I’ll be posting a transcript of Phillip Phillips conference call later today. In the meantime, check out media interviews from around the web.
UPDATE: Phillip talks to the press about what it was like to win, sticking to his guns and almost dropping out of the competition.
- Does he feel any pressure to achieve mainstream success? “It’s pretty crazy, but I’m not trying to be or do something too mainstream—not me. It would be cool if people enjoy the music that I put out. I’m excited to get my record out.”
- What was his favorite moment from last night? “Probably Jessica and Jennifer’s performance. That thing was outstanding.”
- How did the choice of the original song, “Home”, come about. Did he get a bunch of different options? “No not really, man, they kinda just threw that song out there. They felt like it was the right fit for me I wanted to do my own songs. In the short am amount of time, we couldn’t do it—the recording laws and everything. It’s a good song. But it’s not really something I would write. I’m glad people like it because it is a good song and a good writer.”
- What will his sound be like? “Kinda like jazz and rock and acoustic kind of stuff. I’m really excited to get it out there. It’s going to be cool.”
- Will he be able to spend more time with his girlfriend? How does she feel about the win? Will she go on tour with him? “She’s really excited for me. She’s helped me out a lot through this. I’m hoping she’ll be able to come on tour with me. I love her to death.”
- Is his girlfriend comfortable with his female fans? “If a girl just voted for me because I’m cute and then gets made that I have a girlfriend, then she didn’t like the music. I’m all about the music, man. I’m not trying to be some cute who’s trying to be successful off that now. I really want the music to come first.”
- Was he surprised when he got emotional singing his winner’s song? “I didn’t even really want to sing or anything, man. I was just so shocked. I started thinking about the whole top 12. Started thinking about our whole journey. It’s crazy now that it’s over. It was a tough road for all of us. It’s just amazing to get to know them. It got me a little emotional.”
- What is wrong with his kidneys? What kind of surgery will he be having and when? “My right kidney just kind of isn’t functioning. I have this stint in to help with that. I’m just going to have to get that fixed up pretty soon.”
- What was he thinking when Ryan announced his name? “Honestly, I don’t even think I had any thoughts. I was in shock and overwhelmed, and didn’t know how to process at all. I didn’t know what I was thinking the whole rest of the night, honestly.”
- How did he feel about singing with John Fogerty? “It was so awesome. He was such a nice guy. It was a pleasure being on stage with him. He wished me the best and hopefully in the future we’ll get to sing together again.”
- Will he be moving away from Georgia? “I’m most likely going to be moving. I have to be in the right places.”
- What was his favorite moment from the entire season? “Honestly, it was meeting everybody throughout the show. Everyone’s so nice and really want to help you out. The PAs, the camera guys, the producers. Just everybody there. It was just so awesome there.”
- What is he looking forward to on the summer tour? “I’m ready just to jam out, man. It’s going to be fun. Hopefully the crowd’s feeling it. I don’t know if I’ll be singing a lot. It’s going to be a lot of jam music.”
- Where is he planning on having the kidney surgery? “I’m still not quite sure yet, but I’m going to be having it pretty soon.”
- Will he miss any tour dates? “No, I’m not going to be missing anything. I’ll be 100 percent by the end. I’m excited.”
- What did Jessica say to him after it was announced that he won, “She was so proud of me. She said said she knew it, but I honestly didn’t know. I honestly felt she was going to win, she has such an amazing voice. We’re just so proud of each other anyway, no matter the outcome.”
- On his #1 song on iTunes, “It’s pretty insane, man. It’s such a blessing, dude. I’m ready to get my own stuff out there as well.”
- On his friendship with Heejun, “We met one day during Hollywood week—before group round I think. We just kind of clicked, He’s a really great guy and we still keep in touch. He’s got a big future ahead of him.”
- What did he learn about himself on Idol? “It’s good not to let people try to change you. It gets tough with a lot of opinions coming your way trying to tell you what you should do and what you shouldn’t do. I try to tell everybody—you know yourself better than anyone else knows you and you know what’s best for you. I’m kind of proud of how I stuck to my guns.”
