Phillip Phillips' career is off to a pretty darn good start after he was crowned the newest champ of "American Idol" on May 23. Billboard reports that his song "Home" has already been downloaded 278,000 times, making it the biggest selling "Idol" coronation single since 2003, when Nielsen SoundScan began tallying downloads.
When the singer debuted his tune on performance night of finale week, judges Randy Jackson, Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez gave him a standing ovation. Randy declared that "everything about that was perfect," J.Lo told him that there was nothing like it on the radio today, and the Aerosmith rocker said he heard "a little Paul Simon" in it.
According to Billboard, "Home," which hit No. 2 on its first chart appearance, was also the week's biggest debut and is also the fourth biggest of the year. For 2012's most impressive bows, Justin Bieber, Maroon 5 and Katy Perry lead the pack.
That's not bad company for the new "Idol" champ to keep!
Did you download "Home"? Will you be buying Phillip's first album? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page!
Related content:
- Slideshow: The 'Idol' season finale
- Tot breaks down after 'Idol' results
- 'Idol' finale sees record-low TV audience
More in The Clicker: