after he arrived. But he revealed being familiar with the world-renowned Filipino warmth. "I have got some Filipino friends back home, people I have grown up with. I just know how warm and friendly the Filipino culture is. Everybody is so warm and so accepting. I'm just thrilled to be a part of it." Among those friends is fellow American Idol Season 5 contestant Sway Peñala, who told him to expect royal treatment when he comes to the Philippines. "To actually get here and to experience it first hand has been such an honor. It's been so amazing. And so far, everybody's been so warm and friendly. They just wanna see me do well and succeed. And it's just great. I'm just honored to be even asked to be here to be able to share my music with everybody here," Elliott said in an interview by Myx Mag. During his shows, Elliott would give shout-outs to the Yaminoys, repeatedly calling them the warmest people in the world. He would also utter "mabuhay" and "salamat," two Tagalog words he learned in preparation for his tour. When he came back to the U.S. and went on a nationwide tour there, Elliott would happily recount his experience in the Philippines: "We got to play five shows there. We had the time of our lives. Everybody knows all the words to all the songs," the pop/soul/R&B artist told Houston Chronicle ahead of his show at the Meridian. "It was great, to go halfway around the world and see how much love and support is out there. I was blown away by how much they know my music. They're very keen on 'American Idol.' They're 10 times more fanatical than people here . . . [We were there for] a music tour. We did five acoustic shows to help promote my record. My song ['Wait For You'] and video have been No. 1 over there for weeks and weeks and weeks . . . It was really awesome, man. Probably the best shows I've ever had in my life,", Elliott said to Richmond Times-Dispatch. "My experience was unforgettable, amazing. It was very eye-opening as to how powerful music is and how blessed I am to be a part of it. It was amazing to see how strong and how much that Filipinos admire American music and are so devoted to it. Some of the most