Artists | Elliott Yamin

Elliott Yamin was born in Los Angeles and soon after, his family moved to Pasadena, CA where he first discovered his vocal talent while singing with his neighbors. Yamin later moved to Richmond, VA as a youth, and soon found employment singing cover material in a local jazz group and working as a DJ on a local R&B radio station. It was here that he auditioned for American Idol and won a spot in the show’s competition during its 2006 season. Simon Cowell described him as “potentially the best male vocalist,” while guest Stevie Wonder encouraged him to pursue music full-time.

Yamin launched his recording career with his highly anticipated 2007 debut album Elliott Yamin, which debuted at Number Three on the Billboard album chart and was the highest-debuting album by an independent artist in SoundScan history. The self-titled disc achieved gold status in the U.S. and Japan (where he continues to maintain a large audience), and yielded the hit “Wait for You.”

In the wake of the first album’s release, Yamin received considerable media exposure on countless television shows, while gaining extensive performing experience by touring around the world with his live band. In late 2007, he released the Christmas-themed Sounds of the Season: The Elliott Yamin Holiday Collection, which would be reissued in expanded form the following year as My Kind of Holiday. Yamin’s second official album, Fight for Love, followed in 2009, spawning the successful singles “Fight for Love” and “Can’t Keep on Loving You (From a Distance).”

Yamin’s international touring activities have included several trips to far-flung locales on behalf of a variety of charities, relief groups and peace organizations. He’s also worked tirelessly as an activist and spokesman for a number of organizations promoting awareness, advocacy and aid for those living with diabetes.

Yamin’s close rapport with his fans has allowed him to road-test many of Let’s Get to What’s Real’s songs. “I’ve been fortunate to get out there and play a lot of this material before the album was released,” he reports, “Everywhere we’ve been so far, the fans have responded really positively. My fans tend to feel personally invested in what I’m doing, and it feels like they’re with me on this part of the journey too.