The winner of season 11 of American Idol is Phillip Phillips. Yes, you are reading that right, Phillip Phillips. His first performance in front of the judges was ‘Thriller’ and it seemed he was destined to win the 11th season from that performance. Phillips has a winning combination of Southern humility, risk-taking originality, rebelliousness and a goofy personality. Phillips was also incredibly charming on the show, developing a bromance with finalist Heejun Han and was distraught when Colten Dixon was booted from the show.
Jessica Sanchez should have been eliminated from the running a couple of weeks ago but was saved by the judges. When the contest reached Top Three week, Sanchez knew she should not have made it that far in the contest.
“I told Phillip, ‘You’re gonna win this whole thing,’ and he was like, ‘Nah, I’m not,'” recalled Sanchez. “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 show did not announce how many votes each finalist received but many believe that Phillips won in a landslide, who won the show battling serious kidney problems that plagued him throughout the season. Phillips is a native of Leesburg, Georgia and never once had to sit in the bottom of the pack while on the show. This is a testament to his fans and his talent. Phillips rocked the stage especially well on two major performances. One was when he sang Usher’s ‘U Got It Bad’ as an acoustic song and then covered Damien Rice’s song ‘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.”
Record sales will determine how successful Phillips will be in the future, which is the same for all of the other ‘Idol’ winners from the past seasons. Phillips could become one of the next best things in the music world or fall into obscurity within the next year, much like Lee DeWyze and Taylor Hicks have.
“It’s been such an honor to be up on this stage playing with everybody. Thanks to all the fans out there,” he said. “Thanks for voting for us.”