinary attention.

Q. Finally, how was your birthday last week, especially since you had the night off? Did the “AI” team celebrate?

A. We did; we all went out and had some barbecue and went to a club and hung out and did some dancing. Had a few adult beverages and called it a night.

——–

Facebook Users Be sure to Like This POST

Follow us on Twitter @idolfans

American Idol News