EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: ELLIOT YAMIN TALKS TO OK!

Season five Idol third-place finisher Elliott Yamin took time out of his busy album-promoting schedule to chat with OK! about his debut record, the benefits of not winning Idol and rumors that he's off the market.OK!: How would you describe your album? EY: I would personally describe it as a singer's record. It is very vocally driven. It's very soulful. OK!: What genre does it best fit into? EY: Probably R&B, yeah, I could go with R&B.OK!: What is the most personal song on your CD?EY: Personal. I would say 'One word,' maybe. OK!: Does it have special meaning to you?EY: Well, I didn't write that song, but the lyrics, the lyrics ? I can really identify and connect with the lyrics on a personal level. OK!: Will you be going on tour to promote your new CD?EY: Yeah, absolutely. We're still kind of ironing out the details on that, as far as how we're going to go out, and when we're going to go out. Probably in the summertime, mid-May, maybe. Between mid-May and the summertime, spring.OK!: With your new hectic schedule, how are you maintaining your health? EY: Oh, I'm just fine. I'm getting by just fine. I'm actually getting very exhausted, but it's a good kind of tired. OK!: You had a dental makeover last year. How has it changed your life? Has it affected your singing? EY: No, it hasn't changed my life and it hasn't affected my singing, no. Same old me.OK!: Are you dating somebody? EY: I am dating somebody.OK!: Tell me more! Would you care to elaborate?EY: Not really, sorry. (laughs).OK!: Do you keep in touch with people you met on Idol?EY: Yeah, I keep in touch with Bucky, Ace, you know, all the guys. K-Covs, I talk to. I talk to Mandeesa a lot. OK!: Did you become good friends on the show?EY: Yeah, especially on the road. We really got to know each other a lot, and I built a lot of great bonds with everybody from the season. OK!: Who are you rooting for this season?EY: I'm not; I don't even watch the show. I rarely ever have time.OK!: A lot been said about the boys this season not living up to your potential from season 5. What advice would you give them?EY: The advice I would give them would be to care less about what people are saying, and just focus on their performances each week. And, you know, I saw a lot of Idols in the competition last year that really paid attention to the hype and the media, and it really affected their psyche, you know. You just gotta stay focused. OK!: Do you think that creatively, it?s better that you didn?t win Idol? You?ve got more artistic freedom?EY: Well, I can only speak from personal experience. Personally I think I benefited better than I would have had I won the show. I mean, I don't know if that's the case in general; I can only speak from my personal experience. I definitely feel like I've come out better on the other side for finishing in third. OK!: If you could duet with anybody, who would it be?EY: Let's see. Maybe? OK!: That's a tough one, huh?EY: Yeah, it is. Male, I'd probably do a duet with Stevie ? Stevie Wonder. And then female, maybe like, somebody like Joss Stone, you know. OK!: Someone with the same kind of soulful vibe as you?EY: Yeah, definitely.-Interview by Tracey Bratten