Elliot Yamin is coming to Manila this September. YES! He was our bet in American Idol, but lost to Taylor Hicks aka “The Silver Fox” (my sister and I still chortle over this) and Katherine McPhee. No matter, that’s a good sign I guess as all Idol winners so far, save for Kelly Clarkson, have not really “made” it internationally. But, we have high hopes for Elliot (we fondly call him Ilyot at home) and had been waiting for his album release in Manila for what seemed like forever. Now it’s here, produced by Sony BMG, and our Ilyot will be promoting the album in a series of concerts in Ayala Malls: TriNoma on Sept. 21; Glorietta, Sept. 22; Market! Market!, Sept. 23; Ayala Center Cebu, Sept. 26; and ATC, Sept. 28.
P excitedly told me that he saw a billboard announcing the concerts and asked if I wanted to see one or maybe all. I said, “Hell, yeah!”
I immediately told my sister about the events. Our convo went:
Me: Huy, si Ilyot magko-concert dito. Nuod tayo!
Sis: Hell, yeah!
Me: Panuorin natin lahat!
Sis: Sure! Ang pogi na n’ya, ha!
Me: Oo, ang ganda na ng ngipin n’ya . . .
Sis: Kulot na rin ang buhok n’ya . . .
Me/Sis: Hekhekhekhekhek . . .
But makeover or no makeover, what we are really sold on is his talent and his tortured-soul/artiste look (he is reportedly deaf in one ear, has diabetes, and has wrestled internally with himself in terms of whether or not to pursue his artistic dreams). But, what a talent! He said in one of his interviews that he’s more confident now in his singing and expressing himself. Honestly, he started so wonderfully in the first few A. I. elimination rounds, but my family thinks that he choked in the last, deciding rounds. We kept waiting for him to bust out, you know, raise the ante of his performances—in short get crazy—but he never did. We were aghast when he lost to Katherine McPhee, but was comforted by the belief that he’d find his own spot in the music world soon enough.
I know his new album features original songs, but I hope he also considers remaking some jazz tunes in the future, similar to the songs he performed in A. I. In fact, I would love to buy a recording of the songs he sang in A. I.
Well, Ilyot, dear, dear boy, you've finally arrived!
Go ahead, shine, bebe, shine!
