Phillip Phillips

Born Phillip LaDon Phillips Jr. on 2o September 1990 in Albany, Georgia, Phillip Phillips was the winner of the US talent show American Idol in 2012 and his winning song "Home" became the best-selling song ever released through the series selling more than five million copies. The accompanying album The World from the Side of the Moon was also a success debuting at number one in Billboard's Rock Albums Chart eventually selling over one million copies and being certified platinum. Prior to American Idol, he pursued a career working in the family pawn shop. He began playing guitar as a teenager listening to artists like Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix but later on became influenced by musicians such as Dave Matthews and John Butler which prompted him to develop his own distinctive style. With the two singles from the album also going platinum, Phillip Phillips' entry into the music business was an impressive one and his meteoric rise to stardom demonstrated the power of the modern day reality TV talent show in influencing the careers of successful contestants. He released his second album Behind the Light on Interscope in 2014, which reached number seven on the Billboard 200 and spawned a hit in "Raging Fire," which was an award-winning song at the BMI Pop Music Awards that year. Produced by Ryan Hadlock, his third album Collateral followed in 2018 and his fourth studio album, Drift Back, in 2023. The LP was propelled by the single "Dancing with Your Shadows."