"Hi I'm Elliott," he said with a smile as he extended his hand for me to shake.
Dressed in jeans and a yellow "Make Music Not Enemies" t-shirt, 17 year-old Elliott Nichols sat down to talk with me about his music career, his influences, and his audition for American Idol.
It became apparent that this young r&b singer from Louisville, Ky., not only has a soulful voice, but the intelligence and business sense to catch any curve ball the music industry my throw his way.
Crediting his vast knowledge of the music industry to his brother, Jason Clayborn and the Ncrediblez production company, Nichols says much of his knowledge comes from traveling with his brother's gospel group.
"I see what they go through; I see how they handle business and how they do things, and I learn from it," he said.
Not only does he learn from his brother and the production company, Nichols says he learns from his entire family and acknowledges them as his biggest musical influence.
"They are musical geniuses," said Nichols. "They are really talented, and they inspire me."
Nichols began singing at the age of five when he was given a solo at church. After wooing a few girls with his voice at summer camp, he decided to try his hand at r&b.
"In that moment, I was like okay cool! I like getting that attention. I like singing," Nichols said with a smile.
And singing is what Nichols has been doing every since. Although he admits he hasn't been in the studio much lately because of school, he continues performing at local venues.
He has been the opening act for well-known singers like Lloyd and Jazmine Sullivan.
"I got some really good feedback." said Nichols of his performance at the Jazmine Sullivan concert.
Nichols' postive feedback doesn't come without hard work and dedication. He recalls one of many grueling studio sessions when he sang the same note for three hours.
"That's the longest I've ever stayed on one note," Nichols emphasized. "It was horrible.. It was so long and frustrating."
Unfortunately, the feedback from American Idol judges-Simon, Paula, Randy, and Carrie weren't so favorable.
Nichols, who found out about the American idol auditions while visiting his uncle in D.C. , said he really hadn't thought about American Idol and only tried out because auditions were coming to Kentucky.
He leans his head back with a sad look on his face as he remembers his audition for what could've been his "big break."
I can't even watch the show now," he sighs.
Even though it was a fun and memorable experience, Nichols said it was the biggest let-down in his life.
I don't like to brag on myself, but that was one of the best times I've ever sang," he said. "Unfortunately, I guess it wasn't good enough for them, and they didn't let me pass."
Not being chosen for the show hasn't stopped Nichols at all. He continues to practice and perfect his craft.
Being the first and only r&b singer on the Ncrediblez production label, Nichols also has the chance to dabble in songwriting.
Writing about ninety percent of his album, he said it's [his involvement in his album] is an understood process that many young artists in the mainstream music scene don't get.
"It's either like I write the whole song, or I write the verses of the song, or I write the chorus in the song," said Nichols. "I'm involved in basically all of my songs."
The content of his album "My Love" is evidence that Nichols has some say in creating his songs. "It's [the album] about different stages of love," he said.
He even admits that a few of the songs have come from personal experience. "Truth is," is a prime example. While working on this album Nichols was very busy and sometime unreachable. This made his girlfriend think he was out doing other things.
"When I wrote that song, I was writing it in my defense," said Nichols.
American Idol star or not, Nichols still has his share of fans who write comments on his myspace page, watch his youtube videos, and attend his performances.
"I heard about Elliott and his music through a friend, and I decided to check it out" said fan, Karen Bell. "Now, I'm hooked. I love his voice!"
"It's funny!" Nichols says with a smile about having fans. "I need to practice my cursive," he chuckles.
But when it comes to his musical career, it's no laughing matter. Nichols has already experienced the hardships of breaking into mainstream, and he is deteremined to be in it for the long haul.
"When you really know what's going on, it's not music anymore, it's business," said Nichols.
And Nichols takes this very seriously and tries to use every resource available to him. He promotes himself through his
myspace page, youtube, school, his family, friends, and fans and any other venture that will allow him to get his music out to the public.
Nichols recalls a time when he performed at a step show. "My two other brothers and I went from person to person and sold like 200 to 300 cds"
Ncrediblez CEO, Sean Clayborn has no doubt Nichols will succeed in the music game. "His confidence level on stage and in the studio give him the midas touch on records," he said.
Even though he's not on his way to American Idol stardom, Nichols hasn't given up his dream to become a famous singer, and he is determined now more than ever to make music a part of his life.
"[in the future] I really can't see myself in a certain spot," said Nichols. "But I know it's gonna be deeply involved in music, either producing it, writing it, singing it, or being the right person to hear it, I see myself deeply involved in the music game, deeply."
With his charisma, charm, soulful voice, and business sense it is only a matter of time before Elliott Nichols is singing and signing autographs in a city near you.
Chasing a Dream Pt. 1-Elliott Nichols
This is a collection of book, music and movie reviews
. I thought Danny Glover played a good head of state,Woody Harrelson, was funny and I liked Chiwetel Ejiofor's smart, handsome do-gooder character. I'm always a fan of good stunts and special effects, but to me, this just goes a little overboard into the realm of unrealistic. Plus, I'm never too fond of movies which predict the end of time, especially when, by the predictions, it's only 3 years away. I say save your $8.50 or however much it costs for you to see this movie and wait until it comes out on DVD and rent it from a Red Box kiosk machine for a buck, but make sure you rent it before December 21, 2012 since that's Doomsday!
