Phil Collins is one of only three musicians to have sold more than 100 million records worldwide both as a solo artist and as a member of a band, joining only Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney in that select group.
Besides recording some of the most successful albums of all time, he has had the chance to play with and watch countless bands perform over the decades, so he certainly knows what makes a great band. Throughout his career, he has talked about many of the bands that emerged over the years and once mentioned two from the 2000s that he particularly liked.
The 2 bands from the 2000s that Phil Collins likes
One Republic
“Another one that my sons have turned me onto. They played in Geneva and I bought tickets as a surprise for Nicholas’ birthday. Because he really, really loved the band. This particular song (‘Life In Color’) I thought it was so hooky, so we went to see them and they were great live.”
“We all met them before the show and they didn’t play ‘Life In Color’ (laughs). I said ‘Why you didn’t play ‘Life In Color’? It’s my favorite song!’ They said ‘We kind of got off it’, which just goes to show that, you know. I mean how people might feel if they come to see my show, they don’t hear their favorite song. This is very hooky, is one of the best new bands that I’ve heard,” Phil Collins said in the BBC Radio show Tracks of My Years back in 2016 (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage
The American band was formed in Colorado Springs in 2002 and first achieved fame on Myspace as an unsigned act. Their first studio album “Dreaming Out Loud” was finally released in 2007. The band’s vocalist Ryan Tedder is also a big fan of Collins, having praised him in an interview with Forbes in 2024.
He said:
“Peter Gabriel‘s very overlooked in the modern era. We all rave about Phil Collins. I love Phil Collins to death, he’s a freaking icon, but Peter is just otherworldly,” he said. Besides Tedder, the band is formed by Zack Filkins (Guitar), Drew Brown (Guitar), Eddie Fisher (Drums), Brent Kutzle (Bass), and Brian Willett (Keyboards).
Some of their most famous songs are “Counting Stars”, “I Ain’t Worried”, “I Don’t Wanna Wait”, “I Lived”, and “Apologize”. They are extremely popular these days, with more than 47 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Interestingly, that is slightly more than Phil Collins on the streaming service, who currently has about 29 million monthly listeners.
Two Door Cinema Club
“A lot of people say to me, you know ‘who do you like today?’ And I can’t really sort of come up as a few people will get to but Two Door Cinema Club. My sons Nicholas and Matthew, they love this band. This song they took for the name of Nick’s band ‘What You Know’. It’s just got an interesting groove and interesting take on it. The singer is different and I’m going to like it because they are always playing it,” Phil Collins said. The group was formed in Northern Ireland in 2007 by Alex Trimble (vocals, rhythm guitar, beats, synths), Sam Halliday (lead guitar, backing vocals) and Kevin Baird (bass, synths, backing vocals).
Interestingly, his son Nicholas, who was the drummer for Genesis and for his father as a solo act during their final tours, played in a band called What You Know, inspired by Two Door Cinema Club. The track is part of their debut album “Tourist History”, released in 2010. It is their most famous song, alongside “Undercover Martyn”, “Something Good Can Work” and “Sun”. Their name was inspired by Halliday’s mispronunciation of the name of the local cinema, which was called “Tudor Cinema”.
The band continues to be followed by millions of fans, with more than 9 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Their songs have appeared on several famous movies and TV shows. Some of them are “Teen Wolf”, “Now You See Me” and “The Vampire Diaries”. They were also featured on the soundtrack of games like Fifa 11, NBA 2K11, Forza Horizon and Guitar Hero Live.