Phillip Phillips will be performing at Harding University on Feb. 4.
Phillips gained fame by winning the latest season of American Idol and was not up for elimination in any week of the competition. Phillips won by gaining a majority of a record 132 million votes cast. His first single, “Home,” debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was used promotionally for the U.S. athletes in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, and Phillips has performed the song for the gold medal-winning U.S. athletes.
The concert will be the first of the spring semester. The Campus Activities Board chose to bring Phillips to Harding due not only to his popularity through American Idol, but also due to his unique sound. Phillips has named Mumford & Sons, Dave Matthews Band and Damien Rice as some of his favorite artists and influences.
Campus Life director Logan Light said he was drawn to Phillips’ music after hearing his releases following his American Idol appearance.
“Once I heard his full album, I was really impressed with it,” Light said. “It’s really complete, it has a really unique sound.”
Phillips’ album, “The World from the Side of the Moon,” which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, is available from Interscope Records.
Phillips is visiting Harding on his first tour since performing on the American Idol LIVE Tour this past summer with the other Top 10 American Idol contestants. Later this year, Phillips is set to tour North America with rock band Matchbox Twenty. He has previously performed at the National Christmas Tree Lighting and sang the national anthem for the opening game of the 2012 World Series.
Phillips will perform in the Benson Auditorium at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 for students and faculty and $30 for the general public. Tickets can be purchaed in the CAB office in the student center.
