Regarding the song selection for Collateral, he said, “I wrote so many songs for this records, and it was originally going to be 13 or 14 songs, and we had to scale it back and make it 12. I listened to all of these songs on repeat and repeat, and it literally came to the last hour, before I had to submit it in. I finally took the songs that really hit home for me, and songs that I grew closer to, and I felt they would represent the album. Songs like ‘Magnetic,’ ‘My Name,’ ‘Her Mystery’ and ‘Sand Castles’ were songs that I loved so much, and they all had such a close meaning at different times these past three years of writing them. I feel really good about the songs I chose.”
While it was extremely difficult for Phillips to select a personal favorite song, he listed “Magnetic” as his favorite song to play live, due to its catchy melody. “The melody gets stuck in your head,” he said. “Each one of these songs has a different feel and a different meaning. It was fun writing and recording all of these songs, and see how they played out.”
Phillips revealed that he wrote “Dance With Me” for his wife, as their original wedding song. “I wanted to write her a song for our first dance. We were talking about that, and I got with my buddy Tim and we just wrote this song, and he helped me lead it. We played it at our wedding, it was a really cool moment for us, and it was a really special song.”
On February 18, Phillips will be performing at Irving Plaza in New York City. “I am excited to come out and play. That is going to be a fun show. It’s in the beginning of the tour. I love coming up to New York. It’s one of my favorite cities. I have a lot of history recording the first two albums there,” he said.
Speaking of New York, on December 20, 2017, Phillips performed at The Paramount in Huntington on Long Island. “That was one of the best shows ever,” he admitted. “It a lot of fun. It was just me and Dave Eggar, my cello player. I was super-nervous since I didn’t know how it was going to turn out, and we went out on stage, and the place was sold-out. The Paramount is such a cool venue. It was my first time playing there. It had all these hidden rooms in The Founder’s Room, and the crowd was amazing! We played for 75 minutes. It was the best way to end the year.”
For Phillips, it was also a “fun” experience performing his new music at Stage 17 this past August, where he played for an exclusive group of radio listeners. “I love doing acoustic shows with Dave. He gives me a little more confidence, and he takes the show to a different level.”
Phillips continued, “Radio stations are what help me and other artists. They help our careers by playing our songs, getting them out to people and making new fans. I always feel I can play two or three songs, stretch them out and have fun with them. We have fun!”
On the impact of technology on the music industry, Phillips said, “Technology has changed it a lot. You can stream songs in a heartbeat. Streaming music is such a weird thing, but it is also gives you new fans in a way as well. I’m getting a little older. I’m 27 but I have an old soul. I’m always open for it since fans can hear my songs on Spotify and Pandora, and it inspires them to come out to the shows. I’m reaching new fans that way, and it’s a great way for new artists to get new fans. Musicians and bands can put a song out one night on these streaming platforms, and the next night, they can become big stars. While there is good and bad with technology, I’m easygoing and always up for it.”
For his dedicated fans, Phillips concluded, “I really hope the fans enjoy this album as much as I do, especially when I start playing these songs live. The tour is going to be fun. There are no tracks, it is live music. We are ready to have a good time singing these songs and playing them to the best of our abilities. Come on out.”
Phillips defined the word success as “Being happy.” “As long as you are happy, and doing something that you love. I am so blessed that I am able to do this. I have my wife, and she is my best friend, and that’s pretty successful,” he said.
Collateral is available for pre-order on iTunes.
To learn more about Phillip Phillips, check out his official website.
