At least five factors played part in the victory of Phillip Phillips on American Idol Season 11.

Considering the culturally diverse fans of Jessica Sanchez (mother from the Philippines, father is Mexican-American), Phillip was at a disadvantage when it came to numbers. However, supporters of the charming young man from Leesburg, Georgia transcended not just culture, but age and gender, in the voting game.

Here are Top 5 of the reasons why Phillip Phillips is the new American Idol:

5. Tween plus Adults votes

American Idol at its core is a reality show made for tweens - young people who have dreams to become famous. But Phillip got the tweens and more! He got the young girls who fall for what they hear and what they see. He also got the young boys who looked up to him for the manner by which he played his guitar. And then there's his age group - musicians and groupies combined. It was easy to see the basic demographic of his fan base during his hometown visit. Every voting block was well represented.

4. Personality

He came to audition in plaid shirt, jeans, and flip flops. How cute was that? By the time Idol showed how the finalists described each other, Phillip's fun side came out. Apparently, he is a joker on the sarcasm side. Joshua Ledet said he used his sickness to avoid Ford tapings. Jessica Sanchez said he's handsome, but he doesn't look attractive when he performs and contorts his face. Phillip took it all in stride.

The resident mentor asked him not to wear gray on the stage; he came out wearing a gray shirt under a gray short sleeves. Stubborn, but he insisted he is on the show to be just himself. When they went home for the Idol finalists' welcome, the guy who always seemed like he didn't care about what people think was reduced to tears in his own parade. Women loved that!

3. Song Choices

Phillip picked Usher's "U Got it Bad" at the right time. He also picked "Volcano" by Damien Rice so close to the finals. And then there was Jimmy Iovine's choice, Bob Seger's "You've Got Tonight. When these songs are put up against pop ballads, they hold their own and draw voters like magnet to paper clips.

2. Performance/Artistry

Phillip growls, twitches his body, bobs his head and he sometimes misses the melody while doing all these things when performing. But throughout the season, Phillip rarely gave performance that was not compelling. When he sang "Home" in the finals night, he more than made up for all the melody he tweaked all season. He wears his heart on his sleeve when he performs. This is something that his young rival Sanchez is not yet able to do despite her mad vocal skills. Phillip's numbers are always fueled by passion.

1. Relevance

Phillip's music is niched and current. It is very easy to create a spot for him in the competitive music industry. Even when he chose a lot of unfamiliar tunes in the past, Phillip always sounded relevant and radio-friendly.

Phillip never landed in the bottom three/two the entire season. When results were announced for the Top Three, Ryan Seacrest called him first for a look back, but he was the last to get a spot. Nonetheless, Seacrest didn't announce a "bottom two." Phillip Phillips won Season 11 fair and square. Now he can get his surgery and move forward to a successful career post-Idol.

Must read: American Idol Finale Review: Phillip Phillips in Three Rounds (VIDEOS)

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