On July 31, award-winning singer-songwriter Phillip Phillips is making his way to the Ann Arbor Sonic Lunch on July 31 to perform alongside guest artist Ben Goldsmith.
Sonic Lunch, which takes place every Thursday from 11:30am to 1:30pm on the corner of Liberty and Division St. in downtown Ann Arbor, features more than 20 artists performing from early June to late August. The schedule, while filled with talent, features artists ranging from local legends like Ki5 to nationally recognized artists Laith Al-Saadi.
However, for this year, the concert series will feature a one-of-a-kind opportunity to see a performance by platinum recording artist and winner of American Idol season 11, Phillip Phillips.
Known for his emotionally touching storytelling, Phillips says he began songwriting at 18, as a therapeutic release. Since winning the nationally televised talent competition in 2012, he’s released four studio albums, including his latest project, “Drift Back,” in 2023.
“I try to get the story across of what I’m feeling in that moment, or how this chord struck me. Sometimes I write songs when I’m in my sleep, trying to fall asleep, or I’ll wake up singing something that I think might be cool, and I’ll record it on my phone, and I’ll listen to it the next day,” Phillips said. “Sometimes it’s awesome, and sometimes it’s bad. You have to write a lot of bad songs throughout your entire career, not just in the beginning. I still write bad songs, but you do that to get maybe ten good ones.”
“Drift Back,” Phillips’ first independent album following his departure from Interscope Records, is a ten-song album that sees the singer exploring the various situations, complications, and even blessings that can occur in the cycle of love. Whether it is romantic, platonic or for taking care of someone else, the album’s thematic nature revolves around the singer being reflective of how these relationships impact his life.
While musically, the tones drift between warm, and heart-pouring, Phillips’ crisp production laid over his soothing vocals create fun tunes like “Love Like That” where a natural versatility occurs that can make you feel like dancing, resting or simply wanting to be close to a loved one while blasting this record in the background.
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“I have always written music that I want to write. All of my music I am proud of, and I love it, but there have always been different challenges in writing songs,” Phillips said. “On the last record, “Drift Back,” I’ve been at this point where I’m writing music that makes me feel good, whether it’s a sad song or a happy song, I feel in the beginning stage of writing music again, which feels really good. I’m loving it without putting any pressure on myself.”
For Sonic Lunch, Phillips says these are the vibes he plans to bring to his headlining performance, with a roster of records that range between upbeat, feet-shuffling dancing to tear-jerking storytelling.
“There are moments in the show where I will break it down and play acoustic for a song or two. We can all get sad and cry a little bit together, and then that makes it fun,” Phillips said. “I try to make my set list flow to where there are moments of high energy, and then there are moments that are a little more delicate.”
For Phillips, while this is not his first time visiting Ann Arbor, he calls the performance an overdue return to the city. He looks forward to enjoying some of the city’s best cuisines and playing his new obsession, Pickleball.
Performing alongside Phillips is Ben Goldsmith, an 18-year-old singer-songwriter who recently released his new project, “The Start of Something Beautiful.”
“Come and have a good time. We are going to play music the best we can and have fun. There are no backing tracks, everything is live,” Phillips said. “We like to change stuff up all the time, or they will do something different each night to make us laugh. Hopefully, come see us having a good time up there, and that hopefully will reflect on the crowd having a good time.”
Antonio Cooper is a freelance journalist from Detroit, Michigan. His coverage of music festivals and interviews with local celebrities appeared in The E-Current Magazine, The Detroit Metro Times, XXL Magazine, RichMagDigital, The Ann Arbor Observer, and Pop Magazine.
