Liberty serenaded by Idol for Valentines

  • Published
  • By Capt. Alysia Harvey
  • 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  Love was definitely in the air Thursday, but the mood could be attributed to more than just the Valentine's Day chocolates, the "Hearts of Fire" meal hosted by the 48th Services Squadron, and Cupid's arrows. American Idol season five star, Elliott Yamin, performed here, kicking off his United Services Organization, Armed Forces Entertainment European Tour. 

Rows of more than 300 Team Liberty members filled the seats in Building 900 (formerly the skating rink) to hear Mr. Yamin, who placed third in the 2006 nationwide American Idol talent search, sing songs from his self-titled debut album, which was released in March 2007. 

"I thought Elliot Yamin was wonderful," said Maggie Clowes, 48th Fighter Wing community relations advisor, who before the concert said she was excited about the event and wanted to know how Mr. Yamin compared to British stars and the television show British Idol. "The songs that he entertained us with had a wonderful message and he very similar to one of our top pop stars, like Craig David." 

In addition to performing, Mr. Yamin was afforded a flight line operations tour, wing mission briefing, and F-15 static display. Later, he went to Lakenheath High School, where he met with music classes and had the opportunity to talk with teens. 

Using his new-found fame, Mr. Yamin takes every opportunity to mentor youth and inspire them, specifically in terms of keeping a positive attitude, setting goals and working towards them, as well as the importance of mentorship and education. 

At age 16, Mr. Yamin was already 90 percent deaf in his right ear, and was then diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. 

"It was a hard pill to swallow, he said. "I didn't want to believe I had this incurable disease, and I didn't want to deal with it." 

Admitting that he could've taken a much more positive approach to the condition, today, he wears an insulin pump to help manage his diabetes, supports the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and says it's important to keep a positive attitude no matter what. 

"Never lose sight of your goals and your direction: where you want to go, what you want to be, and what you want to do," the 29-year-old L.A. native, who now claims Richmond, Va. as home said. "Let people mentor you, let people help you...your dreams can never be too big." 

Mr. Yamin went on to say that he was fortunate to have positive influences in his life to help steer him in the right direction, namely his mother, to whom he attributes his success. 

"It was a combination of years and years of her being supportive in whatever it was I chose to do; her being in my corner, and always striving and working hard to provide for us," he said, adding that it has been great sharing this experience with her and having her there with him from the very beginning. "She is just tickled with pride, and I'm really happy that she can enjoy this. It's always a blessing when you are able to make your parents proud." 

Mr. Yamin considers himself lucky that his mother continued to support him, even when he "screwed up", which he said he's done many times. One mistake he learned from, and now encourages others not to make, is dropping out of Douglas S. Freeman High School as a sophomore. 

"That's one of the worst decisions I have ever made," said Mr. Yamin, who later earned his graduation equivalence certificate. "School teaches you so much about how to be a good person, a disciplined person. It teaches you so much more than just 6 + 4 or who won the battle of so and so in the year so and so. It's hard to see that when you are young, but education is the key to everything - I still learn something new every single day." 

After his hour-long performance, Mr. Yamin's adoring fans lined up to get his autograph and have their photos taken with him; some waited more than an hour after the concert for their one-on-one moment with the celebrity. Many commented on how much they enjoyed the concert, told him stories of how they'd voted for him when he was on AI, and how his lyrics had gotten them through tough times. 

The last autograph of the evening may have been the most powerful for Mr. Yamin, as an Airman who recently returned from Iraq tearfully relayed how Mr. Yamin's lyrics helped him make it through his deployment. 

While this Airman was moved by life events associated with the Mr. Yamin's words, it appears that young girls love him because he's just a nice "southern boy." 

"He's a really nice guy, really laid back - I got a lot of pictures to put on MySpace to show everyone," said 13-year-old Lakenheath Middle School student, Raven Ashton, who had the opportunity to chat with the star before the concert. "I voted for Elliott every single week, and even called my grandparents so they could call in, too. It was cool being able to meet him," she said just after the show, barely able to contain her excitement. 

Although there were many fluttering hearts because of the magic of seeing an American Idol here Feb. 14, Mr. Yamin left a few broken hearts at Lakenheath when he wished his girlfriend, Jamie, a happy Valentine's Day and sent her his love.