However, he doesn't mind the occasional question about "American Idol," on which he placed third. Thanks to the Fox-TV show, he learned how to cross the fine line between singer and performer. He came to "American Idol" with no vocal training and no real performance experience.

"From the show, I learned how to become a performer and not just a singer; how to really convey the lyrics, how to get that across--to be able to relate to the listener. I hadn't had much experience in that, or many teachings in that area."

"Elliott Yamin," a blend of pop and R&B, was released on March 20 and entered The Billboard 200 album chart at No. 3. The CD also debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart and No. 2 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart.

"So far, so good," said Yamin, who is deaf in one ear and suffers from Type 1 diabetes. "I didn't set too many expectations to be honest with you. I had no idea what to expect. I just wanted to make good quality music that people can feel and relate to, and I think we accomplished that. Everything after that is kind of icing on the cake."

Yamin worked with a host of singer/songwriters and producers on his self-titled album. Among the writer/producers who participated in the creation of "Elliott Yamin" are the duo known as Stargate (who have worked with Beyonce and Ne-Yo), Josh Abraham (Pink, Linkin Park), DJ Lethal (Evanescence, Linkin Park), Michael Mangini (Joss Stone, Baha Men) and Derek Bramble (David Bowie, Vanessa Williams). Yamin served as co-writer on a handful of tracks.

"I was really lucky to establish good relationships with these guys, man," Yamin said. "It's all about being on the same vibe level. I'm just really blessed and fortunate to have been able to meet these really great people in the business. I'm looking forward to working with these people on the next record."

"Elliott Yamin" has barely been in stores three months, but the singer is already gearing up for a sophomore effort.

"I'm real excited to really start getting into recoding the next record and doing even bigger and better. I'm always thinking ahead. You gotta stay on top of things in this business and think ahead or you can get left behind really quick."