Idol Sales: Phillip Phillips Single Debuts Strong And Breaks An American Idol Record!

It's official, having a Finale song that can sell on its own merit  is definitely paying off for Phillip Phillips and American Idol as well. Yes folks, Phillip Phillips' Home is off to an IMPRESSIVE start as he manages to rank #2 on the Billboard Digital Songs chart and #10 in the Billboard Hot 100 with 278,000 downloads sold, according to Billboard. Once again, this gives American Idol bragging rights. Haha. They must be thrilled!

The last time an American Idol coronation single made the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 was four years ago when David Cook's Time Of My Life landed at #3 with 236,000 downloads. Home, therefore, just ousted Cook to have the record for the BIGGEST selling debut week for a coronation single since SoundScan began tracking downloads in 2003. Season 2 Finalists, Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken, sold more than Phillips', but they are CD singles, which were more prominent before.

Moreover, Home is officially the 2nd best digital sales week EVER for any American Idol alum. Kelly Clarkson's My Life Would Suck Without You has that record when it debuted with 280,000 downloads.

Oh, and Phillip Phillips has the 4th biggest debut of 2012, only trailing behind Justin Bieber's Boyfriend (521K), Maroon 5's Payphone (493K) and Katy Perry's Part Of Me (411K). And yes, that's a MIGHTY IMPRESSIVE feat for the new American Idol.

As for Jessica Sanchez, her sales were abysmal as she didn't even chart ANY of her released songs in the Billboard Digital Songs chart. Even Change Nothing didn't climb into the Top 200 songs, which makes her the FIRST runner-up in Idol history to release a song and fails to crack the charts a week after the Finale. Her compilation of American Idol performances debuted at #126 selling 4,000 copies. This is quite disappointing relative to Phillip Phillips' EP, which enters the chart at #11 with 24,000 copies sold, according to USAToday. I wonder what happened to her fans?

Figures after the jump!!

American Idol 11 Wrap-Up: 25 Best Performances

To the obligatory count: 6 months. 40 episodes. 159 live performances. 12 elimination rounds. Yes, with another season in the history books, I compiled a list of the most memorable live performances up to the Finale.

American Idol Season 11 was absolutely terrible for me! How am I supposed to rank the performances of possibly one of the most impressive group of finalists I’ve ever seen on this show? Honestly, after reviewing all the episodes and my weekly reviews, I just stared at my laptop and asked myself, “What the hell do I do now?” Sure, I came up with a ranking, but even the list that I finalized isn't as definitive compared to what I published in previous seasons. What got into these kids? Haha.

Anyway, just like many other lists or countdowns, this one is extremely biased. It's based on personal preferences. There will probably be some performances that are nowhere to be found on your list that may be as high as 10 or something on here - actually I guarantee it. But please respond maturely, flames don't make me particularly happy.

SEASON 7 Best Performances (to be transferred)
SEASON 8 Best Performances (to be transferred)
SEASON 9 Best Performances 
SEASON 10 Best Performances

Now, we pay tribute to the performances that made this season worth watching - and reviewing!:

Honorable Mentions!

Week: Top 8

Theme: 1980s

Week: Top 5

Theme: 1960s

Week: Top 3

Theme: Jimmy Iovine's Choice

Week: Top 6
Theme: Open

Week: Top 7 Redux

Theme: Now

Week: Top 25

Theme: Wildcard

Week: Top 13

Theme: Whitney Houston

Here are the TOP 25 Best Live Performances of Season 11:

Music Video: I'm On A Roll - Stefano Langone

Oh, look! It's Stefano Langone's (7th Place, Season 10) music video for his debut single, I'm On A Roll, which he also performed a couple of weeks ago on American Idol.

Admittedly, I hated the song when I first heard it - it sounded so amateurish and a bit dumb - but it's growing on me. I think it fits in whatever pop radio is playing right now and for someone who went out at 7th, the song is a solid effort for Stefano. The video is hilarious if a bit cheesy, but that's him. Oh, and Casey Abrams' cameo is like the best part. Haha. Enjoy!

Music Video: Dark Side - Kelly Clarkson

It's finally out! Kelly Clarkson just debuted her third single, Dark Side, new music video off her latest album, Stronger. I must say, I really LOVE this new Kelly Clarkson era!

This is possibly one of my favorite tracks in her album and yes, I kind of enjoy this music video. It's pretty straightforward with a nice uplifting theme. And is it just me or she's looking extremely gorgeous and fresh in her past three music videos. I never got into the whole Kelly Clarkson bandwagon until My December, and I regret it now. She's fantabulous and now easily one of my favorite American Idols EVER! Enjoy!

American Idol 11: Home - Phillip Phillips

Here is Phillip Phillips' first single, Home - the song that I still believe won him the title. I've said this in my review post, Home is possibly one of the BEST coronation song in American Idol history. Not exactly my type of music, but I digress. It's an excellent feel good song that's incredibly uplifting without being cheesy. The song sounds contemporary and Phillip's vocals are interestingly inviting than commanding, which is a pleasant surprise. Sure, it has this Mumford and Sons vibe, but who am I to complain? I actually want to punch myself for loving this song! Haha.

American Idol 11: Change Nothing - Jessica Sanchez

Here is Jessica Sanchez's supposed "winning" single had she won American Idol, Change Nothing. I must say, I didn't like the song when she performed it last night, but this one's a grower. Relative to past coronation songs we had from the atrocious No Boundaries to the trite I Love You This Big, this is actually pretty good. The nuances of the song and her vocal range are pretty spectacular. Plus, she even sounds like Beyonce during the verses. Call me crazy, but I can see radio stations playing this.

American Idol 11: Finale Results Show

For the last time, here's the last results show that I'll cover for this season. That was really fast no? Anyway, I will live blog the results show so keep refreshing the blog for updates! I'm hoping for an interesting Finale show and a favorable results at that.

While you're at it, here's my REVIEW and PREDICTION blog post. 

Results after the jump!