David Archuleta 411

David Archuleta - Interview - David Archuleta Says 'American Idol' Champ David Cook 'Deserved It So Much'

2008-05-24T12:13:00.000-07:00

David Archuleta Says 'American Idol' Champ David Cook 'Deserved It So Much'

"American Idol" runner-up David Archuleta doesn't shy away from the tough questions.

Want to know what kind of album he hopes to release? How he felt about the controversy surrounding his dad? Whether he has time for a girlfriend? (We know a few of you are wondering ... ) Read below for that and more.

Q: Backstage after the finale, you said you felt a sense of relief. Can you explain that?

A: It was such a relief to just feel good about what I did [on Tuesday's performance night] and the fact that that was the last impression I gave on the show. The competition's all over. Now it's time to really focus on music.

Q: What do you want to say to your fans who are disappointed that you didn't win the show?

A: To the people who've been supporting me so much, I just want to thank them. It means more than anything to know that people are appreciating the hard work that we put into this. I want them to know that I'm feeling great about it. The fact that Cook won, I think he deserved it so much. He just proved it week after week. He deserves to be the American Idol! He's such a great guy too. My main priority wasn't to win the competition; it was just to do my best. You can suck and people can vote enough for you to win, but that wouldn't feel very good. [Laughs.] We both gave it all. We just poured it all onto that stage on Tuesday night. And we both feel really great about it. I don't think I could have done anything better or change anything to make me feel any better about what I did.

Q: Was it hard to hear all the criticism about your dad throughout the season?

A: I hadn't really heard much of it until later on. I tried to stay away from the press. I didn't like to hear anything going on in the news about me, good or bad, just because I didn't want it to distract me or let it go to my head. I just wanted to stay myself and how I was at the beginning of the competition. ... In interviews, it started coming up, and it was just kind of strange, because they're really weird things, like that he refused to give me water. That's the weirdest thing. I'm 17, and if I want water I'm pretty sure I would just go get it! [Laughs.] And then another thing was that he made me cry during one of the recording [sessions]. He's a great guy. There isn't really anything he's done that's bad like the things that have been spoken about him. My family has just been such a great support, and they're the ones who've kept me grounded and allowed me to be who I am today. No one understands what I'm here for more than they do. They get what I love about music and how it's changed my life.

Q: What kind of album do you hope to make?

A: I'd love to still do the pop thing, just because I'm still a teenager, and on the show, I was getting a little mature with my songs, even though I love to do that stuff. I still want to be able to relate to the kids my age, so I like the pop, but I still wanna have meaning in my music. I'd still like to do some fun stuff, along with songs that have more meaning in them. John Mayer and Sara Bareilles are examples I use of people who have done the more pop side of music, but their music is still real. It has meaning and depth to it. They're respected as real musicians and artists.

Q: You have a lot of female fans. Now that the show's over, do you have a little more time to date someone?

A: Now it's really time to focus on making an album and writing songs and all that. I just feel like, being 17, I'm not really mature enough to understand those feelings yet. I've watched so many of my friends, like, "Oh, we broke up. I can't live without them!" It's like, "You're 17! What are you talking about?" ... I so don't want to deal with the drama right now. [Laughs.] I just wanna be able to focus on music and then, when I feel like I've met a girl who has a great personality and I can connect with and has really good standards for themselves and has respect for themselves, but not like in an arrogant way, someone who cares about others as well, you know, it's not all about them. It's just something I'll want to focus on later on in life, when I'm ready, but I just feel like I'm so young. I'm still learning so much.

David Archuleta Guitar Hero Commercial

2008-05-24T12:10:00.000-07:00

David Archuleta in his underwear!

