Top 10 Reasons Why Phillip Phillips Deserves to Win AI

I did not expect it but I was just too happy when I found out that Phillip Phillips is the winner of Season 11 of the American Idol. I thought that the odds were against Phillip because first, he is a white guy with guitar (WGWG), and second, the vocal ability of Jessica Sanchez is simply unmatched. I think I even heard Phillip in one early interview saying that Jessica is the best singer of the season.

Well, these two reasons seemed to have helped Phillip win. The appeal of the WGWG, it seems, has not waned at all, even after four WGWGs winning the title for the past four seasons. It only goes to show the power of the super-girl-fans. Also, Jessica’s ability has made her the frontrunner this season that Phillip’s super-girl-fans had to take the extra effort to ensure that their idol will win.  Although Phillip has never placed in the bottom three all throughout the competition, he was actually the underdog, especially in the final race.

Somehow I wanted Jessica to win, even if I’m sure I’ll only buy Phillip’s music. I was afraid that Phillip’s victory will be translated into a racial issue and allegations that the game was fixed. Well, Jessica has talent and I thought it will be refreshing to have a female idol, for a change. Phillip, after all, is already a star. And I wanted to do away with all the ugly speculations. But he won, and the barrage of accusations came right away.

Now, that’s unfair. Racial discrimination is an old issue. The United States already has its first colored president. Phillip deserves to win, and I could think of at least ten reasons why.

#10. He is beautiful. Jessica is beautiful, too, but Phillip is beautiful inside out. His looks instantly hooked millions of girl-fans and his attitude melts the heart of many others who tried to know him.

#9. He is exciting. When I decided to follow AI this season, I always find myself in anticipation of what Phillip would perform each week. His artistry in the songs that he chose to interpret made them more famous and made many fans curious and want for more.

#8. He introduced us to music we would otherwise ignore. Videos of Damien Rice’s “Volcano” in youtube suddenly had many people watching. I was, myself, curious how the original sounded and found myself patronizing Damien Rice, as well. The judges hated it, but for me, his rendition of “Disease” is brilliant, and re-introduced the Matchbox 20 song.

#7. His music talks to your soul. Phillip makes the kind of music that you’d like to listen with your earphones, alone in a room, with the lights off. You could actually feel him and understand what he speaks behind the lyrics.

#6. He is brave. He went on stage every week doing what he wanted without fear that people would not like it. Also, he endured all season with a kidney stone problem, and did not let it hinder his performances.

#5. His music is never tiresome. You can listen to it a hundred times over and still want to listen to it a hundred times more. Personally, I preferred him over the others because I’d rather hear his crisp voice than those painful high notes.

#4. He is humble. I think in the final three, he was the least expectant. In all of the interviews, he never assumed that he would win. He knows himself and he acknowledges others’ talents.

#3. His music actually sells. Right after he sang his winning song “Home,” it instantly made its way to the top single in i-tunes. Aside from “Home,” seven other songs he performed made it to the i-tunes’ top 100. No other Idol has done that.

#2. He is original. I hear a lot of people saying he’s a Dave Matthews wannabe. I think he never denied that, he seems to have been heavily influenced by the living legend. However, towards the end of the competition, Phillip showed that he’s not just a wannabe, he is actually Phillip Phillips.

#1. He is himself. He wears dull clothes and growls most of the time, but hell, he’s just being himself. This is him. This is his music. He was never unpretentious despite the others’ trying hard to please the audience. It’s either you hate him or love him. With 132 million record-breaking votes, I think the audiences who matter really love him.