Phillip LaDon Phillips Jr. (born September 20, 1990) is an American singer-songwriter who rose to fame after winning the eleventh season of American Idol on May 23, 2012. His coronation song, "Home", became the best-selling song in American Idol history. His debut album The World from the Side of the Moon was released on November 19, 2012, and was on the Billboard Top 200 album chart for 61 weeks. It has been certified Platinum by the RIAA. The album included the single "Gone, Gone, Gone." He followed up with Behind the Light, in 2014 with the lead single "Raging Fire." His third album, Collateral, was released in 2018 and included the songs "Into the Wild" and "Magnetic." Phillips toured with John Mayer, Gavin DeGraw, the Goo Goo Dolls and has shared the stage with Bruce Springsteen. In the United States, Phillips has sold 7.5 million digital singles and has sold 2.7 million albums including album streaming equivalent units. He has over 700 million streams on Spotify and 1.2 billion streams on Pandora. Early life Phillip Phillips was born in Albany, Georgia, to Sheryl (Jacks) and Phillip LaDon "Donnie" Phillips, Sr. He moved with his family 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. Other favorites include John Butler, Dave Matthews, and Damien Rice. He also enjoyed Mumford & Sons and Tool. He grew up listening mainly to '60s and '70s music such as 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