AMERICAN IDOL – PHIL STACEY (ABC/Eric McCandless)
Sometimes, you really can come home again. And for Phil Stacey, American Idol was home for him during a pivotal point in his life. On the cusp of fatherhood, he took his chance on the original American Idol series, and now, his daughter McKayla will audition for season 21 of the reboot. So, just who is Phil Stacey? Find out below with these five facts.
1) His full name is Joel Philip Stacey. But, he goes by Phil Stacey professionally. Born on January 21, 1978, he turned 45 last month. He was born in Richmond, Kentucky, but grew up in Fairfield, Ohio.
2) Phil has two children – two daughters to be more specific. The oldest, Chloe, is not a singer, but is studying psychology and graduated from high school last year. His youngest, McKayla, is the singer and she is auditioning for season 21 of American Idol! Apparently, Phil will join his daughter in the audition from the looks of these promotional photos.
3) Now, as far as his OG American Idol journey went, he made it to the Top 6 during season 6 of the show, which aired in 2007, aka: the season that Jordin Sparks took home the title. Phil was 28 when he auditioned, and according to his audition video, he actually missed McKayla’s birth – his wife Kendra called him the morning of the audition to tell him she delivered their second daughter! See his full audition now:
4) In 2007, Stacey signed with Lyric Street Records and his self-titled debut album was released the following year. By 2009, he’d switched labels to Reunion Records and put out his second album called Into the Light. His musical stylings are considered to be country and Christian.
5) Currently, he’s a pastor at the Central Community Church in Wichita, Kansas. In December 2022, Phil and wife Kendra celebrated 24 years of marriage. “It’s our 24th anniversary! We met the summer after she graduated from high school and were married by Christmas,” he wrote on Instagram.
See Phil Stacey on American Idol, airing Sunday February 26 at 8 PM ET/PT on ABC.
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