Phillip Phillips facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Phillip Phillips
Phillips at the Walmart Soundcheck; December 2013
Background information
Birth name	Phillip LaDon Phillips Jr.
Born	(1990-09-20) September 20, 1990 (age 34) Albany, Georgia, U.S.
Origin	Leesburg, Georgia, U.S.
Genres	Pop rock folk rock
Occupation(s)	Singer musician songwriter
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Years active	2012–present
Labels	19 Interscope

Phillip LaDon Phillips Jr. (born September 20, 1990) is an American singer and songwriter. He became famous after winning the eleventh season of American Idol in 2012. His winning song, "Home", became the best-selling winning song in American Idol history.

His first album, The World from the Side of the Moon, came out on November 19, 2012. It stayed on the Billboard Top 200 album chart for 61 weeks. This album was certified Platinum, meaning it sold over a million copies. It included popular songs like "Home" and "Gone, Gone, Gone." He released his second album, Behind the Light, in 2014, with singles "Raging Fire" and "Unpack Your Heart". His third album, Collateral, was released in 2018. Phillip Phillips' fourth album, Drift Back, came out in June 2023. He has toured with famous musicians like John Mayer and the Goo Goo Dolls.

Phillips has sold more than 7.8 million digital songs. He has also sold over 3 million album equivalents. His music has been streamed over 1.1 billion times online.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Phillip Phillips was born in Albany, Georgia. His parents are Sheryl Jean and Phillip LaDon "Donnie" Phillips, Sr. When he was 12, his family moved to Leesburg, Georgia. He has two older sisters, LaDonna and Lacey. Phillip grew up in Sasser and Leesburg. He went to Lee County High School. He also studied Industrial Systems Technology at Albany Technical College. Before American Idol, he worked at his family's pawn shop.

Phillips started playing music, especially the guitar, when he was 14. His friend and brother-in-law, Benjamin Neil, helped him get interested in music. In 2009, he formed the Phillip Phillips Band with Neil and another brother-in-law, Todd Urick. They played at many local places and events. In 2010, he won a local singing contest called "Albany Star."

Phillips enjoys music from artists like Jonny Lang, John Butler, Dave Matthews, and Damien Rice. He also liked Mumford & Sons and Tool. He grew up listening to music from the 1960s and 1970s, such as Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. He describes his own music as having a "jazz and rock alternative sound." Before American Idol, Phillips also tried out for America's Got Talent.

Becoming an American Idol Winner

Auditions and Early Performances

Phillips auditioned for American Idol in Savannah, Georgia. He sang "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder. One of the show's producers, Megan Michaels-Wolflick, felt he would win the season. Judge Steven Tyler also had a good feeling about him. The judges asked him to sing a second song with his guitar, and he performed Michael Jackson's "Thriller." He then moved on to the Hollywood and Las Vegas rounds.

On February 23, 2012, Phillips was chosen as one of the Top 25 semi-finalists. Soon after, he was voted into the Top 13. His singing style on the show was compared to Dave Matthews. He even sang one of Dave Matthews' songs, "The Stone." Mentor Stevie Nicks said Phillips was good enough to join Fleetwood Mac.

Challenges and Victory

After the Top 13 performance night, Phillips had to see a doctor for some health issues. He had several medical procedures while on Idol. Despite the pain, he continued performing. For his Top 3 performance, Phillips sang Bob Seger's "We've Got Tonight." For the Top 4, he covered Damien Rice's "Volcano." This performance is considered one of the best in American Idol history.

Phillips was the only contestant who was never in danger of being eliminated during the competition. He won the finale against Jessica Sanchez. A record-breaking 132 million votes were cast. His winning song, "Home," was released right after his win. It had the highest digital sales for any Idol winner's song. Phillips said the experience was "crazy" and "changed my life completely." He focused on having fun and enjoying the music.

Music Career After Idol

Phillips performing in Seattle, July 2012

After winning American Idol, Phillips joined the American Idols Live! Tour 2012. The tour ran from July to September with the other top ten finalists. He sang the National Anthem at the opening game of the 2012 World Series in October 2012. He also performed at a concert to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy. In December 2012, he performed at the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.

His song "Home" was very successful, selling over 5 million copies in the U.S. It was used in many places, including NBC's Olympics coverage, commercials, and TV shows. He performed "Home" on the PBS Independence Day special, A Capitol Fourth. He also sang it at the 83rd MLB All-Star Game. Phillips performed at the One World concert to honor the Dalai Lama. He also sang "Home" on the CNN Heroes special and CBS's A Home for the Holidays.

Phillips has appeared on many popular TV shows. These include The Today Show, Good Morning America, Late Show with David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Live With Kelly, The View, and Conan. He has also performed at the American Music Awards and Billboard Music Awards. For several years, he was one of the highest-earning American Idol contestants.

First Album: The World from the Side of the Moon (2012–2013)

Phillips released his first album, The World from the Side of the Moon, on November 19, 2012. Gregg Wattenberg produced the album. Phillips wrote or co-wrote most of the songs. The album reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart. It sold 169,000 copies in its first week. By August 2013, it was certified Platinum. This album stayed on the Billboard Top 200 chart for 61 weeks, making it one of the most successful debut albums by an American Idol winner.

Phillips in Paris, March 2013

In January 2013, Phillips was on the cover of Billboard magazine with Jimmy Iovine, a mentor from American Idol. Iovine said Phillips is a "true artist." In January 2013, Phillips started touring North America. He opened for Matchbox Twenty. He also did his own college tours. Some of his college tour dates were moved due to ongoing health issues.

