Shortly thereafter, his composition and arranging skills piqued the interests of record label executives who saw the talented and handsome young prodigy as a possible candidate for investment.
[1] Taking a break from cross country tours, Phillips worked briefly in the early 1990s as a hotel entertainment booking agent in Phoenix.
[citation needed] He eventually found himself back on the road again, touring the U.S. and parts of Western Canada until the late 1990s when he settled outside Hollywood, California, to work as a session musician and composer for film and television music libraries.
[citation needed] Since becoming formally and professionally known as Idris Phillips in 2005, the writer/performer has recently found recognition worldwide for his melodic compositions which blend varying musical styles (jazz, pop, new-age) with diverse instrumentation.
As the lawfulness of "musical instruments" has long been a debate among teachers and students of the Islamic faith,[citation needed] Phillips' rendition of "War" – with guitar – at the Global Peace and Unity event marked the first time in British history that a Muslim musician appeared on stage with a stringed instrument at a major mainstream Islamic religious conference.