Photo: ShaolinTiger / CC BY 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Elliott Yamin is proof that finishing third can outshine the winner. His third-place run on American Idol season five launched him, but it's the hit single Wait for You that I think defines him, along with a self-titled 2007 album that debuted at number one on the Billboard Independent chart and went gold. Born in 1978, he came up through Richmond before LA, and there's something compelling about an Idol alum who built a real, lasting catalog rather than fading after the show. His voice carried genuine soul, and I find post-reality-TV careers like his far more interesting than the contest itself.
Overview
Ephraim Elliott Yamin (born July 20, 1978) is an American singer known for his hit single "Wait for You" and for placing third on the fifth season of American Idol. His self-titled album, released March 20, 2007, debuted at number one on the Billboard Independent Albums chart and at number three on the Billboard 200. The album was certified gold in the United States in October 2007.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Elliott Yamin
- Name (Japanese)
- エリオット・ヤミン
- Reading
- えりおっと・やみん
- Born
- July 20, 1978 (age 47)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Cancer / Horse
- Origin
- Los Angeles, California, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- singer-songwriter
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Douglas S. Freeman High School
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Singer-songwriter — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.