Phillip Phillips

Early life

Phillips was born in Albany, Georgia, to Sheryl (Jacks) and Phillip LaDon "Donnie" Phillips, Sr., and moved to Leesburg, Georgia when he was 12. He has two older sisters, LaDonna, the eldest, and Lacey. Phillips grew up in Sasser and Leesburg, and attended Lee County High School. He graduated from Albany Technical College with a major in Industrial Systems Technology, but missed the graduation ceremony due to his obligations to American Idol. Prior to appearing on American Idol, he worked at his family's pawn shop.

Phillips started playing music, particularly the guitar, when he was 14. He was mentored by his long-time friend and brother-in-law, Benjamin Neil, whom he credits for piquing his interest in music. In 2009, he formed the Phillip Phillips Band with Neil and another brother-in-law, Todd Urick, and performed in various local venues and events. He won a local singing competition, "Albany Star," in 2010.

Phillips' favorite singer is Jonny Lang, and other favorites include John Butler, Dave Matthews and Damien Rice, and he also enjoyed Mumford & Sons and Tool. He grew up mainly listening to '60s and '70s music like Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin; "Then as I got older I found Damien Rice and Dave Matthews and John Butler, which is what really set it off for me in terms of finding my voice as a musician." He has described his music as "jazz and rock alternative sound."

Prior to trying out for American Idol, he also auditioned on the second season of America's Got Talent but did not make it to its finals.

Overview

Phillips auditioned in Savannah, Georgia. He sang "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder. The judges then asked him to perform a second song with his guitar, and he performed Michael Jackson's "Thriller." He advanced to the Hollywood rounds, and later to the Las Vegas round.

On February 23, 2012, Phillips was chosen as one of the Top 25 semi-finalists, and was then voted into the Top 13. His performance style on the show has been compared to Dave Matthews, and he covered one of his songs, "The Stone," in the competition. When asked about Phillips' imitation of his style, Dave Matthews said: "More power to him, I don't mind," and added "He should kick my ass, [then] maybe I can retire and he can take over my band."

After the Top 13 performance night, Phillips was taken to a doctor for possible kidney stones. He had eight procedures while he was on Idol, and considered quitting the show due to the pain.

For his Top 3 performance, Phillips sang Bob Seger's "We've Got Tonight." As the sole contestant who was never in jeopardy of elimination in any week of the competition, Phillips became the winner on the finale against Jessica Sanchez after a record-breaking 132 million votes were cast. His coronation song, "Home," was released after his performance, and had the biggest digital sales week for any Idol winner's coronation song.

Music career

After winning American Idol, Phillips went on the American Idol LIVE Tour from July to September with the rest of the Top 10 finishers of season 11. He performed the National Anthem at the opening game of the 2012 World Series on October 24, 2012. On November 15, he joined forces with the PS22 chorus of Staten Island for a concert to raise money for those affected by Hurricane Sandy. He also performed at the National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony on December 6, 2012.

Phillips' coronation song, "Home," was a great success with sales of over 4 million copies in the US. It has been used in NBC's coverage of the Olympics, L.A. Marathon, various commercials, film trailers, and TV shows. He performed "Home" on the PBS Independence Day celebration TV special, A Capitol 4th. He appeared at the 83rd MLB All-Star Game held at Kansas City on July 10 and sang his coronation song. On October 9, 2012, he joined other musicians in the One World concert held in Syracuse University to honor the Dalai Lama. He also performed "Home" on the CNN Heroes special aired on December 2, 2012, and the CBS's A Home for the Holidays on December 19, 2012.

2012–13: The World from the Side of the Moon

Phillips released his debut album, The World from the Side of the Moon, on November 19, 2012. The album was produced by Gregg Wattenberg, with Phillips writing or co-writing the majority of the disc. On November 6, 2012, "Where We Came From" was released in advance of the album as a free download on pre-order and for sale. The album debuted at No. 4 in the Billboard 200 with sales of 169,000 copies, and was certified Platinum by RIAA in August 2013.

On January 29, 2013, Phillips began a tour in North America as the opening act for Matchbox Twenty. He also headlined ten college dates in January with a four-piece acoustic band, and a further college tour with an electric band from March through May after his tour with Matchbox Twenty. Nine of his college tour dates however were postponed due to his continuing health issue. From July 6 to October 5, 2013, he toured as the opening act for John Mayer's Born and Raised World Tour, followed by his own college tour and then further dates with John Mayer until December 17. He also performed at the international music festival Rock in Rio, in Rio de Janeiro on September 21, the same day as John Mayer and Bruce Springsteen. In 2014, a solo tour of Canada is also scheduled, as well as other dates in the US.

The third single released from the album was "Where We Came From."

"Gone, Gone, Gone" from the album was released as a single on February 11, 2013. Phillips performed the song live on the March 14, 2013 edition of American Idol. "Gone, Gone, Gone" was also used as the twelfth season's "send-off" song, played as the backing track for the montages that highlight each week's eliminated finalist.

2014–15: Behind the Light and lawsuits

In March 2013, Phillips stated that he was "always writing" and that his second studio album would be released sometime in 2014. The album, Behind the Light, was released on May 19, 2014. The debut single, "Raging Fire," from his second album was released digitally on March 3, 2014. A promotional single, "Fly," was released alongside the album's pre-order on April 22, 2014. Phillips toured with O.A.R. in the summer of 2014.

In January 2015, Phillips filed a lawsuit against his label 19 Recordings, calling the producers manipulative and "oppressive." In June 2016, 19 Entertainment filed a $6 million lawsuit against Phillips, alleging that he has been holding onto as much as $1 million of 19's money and that he should also be forced to pay at least $5 million for repudiating and breaching various agreements. The following year, Phillips settled a dispute with one of the show's primary producers.

2016–present: Upcoming third studio album and tour

On June 17, 2016, Phillips started a co-headlining tour with Matt Nathanson at the San Diego County Fair that will include concerts Las Vegas, Cincinnati, New York City and Asbury Park and ending on August 13 at the Wisconsin State Fair. He has been working on his third album. During summer 2017, Phillips was the opening act on the Goo Goo Dolls' Long Way Home tour.

Personal life

Phillips has suffered from a congenital kidney condition that produces stones so large that he cannot pass them. Soon after American Idol finished, he had the kidney stones removed as well as reconstructive surgery done on his kidney.

On December 26, 2014, Phillips announced his engagement to girlfriend Hannah Blackwell. The two were married on October 24, 2015.

In addition to his singing career he has often lent his talents to organizations such as the Sarah foundation and the Gibson flood relief campaign.

Discography

Tours

Co-Headliner

Opening Act