Phillip Phillips eager to showcase talent at ‘Home’

ALBANY — There’s no question that Albany-born/Leesburg-raised pop star Phillip Phillips would not be where he is in the music world today without TV’s musical “reality” show “American Idol.”

There’s no escaping the fact that “Idol” made Phillips famous, and his winning 2012 appearance on the show made him a tidy sum of money.

But true music fans who’ve followed Phillips’ career — through the immediate aftermath of his “Idol”-mania, through the painful lawsuit that eventually granted Phillips freedom but kept him away from music for a longer period than any other time in his adult life — are pretty much unified in their assessment that it took Phillips breaking away from the TV show’s cookie-cutter mold to emerge as the artist he’s always longed to be.

Many contend — full disclosure, the writer of this article among them — that Phillips’ true musical light shines brightest on his latest album, “Collateral,” which was released in January of this year. And, no, neither “Collateral” nor the album’s first single, “Into the Wild,” will sell in the way Phillips first post-“Idol” album (“The World From the Side of the Moon” — 6 million-plus copies) and mega-single (“Home,” which is the biggest-selling “Idol”-produced single ever) did, but a conversation with the happily married and “very settled” 28-year-old shows that the trade-off is OK.

“I’ve always written my own songs — except for ‘Home’ and (second single) ‘Gone’ — but the thing about the new songs on ‘Collateral’ is that I really had the time I needed to work on them,” Phillips said in a one-on-one interview with The Albany Herald in advance of his performance Wednesday with country superstars Luke Bryan, Cole Swindell and the Peach Pickers in the Heart of South Georgia benefit concert. The show, which starts at 6 p.m., will be held at the Exchange Club Fairgrounds in Albany.

“I couldn’t release any music for a while (because of a lawsuit brought by “American Idol” production company 19 Entertainment), so I got deeper into these songs. I believe these are some of the best lyrics I’ve ever written. I’m really proud of this album.”

In his conversation with The Herald, Phillips talked candidly about his “Idol” experience and his career plans moving forward.

ALBANY HERALD: This performance is really a homecoming for all of you guys. Is there any extra excitement — or tension — about playing before the folks you grew up around?

PHILLIP PHILLIPS: Man, I always get a little nervous before a show, but I think coming to my hometown, to the place where I grew up and all the people I know, I guess I’ll be a little extra nervous. I think it’s going to be fun, though. I’m kind of the only non-country guy in the show, but it’s going to be a big deal playing with Luke and Cole and the Peach Pickers and DJ Rock. This just shows the level of talent there is in southwest Georgia. It goes all the way back to (Albany native) Ray Charles and some of the lesser-known artists like the GNS Band. I’ve played a lot with (saxophonist) Fred Williams and a lot of the other folks in that area. Getting this opportunity to play together in Albany is going to be a great time, I think.

AH: I know you went around with the Salvation Army and with some other folks in the community to help out in the aftermath of the storms that hit here Jan. 2 and Jan. 22 (2017, which led to the Heart of South Georgia benefit). What was that experience like for you?

PP: The night the storm hit in Radium Springs, I went out with my brother-in-law, father-in-law and some friends with chainsaws and worked all night, helping some people who weren’t even able to get out of their houses. I’ve never seen anything like that before, and there was this feeling of trying to do whatever we could do to help. I went around with the Salvation Army folks to try and get food to people who were hungry, to try and help comfort people who had lost everything they own.

AH: I know you might get tired of talking about “American Idol” — there’s obviously a lot of good and bad for you associated with the show. But what was it like to go from playing at parties for a handful of people to playing in front of millions of TV viewers and these big-time celebrity judges?

PP: It was pretty weird. When people ask me for advice about doing one of these shows, I basically tell them, “Don’t do it.” Nah, I don’t go that far, but I try to explain to them what it’s like to face rejection on that level. I had been playing for a pretty good while when I did it, and I was kind of prepared for the rejection that you can expect to come at some point. There are just so many incredible singers who are on these shows, and if you go expecting to win, you’re probably going to be disappointed. I’d never watched the show before, but my mom said she’d pay for the gas to one of the tryouts if I’d do it and I said I’d give it a shot. I knew what it was like to suck in front of a small crowd for a hundred bucks. I was prepared to be told no, that I didn’t make the cut, but I just went and did what I do. I kind of figured it out as I went along.

AH: I know you’re pretty removed from all that initial madness and you’ve settled down. You’re married to your high school sweetheart (Hannah Blackwell) and your lifestyle doesn’t appear to be that much different than it was before “Idol” and having the No. 1 song in the country.

PP: The thing is, I’m pretty much the same guy now as I was before “Idol.” We all change; we grow up. I’m just one of those people who doesn’t need a lot to make me happy. If I’m at home with my wife or with family, I’m good. I think that’s what comes through in my music now. People know when something’s real. I’ve had the bad time — the lawsuit — and come out the other side. Good things tend to happen to good people.

AH: Having seen you play around Albany before you did “Idol,” I think “Collateral” is your best work, is closer to the artist I’ve always thought you were. Does the album maybe mark a new career direction for you?

PP: I think the message that I’ve always tried to get across in my music is clearer on the new album. I had more time to think about my life, and I think I was able to get that across in these songs.

AH: You’ve toured with the GooGoo Dolls, Gavin Degraw, John Mayer, some other really big musicians. Have you met a lot of cool people in your music career?

PP: I’ve met some really awesome people. Gavin and I kind of co-headlined our tour, and we had a blast. Rob Thomas (of matchbox 20) is someone who’s helped me a lot. John Mayer is a cool guy, Robert Randolph. I think all of us who are in music are a little weird. Artists — whether they make music, paint, draw, anything else — tend to get each other.

AH: Is it weird for you having this level of celebrity where people come up to you and want to take your picture or get an autograph?

PP: It’s freaking crazy. But, man, I am just so blessed to get to make a living making music. Every time I have an opportunity to go out and do a tour, I am just so thankful for every person who is a fan. Connecting with those fans, that’s part of the trip. I love all of them.

AH: I know you have other things you’ve got to do. I’ll close with a simple question: Is it pretty cool being Phillip Phillips right now?

PP: Shoot, I get to play guitar for a living. That’s just so weird to me, getting to do what I love for a living. Man, I love my wife, love living in Albany, love my dog … yeah, life’s pretty great.

Jason Krupek