Associated News
LOS ANGELES -- From the moment he first stepped in front of the judges and unleashed a folksy take on Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” guitar-playing crooner Phillip Phillips seemed preordained to win “American Idol,” and not just because he’s another white guy with a guitar, the all-too-familiar profile of the previous four “Idol” champions.
“I’m just lucky,” the former pawn shop worker said Wednesday
night in his backstage dressing room after his win.
It was more than just luck that helped Phillips easily
overcome 16-year-old mini-diva Jessica Sanchez to become the Fox talent
competition’s 11th season victor. The combination of his goofy personality,
ah-shucks Southern humility, rebelliousness, risk-taking originality and, yes,
those good looks kept him at the front of the pack all season long.
While he is indeed a WGWG—the “Idol” fan term for “white
guys with guitars”—Phillips differentiated himself with a musical style that
was grittier than past winners David Cook, Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze and Scotty
McCreery, as well his competitors with much wider vocal ranges, like gospel
singer Joshua Ledet and soaring vocalist Hollie Cavanagh.
Mostly, Phillips was just so darn charming. When given the
opportunity, he always excelled at genuinely letting his personality shine
through on the show, often as much of a challenge as hitting the right notes.
He established a silly bromance with finalist Heejun Han and seemed downright
distraught at the unexpected dismissal of alt-rocker Colten Dixon.
Despite Sanchez’s unstoppable voice and a
savvy-beyond-her-years approach, she was essentially living on borrowed time
after she was supposed to be eliminated but was saved by the judges. She
realized that during Top Three week.
“I told Phillip, ‘You’re gonna win this whole thing,’ and he
was like, ‘Nah, I’m not,”’ recalled Sanchez backstage. “I’m like, ‘Yes, you
are.’ I don’t think he totally believed that, and I totally believed it. I just
went out in this competition after that moment and just sang. Phillip’s gonna
win, anyway. I might as well just sing my heart out.”
The total votes for each singer weren’t released, but it was
likely a landslide for Phillips, who accomplished his feat despite serious
kidney problems that plagued him all season.
Several online outfits predicted he would take home the top
prize: the “Idol” title and a record contract. DialIdol.com, which tracks busy
signals on the phone lines dedicated to each contestant, correctly projected
Phillips as the winner Wednesday morning.
The Leesburg, Ga., native never appeared at the bottom of
the pack, a testament not only to his die-hard fan base that kept him safe but
also to some of his more talked-about performances. Like the time he turned
Usher’s “U Got It Bad” into an acoustic ditty or unleashed a flawless take on
the obscure—for “Idol,” anyway—Damien Rice tune “Volcano.”
“I’m excited to do my album,” said Phillips. “I know it’s
going to be challenging because a lot of opinions will be coming my way, but
it’s like the show, I know my music. I know how I want it. I’m not trying to
win Grammys or be famous or anything.”
Phillips’ future success, as with all “Idol” winners before
him, will be determined by record sales, not viewer votes. With his folksy
singer-songwriter leanings, Phillips could capture the public’s attention in
the same way that Arcade Fire, Bon Iver and Mumford and Sons have or, like
ninth season winner DeWyze, he could just fade into obscurity.
