Phillip Phillips is still ahead of the pack of Season 11 American Idol contestants.
Just before the summer tour began, Idol released seven EPs — one apiece for the show’s top five finishers, one of duets and group performances from the show, and one featuring musical highlights from the top 10. (Go here for complete track listing.)
Thursday, those EPs hit the Billboard 200 for the first time.
Phillip checked in at the highest position, landing at umber 25.
More surprising might be the fact that Jessica Sanchez’s EP ranked only fourth among the Idols.
It’s 77 on the Billboard 200, behind Joshua Ledet (59) and Skylar Laine (64).
The top 10 highlight EP is number 27. Hollie Cavanagh, who finished fourth on the show, lands at number six among the EPs at 176.
The duets and group performances — well, they didn’t chart. Truth is, the only track worth having is “Stop Dragging My Heart Around” by Elise Testone and Phillip, and that song is also on his EP.
By the way, the Season 11 Idols landed much lower than their Season 10 counterparts.
A year ago, Idol released EPs featuring the top four. They debuted on the Billboard 200 as follows: Scotty McCreery (10), Lauren Alaina (24), James Durbin (31), Haley Reinhart (37).
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Kudos to all the AI top 5 for hitting the Billboard 200 charts! It is surprising to know that Jessica’s rank on Billboard is only at 77, when her EP’s always ranked high in Walmart’s bestsellers. She is currently no. 4 in bestsellers, after Phillips, Archuleta and Bieber. Are there other factors considered in the ranking aside from Walmart sales?