- Did he feel pressure to conform? “I can’t say there was too much pressure because I knew that I wasn’t going to change for anybody. If I didn’t feel comfortable doing something, I wasn’t going to do it. I didn’t feel pressure, because none can make me do anything. They just throw their opinions out there and hopefully you’ll take them, but sometimes you just don’t. No one really threatened me or anything to try and change. They knew I was going to be who I am. That’s all I could do.”
- How has he adjusted to being in the spotlight since the competition started. “I’m still adjusting. It’s pretty crazy. I’m not used to all this attention. I hate being the center of attention. It’s pretty crazy right now. I’m still trying to take all of it in piece by piece, but it’s definitely different.”
- If he could perform with any artist dead or alive, who would it be, “I man. That’s a tough question. So many people. Eric Clapton, Damien Rice and all those guys. Rob Thomas. So many people.”
- On the comparisons to the last 4 American Idol winners, “It’s just people’s opinions. If they really look at the past contestants who have won, we’re all different in our ways. I feel I’m a lot different than the other ones who played the guitar and sang. I’m not that great of as singer—they’re probably better singers than I am, but I play guitar a lot different than they did. I don’t really just strum chords here and there. I have to do something a little different. I know some people have noticed it, like Randy. I feel like I’m different.”
- Why doesn’t he think he’s a good singer? “I don’t feel I’m that great. I’m not outstanding. I can’t hit all these high notes. I try to hit some kind of note! I don’t know if it’s good or not. I try to do something with it.”
- What does he think gave him the edge in the competition if it wasn’t singing? “I think a lot of people saw what I did with music, because I’m really passionate about it. Maybe they felt about what I did—how I changed some songs up and everything.”
- How did he celebrate his victory last night? “Went to a couple of parties. Not for too long. Wish I would have left a little earlier because I’m kind of running low on some sleep. I went to a couple of parties and kind of hung out for a few minutes, and then went home and tried to get some rest.”
- Can he elaborate on saying that he told producers that “Home” wasn’t his single? “It’s a little too pop for me. I don’t’ really put in any “oh oh ohs”. It’s a very good song, and I’m glad people like it. I’m a little more rock than that. Hopefully people will enjoy what I have to put out. Some jazz/rock stuff.”
- Does he have many songs written? “Oh yes. I have a pretty good bit. I’m really critical of my writing and music stuff. I’m really passionate about it.”
- Does he think his kidney surgery will affect his ability to keep up with a rigorous tour schedule? “No. I should be good to go by tour. I should be 100% and I’m excited for it.”
- On the rumors that Jennifer Lopez may leave the show, “That would be horrible. They all gave us advice. They’re very helpful and they wanted all of us to win. She’s done this for years and she knows her stuff and she cares about each one of us and she’s a great woman. Hopefully she stays.”
- How bad was he feeling during the show and was he ever in danger of leaving the show? “I had some bad days and I had some pretty good days. It was rough at times. A couple times I thought about just going ahead and getting out and getting the surgery done. I had a lot of great doctors and a lot of great people who helped me out through this. I’m blessed to have that.”
- Was he ever in danger of leaving? “Yeah. I came close to almost dropping out to get the surgery done. But the doctors helped me out a lot through it.”
- What does he think about the drop in ratings for American Idol this season, “Everyone has their interest in everything, some people might like It and some people might not. That’s what makes the world go round.”
- Were the dropping ratings something the cast was aware of during the show? “It didn’t even phase us. We don’t have time to really pay attention to those kinds of things. We just go out there and do our thing and have fun.”
- On the judges asking him to sing the melody, “It’s just how I am. I sing the melody on a few songs to show them that I could. I wanted to get the world ready for what kind of album I want to put out. I can’t be doing something that’s not me. I had a blast doing it.”
- Was there a particular song or a particular artist that helped him get through the tough moments? “So many artists. I listen to so many different songs. Music helps me out a lot. Eric Clapton, John Butler. Some of Eminem’s lyrics. He’s an amazing lyricist.”
- Did he have a gut feeling that he could win? “No. I didn’t think that I was going to win at all. I was so caught off guard. I was such in awe.”
- If he were single, what type of girl would he be attracted to, “I don’t know. I would just have to get to know them. Have fun. Definitely have to have a sense of humor. I have a strange sense of humor!”
- More on his reaction to winning, “I had no idea. I didn’t even think that I would make it in front of the judges. I feel so blessed to have all this happen. It’s still unreal to me. I’m still trying to take it all in.”
- Is there one performance that he would change or that he would do differently? “Yeah. I wouldn’t change, I would have liked to have heard a lot more sound in my inner ears in “Time of the Season.” That was a pretty bad performance. (laughs) You can’t go back and change it. You can’t be mad about it. It’s all over with now.”
Phillip Phillips Had Eight Operations During American Idol Run, His Father Says – “He’s been doing [well], but it’s just grueling hours and it’s just amazing what he’s done through the journey,” said the singer’s dad, also named Phillip Phillips, at the show’s official Ford-sponsored after party. “Eight operations since we started American Idol … He’s hitting 50 percent, but he’s still up there swinging away.” – Read more at People
Phillip Phillips Chats About Winning ‘Idol’ & Opens Up About His Relationship [VIDEO] – Does Your Girlfriend Get Jealous Of The Screaming Girls? “Naw. She doesn’t. She’s very supportive, and she’s…gotten used to it. I’ve done a lot of gigs and stuff. I’m like ‘Oh gosh, here we go’, but she makes it known that she’s with me.” – Read more at Ryan Seacrest.com
‘American Idol’: Phillip Phillips talks health issues, and why he’s different from past winners — VIDEO – I swooped in to steal some more of his time, but the 21-year-old Georgian betrayed zero discomfort as he talked about the moment just after he’d won when he cut short his performance of “Home” to quietly weep into his guitar. “I didn’t even want to sing, honestly,” he said, smiling. “I started thinking about how long the journey was, how far all of us had come — me and Jessica, Hollie [Cavanagh] and Josh [Ledet] and everybody. It’s insane, man. It’s not as easy as you think.” “[My family] said they knew it, but I never thought any of this would happen,” Phillip said. – Watch the video at Entertainment Weekly
Jessica Sanchez, who was the runner-up, also predicted Phillip’s win. – “I told him on Top 3 results… I was like, ‘You’re gonna win this whole competition,’” she told Laura backstage. But Phillip said he didn’t believe Jessica either. “She said that, but I still thought she was gonna get it, and to me, she still won,” he said. “If you didn’t see that performance tonight [of ‘I’m Telling You’], man, she killed it.” – Read more at Access Hollywood
Humble ‘Idol’ Winner Phillip Phillips: “I’m Not A Great Singer” – “Honestly, man, I didn’t even think I would make it to see the judges,” he confessed. “I have no shame in saying that I’m not a great singer. I just love having fun up onstage jamming with the guys, and playing good music, man. I like getting the crowd into it. Music’s fun, dude…I have no idea how stuff like this [‘Idol’ victory] happens. I just love playing music, and I’m just a lucky guy.” – See the Video at Yahoo.com
Phillip Phillips On His Health, His Girlfriend, Music & The Lesson He Learned Winning Idol – “Yeah, there was a time or two,” he told AccessHollywood.com’s Laura Saltman of his thoughts about quitting due to his kidney situation. “But, I had great doctors and loving family and friends and just people who also help out with the show, just help you out, so it was good to have those people around to keep you in and keep you going.” The young man admitted he was in a little bit of pain from kidney stones during the two-night finale on FOX, but the night of his win, “was actually, a really good day,” he said. Phillip had additional help from his girlfriend, who is involved in the medical field. “She’s actually going to school for nursing, so that’s exactly the perfect job for her,” he smiled. – Read more at Access Hollywood
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