From July to October 2013, he toured as the opening act for John Mayer's Born and Raised World Tour. He also performed at the Rock in Rio music festival in Rio de Janeiro. The song "Gone, Gone, Gone" from his album was released as a single in February 2013. Phillips performed it live on American Idol. The song was also used in the movie The Amazing Spider-Man 2. In 2013, Phillips was nominated for Best New Artist at the American Music Awards.

Second Album: Behind the Light (2014–2016)

Phillips performing in 2014

Phillips released his second album, Behind the Light, on May 19, 2014. The first song from this album, "Raging Fire", was released digitally in March 2014. This song was used in the National Hockey League's Playoffs. Phillips won an award for songwriting for "Raging Fire." Another song, "Fly", was released before the album.

Phillips toured with O.A.R. in the summer of 2014. He also started his own Behind the Light Fall Tour to support his new album. The second song released from the album was "Unpack Your Heart." This song was featured in a TV commercial for Ram 1500 trucks.

In January 2015, Phillips had a legal disagreement with his record label. This issue was resolved in June 2017. On April 7, 2016, Phillips returned to the American Idol stage for the show's final episode. He performed a tribute to David Bowie with other Idol winners. Former Idol judge Simon Cowell said Phillip Phillips was his favorite contestant after he left the show. Jennifer Lopez, who was a judge during Phillips' season, also said he is her favorite American Idol winner. He performed at the 2016 Invictus Games closing ceremony in May 2016. In June 2016, Phillips started a tour with Matt Nathanson.

Third Album: Collateral and Acting (2017–2019)

In summer 2017, Phillips opened for the Goo Goo Dolls on their Long Way Home tour. In October 2017, Phillips performed at the CMT Artists of the Year awards. He sang a cover of Sam Hunt's "Body Like a Back Road."

Phillips released the song "Miles" to radio in August 2017. This was the first song from his new album. In January 2018, Phillips appeared in an episode of Hawaii Five-0. He played a diamond smuggler in the show.

Phillips' third album, Collateral, was released on January 19, 2018. He worked with producers like Ryan Hadlock and Nathan Chapman. He also wrote songs with Jon Nite, John Paul White, and Todd Clark. He toured with "The Magnetic Tour" from February to April 2018 to support the album. In summer 2018, Phillips went on tour by himself and also with Gavin DeGraw. In September 2019, Phillips worked with American Authors and Maddie Poppe on a new version of the song "Bring It on Home."

Recent Activities and Drift Back (2020–Present)

On May 3, 2020, Phillips returned to American Idol and performed "Home." The episode was filmed from the participants' homes due to the pandemic. Phillips also performed with other Idol alumni for "We Are the World" with Lionel Richie on the season finale in May 2020.

Phillips supported pandemic relief efforts. He performed for Sendero Together for Texas and for the Phoebe Hospital Foundation. These efforts helped frontline medical workers battling COVID-19. In July 2021, Phillips performed "Home" to support the Project Angel Food telethon. This event raised money to provide meals for people in need.

On April 17, 2022, Phillips returned to American Idol for its twentieth anniversary. He performed his new song "Love Like That." This was also his tenth year anniversary since winning the show. In fall 2022, Phillips went on his Where We Came From Tour with guest American Authors.

Phillips' fourth album, Drift Back, was released on June 9, 2023. It includes the song "Dancing with Your Shadows." This was his first album released as an independent artist. "Dancing with Your Shadows" reached number 12 on the Hot Adult Contemporary radio airplay chart. His second song from the album, "Love Like That," also charted at number 12.

He was invited back to the twenty-first season of American Idol in 2023. He was a mentor for the contestants during Hollywood week. He helped the songwriting group, where contestants wrote and performed their own songs. Phillips performed "Gone, Gone, Gone" at the 2023 National Memorial Day Concert. He sang the National Anthem at the third game of the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals on June 8, 2023. He made his Grand Ole Opry debut on June 14, 2023.

On November 10, 2023, Phillip Phillips performed at the 2023 USA Pickleball National Championship in Dallas. Phillips is a big fan of pickleball and has even competed in tournaments. In fall 2023, he led the Drift Back Tour in 23 cities to support his new album.

Personal Life

Phillips has had a health condition related to his kidneys since birth. After American Idol ended, he had surgery to remove kidney stones and reconstruct his kidney.

On December 26, 2014, Phillips announced he was engaged to his girlfriend, Hannah Blackwell. They got married in Albany, Georgia, on October 24, 2015. Phillips and Blackwell welcomed their son on November 10, 2019. They had a daughter on June 19, 2025.

Phillips has supported several organizations. These include the Sarah Foundation and the Gibson Flood Relief Campaign. He is also an ambassador for Brave Beginnings. He has supported DoSomething, the National Park Foundation, NCIRE - the Veterans Health Research Institute, Save the Music Foundation, and Habitat for Humanity.

Discography

• The World from the Side of the Moon (2012)
• Behind the Light (2014)
• Collateral (2018)
• Drift Back (2023)

Filmography

Tours

Headlining

• College Tour (2013)
• Canada Tour Spring (2014)
• Behind the Light Fall Tour (2014)
• The Magnetic Tour (2018)
• An Evening with Phillip Phillips (Winter Acoustic Tour 2020)
• Where We Came From Fall Tour (2022)
• Drift Back Fall Tour (2023)

Co-headlining

• American Idols Live! Tour 2012 (2012)
• Summer Tour (2014) (with O.A.R.)
• With Matt Nathanson (2016)
• With Gavin DeGraw (Summer 2018)

Supporting

• North Tour (2013) with Matchbox Twenty
• Born and Raised World Tour (2013) with John Mayer
• Long Way Home Tour (2017) with Goo Goo Dolls

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Phillip Phillips para niños

• List of Idols winners