Dancing with his shadow: Singer-songwriter Phillip Phillips' 'Drift Back' marks a personal journey, set to perform at KiMo
Nov. 3—Phillip Phillips knows that by being on tour, he'll miss out on a lot of things at home.
Halloween and his son's birthday are just a few of them during the last 17 days of his national tour.
Despite missing out, Phillips finds joy when he steps on stage and begins to perform.
"We're pretty tight right now," he says of his touring band. "My little boy is over our FaceTime chats. He just wants to see videos of me when he's done playing his games."
Phillips has turned the page on his next chapter with his latest album, "Drift Back." The singer-songwriter's tour will make a stop on Monday, Nov. 6, at the KiMo Theatre.
Phillips catapulted into the music scene after winning the 11th season of "American Idol."
He's released four albums to date.
Since releasing his five-times-platinum debut single "Home" in spring 2012, the Georgia-born 32-year-old saw his first full-length effort, "The World from the Side of the Moon," go platinum after debuting at No. 4 on the Billboard Top 200.
In 2014, his second album, "Behind the Light," offered up the lead anthemic folk-rock radio hit "Raging Fire."
Phillips released "Miles" in the summer of 2017 as he toured North America with the Goo Goo Dolls, as a precursor to his recent and highly anticipated third full-length, "Collateral."
After exiting 19/Interscope, Phillips returned to making music as an independent artist and released a new album, "Drift Back," and his first single is "Dancing With Your Shadows."
Phillips has sold over 7.8 millions digital singles and has sold over 3 million album equivalents. He accumulated over 1.1 billion on-demand streams and over 1.2 billion Pandora streams.
Phillips took his time writing the album as he delved into the untouched spaces in his life.
"It's a really personal album," he says. "You feel like some albums are more personal than others. With this album, I was being very honest and open with myself. I tried to work through things that were going on in my life outside of my marriage."
He used the process to open himself up to deal with the undealt things.
"Sometimes, it's hard when you have to face it," he says. "I'm really proud of it because I had to get to a sad place to properly process everything."
Phillips also took his time with balancing his time creating the music and developing the lyrics.
"I'm a guitar player first and I live writing the music part for songs," he says. "With the lyrics being more serious, I was really focused on the songwriting. Music is always personal, and I use the process as my therapy. It works."
With "Drift Back" out since June 9, Phillips has incorporated many of the new tracks as part of the setlist.
"I get nervous performing new music," he says. "What's been great about the shows is that people have been singing the songs with me. Sometimes, I cry on stage when I'm singing. I'll get a little choked up if it's a song that reminds me of home."
Being a father has also changed Phillips' perspective when it comes to life.
"It's the weirdest thing," he says. "It's also the coolest and hardest thing I've ever done. Emotions can change in an instant, and you want your child to be the best human they can be.
He knows every word to the new songs and it warms my heart. And then he'll say the sweetest things."
Phillips says it's moments like that which help through the tough times on tour.
The single, "Dancing with Your Shadows," remains a hit on radio and Phillips is excited to see its progress.
"I released the demo version of the song, which is completely different from the radio version," he says. "I love both versions. I try to keep the set fluid each night, and I don't play the same set any night. I switch it up to keep it fresh, not only for me, but for the audience."