David James Archuleta (born December 28, 1990) is an American singer-songwriter. At ten years old he won the children's division of the Utah Talent Competition leading to other television singing appearances. At twelve, he became the Junior Vocal Champion on Star Search 2 . [5] In 2007, at sixteen years old, he auditioned and became one of the youngest finalists on the seventh season of American Idol . In May 2008 he finished as the runner-up, receiving 44 percent of over 97 million votes. In August 2008 Archuleta released "Crush", the first single from his self-titled debut album. [6] [7] The album, released two months later, debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart; as of June 2009, it had sold over 725,000 copies in the U.S. and over 900,000 Worldwide. [8] [9]

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Early life

Archuleta was born in Miami, Florida, to Jeff Archuleta and Lupe Marie, a salsa singer and dancer. He speaks Spanish. ^[10] Archuleta's mother is from Honduras, while his father is of Spanish, Danish, Irish, German, and Iroquois descent. ^[11] Archuleta has four siblings. ^[12] Archuleta's family moved to the Salt Lake Valley, to the city of Sandy, Utah, when Archuleta was six. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (also known as the "Mormon" church). ^[13] He currently lives in Murray, Utah where he attended Murray High School. ^[14] Archuleta is a member of the Boy Scouts of America. ^{[15] [16]}

Archuleta started singing at age six, inspired by a Les Misérables video. "That musical is what started all of this", he said. ^[17] He started performing publicly at age ten when he participated in the Utah Talent Competition singing "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton; he received a standing ovation and won the Child Division.

Archuleta was inspired by watching both Tamyra Gray and Kelly Clarkson to "see what performing and really getting into a song was like" during the beginning weeks of the premiere season of American Idol . He later made his television debut, at eleven years old, singing "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" on The Jenny Jones Show show for future Latino stars alongside season one finalist A.J. Gil. ^[18] Through A.J. Gil he was able to meet and sing for Gray who had sung the song on American Idol as well as Clarkson (that year's winner) and Justin Guarini (the runner up). ^[19]

Musical influences

Archuleta's mother is from Honduras, and much of the music he listened to as a child was Latin-influenced including watching his mom sing at events with her sisters. ^[20] She also "was big on dancing" according to Archuleta, and would "make" him dance to traditional music with his older sister. ^[21] He also listened to jazz music, he said, from his father's collection as well as gospel, pop, rock and "soulful music." In a later interview, he revealed that his father was a jazz musician. Archuleta also said he enjoys Broadway musicals. ^[22]

On his American Idol "Fast Facts" page, Archuleta cited his musical influences as Natalie Cole, Stevie Wonder, Kirk Franklin and Bryan Adams. ^[23] When he listed his top pop music artists, he cited Natasha Bedingfield, Natalie Cole, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Bryan Adams, Kirk Franklin, and Robbie Williams. Like Elliott Yamin and another singer he admires, John Mayer, Archuleta tries to infuse his pop selections with a soulful vibe. In a Seventeen interview he cites Sara Bareilles as a clever singer-songwriter he looks up to. ^[24]

Star Search

In 2003, at age twelve, Archuleta sang on several episodes of the television show Star Search . ^{[25] [26] [27]} He ended up as the Junior Vocal Champion on Star Search 2, Losing the Junior Grand Champion title to Tiffany Evans. ^[28] On one episode, he sang against then-11-year-old Alexandréa Lushington, who became a "top 20" semi-finalist on American Idol alongside Archuleta. Around the second year of being on Star Search he started focusing on the lyrics, "I didn't even pay attention to the lyrics when I was 12, 13".

Archuleta's competing on Star Search led to appearances on The Jenny Jones Show and CBS' The Early Show , and meeting the finalists from ''American Idols first season, for whom he performed a spontaneous a cappella rendition of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from Dreamgirls'', and received enthusiastic praise from Season 1 winner Kelly Clarkson. ^[29] The year after Star Search he found out he had partial vocal paralysis but declined risky surgery and has said he feels he is almost fully recovered. He limited his singing for specific occasions like Stadium of Fire, the Independence Day celebration at Brigham Young University Stadium.

Archuleta made initial attempts at songwriting and arranging music after his Star Search experience and has written at least three songs. His first singles in 2002 included "Dream Sky High" and "Don't Tell Me". ^[30]

American Idol

Overview

Archuleta won his ticket to the Hollywood final auditions at the San Diego tryouts - held at Qualcomm Stadium at the end of July 2007 - with a performance of John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change" with judge Randy Jackson spontaneously joining in to sing the background "waiting" in the song. ^[31]) He was 16 during the Hollywood auditions (where his renditions of Bryan Adams' "Heaven" and Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" were well-received by the judges) and attended school while a part of American Idol's seventh season. His parents were there because he was a minor. ^[32] Archuleta also took advantage of the decision to allow contestants to play musical instruments when he accompanied himself on piano for his performances of "Crazy", "Another Day in Paradise", and "Angels".

A Los Angeles Times article speculated that Archuleta avoided singing the first verse of "Imagine": because "of his religion (Mormonism), he's unlikely to espouse the song's agnostic ideal . . . with the line about 'no religion too.'" ^[33] Archuleta did, however, sing the entire song on Good Things Utah when he was 13. During his first performance of "Imagine" on American Idol , when asked by judge Randy Jackson why he didn't sing the first verse, Archuleta said the third verse was his favorite because it has "a great message."

After his performance of "We Can Work It Out", which judge Simon Cowell called "a mess", Entertainment Tonight reported that Archuleta was feeling pressure from his father, Jeff Archuleta, who "reportedly yelled at" his son after a recording session the previous night. ^[34] Jeff Archuleta, in an interview with Us Weekly , denied the claim. ^{[35] [36]} A May 2008 Associated Press article reported that Jeff Archuleta had his son add a lyric from the Sean Kingston song "Beautiful Girls" into a rendition of "Stand by Me" (from which "Beautiful Girls" samples its bass line), increasing the costs for licensing, and that this had resulted in Jeff Archuleta being banned from American Idol backstage rehearsals. ^[37] David defended his father calling him "a great guy" who keeps him grounded. ^[38]

During the Top 7 results show, the contestants were split into two groups. In one group was Syesha Mercado, Brooke White, and Kristy Lee Cook. In the other group was David Cook, Carly Smithson, and Jason Castro. Archuleta was the only one not sorted into a group. He was declared safe after the groups were formed, then was asked to choose the group he thought was safe. He refused, and sat down on the floor of the stage, much like Melinda Doolittle had done the previous season.

In the finale he sang "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", "In This Moment" and "Imagine". Judge Simon Cowell declared that Archuleta won the evening and even David Cook, who ultimately won, thought Archuleta would win: "I have to concede it, the kid came out all three songs and nailed it", said Cook. ^[39] In the final tally, Archuleta received 44 percent of the votes. ^{[40] [41]} During the finale show, identical commercials featuring Archuleta and fellow finalist Cook mimicked the Tom Cruise scene from Risky Business where he dances in his underwear playing an air guitar; they were promoting the game franchise Guitar Hero . ^[42]

Performances

Week	Theme	Song(s)	Original artist
Auditions	N/A	"Waiting on the World to Change"	John Mayer
Hollywood	N/A	"Crazy" [43]	Gnarls Barkley
Top 50	N/A	"Heaven"	Bryan Adams
Top 24	1960s	"Shop Around"	The Miracles
Top 20	1970s	"Imagine"	John Lennon
Top 16	1980s	"Another Day in Paradise"	Phil Collins
Top 12	Lennon/McCartney	"We Can Work It Out"	The Beatles
Top 11	The Beatles	"The Long and Winding Road"	The Beatles
Top 10	Songs from birth year of contestants (1990)	"You're the Voice"	John Farnham [44]
Top 9	Songs of Dolly Parton (mentor : Dolly Parton)	"Smoky Mountain Memories"	Dolly Parton
Top 8	Inspirational Songs	"Angels"	Robbie Williams
Top 7	Songs of Mariah Carey (mentor : Mariah Carey)	"When You Believe"	Mariah Carey & Whitney Houston
Top 6	Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber (mentor : Andrew Lloyd Webber)	"Think of Me"	The Phantom of the Opera
Top 5	Songs of Neil Diamond (mentor : Neil Diamond)	"Sweet Caroline" "America"	Neil Diamond
Top 4	Music of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame	"Stand by Me" "Love Me Tender"	Ben E. King Elvis Presley
Top 3	Judge's Choice (Paula Abdul) Contestant's Choice Producers' Choice	"And So It Goes" "With You" "Longer"	Billy Joel Chris Brown Dan Fogelberg
Finale	Clive Davis's Choice New Song Contestant's Choice	"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" "In This Moment" "Imagine"	Elton John Written by Ryan Gillmor [45] John Lennon

Fans

Fans dub themselves "Archies" or "Arch Angels". With his "cult-like appeal" nurtured by his work on American Idol , Archuleta has attracted a wide demographic of fans including both teenage girls and boys. ^{[46] [47] [48]} Archuleta was labeled the front-runner after the first few weeks of performances by both the judges and the media because of his "pure, pop voice", which helped him build a large fan base during the competition. ^[49] Billboard magazine's Fred Bronson notes "David fills a spot where there's a void. He has innocence and humility." Los Angeles Times' Richard Rushfield noted that the "tween/teen girl hysteria" has only increased. ^[50] Rushfield commented on some of the girls who were standing in the front of the audience: "An hour after the show, they were still shaking, sobbing and screeching about their encounter with the Chosen One [Archuleta]."

Post-Idol career

thumb In June 2008, Archuleta signed with Jive Records. His self-titled album, David Archuleta , was released on November 11 2008. Archuleta's first single "Crush" was released on August 1, 2008 on Z100, a New York radio station. ^{[51] [52]} On August 12 "Crush" became available on iTunes. ^[53] It debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, beaten only by Rihanna's "Disturbia". ^[54] It was the best chart debut in more than 18 months. ^[55] According to Nielsen SoundScan, the track sold 166,000 downloads in the first week in the United States. ^[56] It has sold 1.5 million digital copies in the US. ^[57]

The three songs he performed in the American Idol finale; "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", "In This Moment", and "Imagine", debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart the week of June 7, 2008. "Imagine" entered at #36 (giving Archuleta his first top forty hit), "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" at #58, and "In This Moment" entered at #60. ^[58] That same week he landed three songs on ''Billboards Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, where his versions of "Longer", "Think of Me", and "Angels" debuted at #15, #19, and #24 respectively. ^[59] In July 2008 So You Think You Can Dance'', a dance competition reality show, Archuleta's cover of "Imagine" by John Lennon was the featured music for contestants Katee Shean and William Wingfield with their pas de deux performance. ^[60] thumb while serving as Grand Marshal at the Krewe of Caesar Mardi Gras parade in Metairie, Louisiana on Valentines Day, 2009. Along with American Idol winner David Cook, Archuleta placed second on Forbes list of "Breakout Stars of 2008". ^[61] The two co-presented an award at the 2008 Teen Choice Awards in August 2008. Archuleta also received the Teen Choice Award surfboard for "Most Fanatic Fans". ^[62]

Since the release of his debut album, Archuleta has released 3 new songs: Let's Talk About Love (The Build-A-Bear theme song), Save the Day, and Zero Gravity.

On February 18, 2009, it was announced that Archuleta will be touring the United Kingdom supporting English band McFly on their upcoming "Up Close...And This Time It's Personal" tour. ^[63] The tour begins on April 21, 2009 and will continue throughout April and May.

Archuleta is the opening act for Demi Lovato on her tour which beginned June 21, 2009. ^[64]

On April 30, 2009, David made his first UK Television appearance, on the Paul O'Grady Show, performing "Crush" and chatting about his album, which will be released there on May 11.

On May 12, 2009, Archuleta, together with fellow American Idol winner David Cook, visited the Philippines. ^[65] Two days later, the former made his live appearance on two of GMA-7's shows, Sis and Eat Bulaga.

In May 2009, Archuleta confirmed in several interviews that he is working on two new albums, his sophomore pop album and a Christmas album. ^[66]

In August 2009, Archuleta won 3 Teen Choice Awards in the following music categories: Breakout Artist, Love Song, and Music Tour, along with Demi Lovato. ^[67]

Acting debut

Archuleta made an appearance as himself for his acting debut on Nickelodeon's show iCarly titled "iRocked the Vote". The episode aired February 7, 2009. He had also made a special guest appearance in Season 3 of the Disney Channel show Hannah Montana ^[68] in the episode Promma Mia as himself and sang a duet with Miley Cyrus, which was featured on the soundtrack, Hannah Montana 3.

Personal life

Archuleta is teaming up with Do Something.org, along with the , to help willing teenagers make a difference in others' lives with disaster relief. ^[69] He is also one of several teen celebrities taking part in Do Something.org's Teens for Jeans charity initiative, which donates denim to homeless teenagers nationwide. ^[70]

Discography

• David Archuleta (2008)
• Christmas from the Heart (2009)

Tours

• American Idols LIVE! Tour 2008
• David Archuleta Solo Tour 2009
• Demi Lovato Summer Tour 2009
• Demi Lovato Fall Tour 2009

Awards and nominations

Year	Presenter	Award	Result
2008	Teen Choice Awards	2008-Most Fanatic Fans	Won [71]
		2008-Best Smile (Post Show)	Won [72]
2009	Teen Choice Awards	2009-Breakout Artist	Won [73]
		2009-Music: Love Song (for "Crush")	Won
		2009-Music Tour	Won (with Demi Lovato)

Notes

References

1. The official website of David Archuleta
2. David Archuleta Main | accessdate=2009-03-15.
3. Archuleta in concert throws doubt on 'Idol' votes by MISHA DAVENPORT, Chicago Sun Times.
4. Archuleta signed with Jive
5. David Archuleta's album debuts
6. Behind the Music with David Archuleta
7. American Idol News: David Archuleta's Debut Album
8. Taylor Swift Soars To No. 1 Debut
9. [1]
10. http://popdirt.com/david-archuleta-ive-gotten-pretty-flabby-in-hollywood/67792/
11. Archuleta, Jeff. Twitter update. 2009-05-25.
12. Friends knew Archuleta had talent
13. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695255956,00.html
14. Murray High teen moving up on 'Idol'
15. Idol Thoughts
16. Boys Life Magazine
17. Introducing David Archuleta
18. Q & A: David Archuleta from American Idol
19. Celebrity Central: David Archuleta
20. American Idol Fast Facts: David Archuleta: Weekly Q & A
21. Top 10, Archuleta interview
22. The official website of David Archuleta: Journal September 2002
23. American Idol Fast Facts: David Archuleta: Weekly Q & A
24. Dating: 17 Questions David Archuleta
25. Star Search: Episode 03, 01/31/2004, Story
26. Star Search: Episode 06, 02/21/2004, Story
27. Ringer Singers: Some 'Idol' Contestants Aren't Novices
28. http://www.cbs.com/primetime/star_search3/junior_story.php?dt=051603
29. David Archuleta sings for Kelly Clarkson
30. The Official Website of David Archuleta: Music
31. Thousands audition in S.D. for 'American Idol'
32. Idol Chatter: A conference call with Nigel
33. David Archuleta's 'Imagine' wasn't just imagined up
34. David Archuleta's So-Called 'Stage Dad':Is there more to his shaky performance last night?
35. David Archuleta's Father: I'm No 'Stage Dad'
36. American Idol Bans David Archuleta's Dad From Backstage
37. AP Source: David Archuleta's dad loses 'Idol' backstage pass
38. David Archuleta Defends Dad
39. Even David Cook Thinks David Archuleta Nailed 'American Idol' Finale: 'I Have To Concede It'
40. 'Rocker' Cook wins American Idol
41. The New American Idol is David...........Cook!
42. Record 'Idol' vote is also a landslide
43. The performance of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" wasn't aired due to licensing issues with ''American Idol'' and the original artist(s).
44. John Farnham released "You're the Voice" in 1985; it was re-arranged and released as a cover version by David Foster with vocalist Jeff Pescetto in 1990. Archuleta was born that same year so was able to use it for the week's theme - "Songs from birth year of contestants".
45. Fox reveals 'American Idol' Top 20 songwriting competition songs
46. Utah's 'American Idol' stumbles over Beatles' lyrics, but it all works out
47. American Idol Week Six: The Archuleta Problem
48. American Idol Battle: David Archuleta vs. David Hernandez
49. The Curse of The Front-runner: David Archuleta's 'the one to beat,' but history prefers the underdog
50. 'Idol' Tracker: To the death!
51. David Archuleta "Crush"
52. "David Archuleta's 'Crush' is surprisingly good!"
53. David Archuleta Keeps His Fans Up To Date From The Set Of His 'Crush' Video: 'American Idol' runner-up posts YouTube vlog, but remains coy about music video's content.
54. [1]
55. Chart Beat: David Archuleta, Rihanna, Brandy and Monica, Journey, Isaac Hayes
56. Rihanna Fends Off Archuleta Atop Hot 100
57. Idol downloads: Cook charts 3 new tracks
58. David Archuleta Signs With 19 Recordings
59. David Cook Sizzles With Record Chart Debuts
60. Week 6 (July 16, 2008)
61. In Pictures: The Breakout Stars Of 2008
62. TC08 Rocked The House
63. David Archuleta special guest on McFly tour
64. http://news-briefs.ew.com/2009/04/demi-lovato-to.html
65. American Idols Cook, Archuleta arrive in town
66. David Archuleta Is Releasing Two Albums This Winter
67. http://anangelandacookie.blogspot.com/2009/08/congratulations-archie-tca-09.html
68. http://www.vh1.com/news/articles/1606740/20090311/archuleta__david.jhtml
69. http://www.okmagazine.com/posts/view/12256/
70. http://www.usmagazine.com/news/david-archuleta-takes-off-his-jeans-for-charity
71. Teen Choice 2008: Post Show!
72. Teen Choice 2008: TC Summer Nominees
73. Twilight Dominates Teen Choice Awards