Why Phillip Phillips Will Win ‘American Idol': His Top 5 Performances
He's not beggin' for votes -- but Steven Tyler may have just given "American Idol" contestant Phillip Phillips a one-way ticket to superstardom. Or at least pointed him in the direction of a major recording contract.
On this week's Top 3 performance show, the Demon of Screamin' was in charge of picking a song for Phillips to perform. He gave the 21-year-old singer the Madcon song, "Beggin'" -- a song viewers may not have been familiar with, but certainly are now. (Check out Phillip Phillip's performance of "Beggin'" here)
After a recent series of predictable performances, could "Beggin'" be what P2 needed to secure a win on "American Idol"?
The girls love him. His hometown loves him. (A Georgia restaurant is even naming a grilled chicken nachos with no veggies dish after him.) He plays the guitar and writes his own music. Could we have another Scotty McCreery in the making?
Check out Phil Phillip's Top 5 "American Idol" performances, and you be the judge!
It was the audition that changed his life. Phillips's audition last summer in Savannah, Georgia, had him doing an a capella version of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" before picking up the guitar for an acoustic version of Michael Jackson's "Thriller." He struggled with a high note here and there, but his guitar jam -- and his Southern boy charm -- made up for it.
By the time he got to the Top 25, we already knew Phillips specialized in song rearrangement. His version of Phil Collins' 1981 classic was nearly unrecognizable -- but in a good way. The judges reviews were mixed, but P2 fans had been waiting for this moment for all of their lives.
Phillip's personal idol is blues rocker Jonny Lang, and he did him proud on "Their Personal Idols" week. That week's mentor, Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks, apparently liked it, too. She told Phillips, "Had you been Lindsey [Buckingham] and my friend in 1975, Mick Fleetwood would have said 'I want all three of you to be in Fleetwood Mac.'"
Phil Phillips doing Usher? He's actually gone there twice: Once during Final Judgment week and again during the Top 7's "Then and Now" week. Thanks to a clever arrangement of the song, Phillips pulled off his own soulful and sexy version of "U Got It Bad," garnering a standing O from the judges. Fans had it bad, too.
Guess what song Phillip Phillips wishes he had written? "Volcano" by Damien Rice. He performed a stripped down version of the song on "Songs They Wish They had Written" week, and judge Jennifer Lopez called the performance "one of the most beautiful, poignant moments a contestant has ever had." Randy Jackson chimed in with "Dude, that's one of your best performances on the whole season. Sometimes, the little simple statement has more volume to it!" Suffice it to say, the audience erupted in cheers.
The "American Idol" Season 11 finale airs next Tuesday night, May 22, and Wednesday night, May 23, on FOX.
More From This Contributor:
'American Idol'"Memorable Queen Covers
Phillip Phillips Disses 'Idol' Mentor Jimmy Iovine
'American Idol' Contestants Take On California Dreamin' Theme