David Archuleta & One Republic - Apologize - American Idol 7

2008-05-24T12:08:00.000-07:00

David Archuleta & One Republic - Apologize - American Idol 7 Finale 05/21/08 Top 2 Finalists Results Show

David Archuleta - Longer by Dan Fogelberg Top 3 - 5/13 HQ

2008-05-14T19:35:00.000-07:00

David Archuleta performs Longer by Dan Fogelberg on American Idol Season 7 Top 3 May 16,2008

David Archuleta - "And So It Goes" - FINAL 3 - May/13/2008

2008-05-14T19:34:00.000-07:00

David Archuleta performs "And So It Goes" by Billy Joel during the Final Three American Idol Episode on May 13th 2008.

David Archuleta - "With You" by Chris Brown Top 3 - 5/13 HQ

2008-05-14T19:33:00.001-07:00

David Archuleta performs With You by Chris Brown 5/13/08

The dancing is cute!

David Archuleta - Video - David Archuleta sings the National Anthem at the Jazz Game

2008-05-11T15:05:00.000-07:00

David Archuleta sings the National Anthem before the Jazz beat the Lakers in game three in Salt Lake City on the day proclaimed as David Archuleta day.

David Archuleta - News -David Archuleta's dad loses 'American Idol' backstage pass

2008-05-10T05:57:00.000-07:00

Backstage meddling has caught up "American Idol" favorite David Archuleta's dad, who's been banned from rehearsals, a person working for the TV talent contest said Friday.

Jeff Archuleta was told this week by producers that he can no longer join 17-year-old son as David as he prepares for the show, the person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The person wasn't authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The show's action was first reported Friday by the online Web site TMZ.

David Archuleta of Murray, Utah, is one of three contestants left as the top-rated Fox show heads toward the Jan. 20-21 finale. The fresh-faced teenager with the big voice has consistently been deemed a front-runner by the judges and been a consistent fan favorite.

Jeff Archuleta's intense backstage involvement had become a source of concern for the series, the person connected with "American Idol" said — but it was a lyric change on Tuesday's show that pushed producers to act.

Despite a warning, Jeff Archuleta insisted on altering "Stand by Me," one of two songs his son sang on the show Tuesday. By adding a verse from Sean Kingston's "Beautiful Girls," the father incurred additional costs for "American Idol," the person said.

Fox declined comment. Attempts to reach Jeff Archuleta for comment were unsuccessful. A phone number listed under his name in Murray, Utah, was no longer in service, and Fox did not immediately respond to a request Friday evening for help in contacting the family.

Earlier Friday, David Archuleta was honored at a hometown celebration held at his high school in Murray, during which Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman declared "David Archuleta Day."

The singer and his family declined to be interviewed at the event, but David Archuleta did speak with the Salt Lake City Fox affiliate, KSTU-TV. "Wow," he exclaimed as he viewed the cheerleading squad outside his stretch limousine.

The other finalists left in competition for the "Idol" title and a record contract are David Cook and Syesha Mercado. Cook, a native of suburban Blue Springs, Mo., had his own homecoming celebration Friday in Kansas City, while Mercado was feted Bradenton, Fla.

David Archuleta - Video - Results (Opening Song) 5/7/08 [HQ]

2008-05-07T20:38:00.000-07:00

Results (Opening Song) Reelin' in the Years" by Steely Dan 5/7/08

David Archuleta - Video David Archuleta - "Love Me Tender" - Idol Final 4-5/6/2008

2008-05-06T23:43:00.000-07:00

David Archuleta performs "Love Me Tender" by Elvis Presley during the Final Four American Idol Episode on May 6th 2008.

David Archuleta - Video - David Archuleta - Stand By Me - 05/06/08

2008-05-06T23:41:00.000-07:00

David Archuleta - Stand By Me 05/06/08 Season 7 Top 4 finalists Rock of Ages Week Song 1 of 2

David Archuleta - News - Natasha wants to write a song for David.

2008-05-06T18:25:00.000-07:00

Natasha had a interview with an alanta raido station and it seems like she can't get enough of David! She wants to write a song for David, um how romantic? lol. To check out the interview for yourself...

Interview

She really does like him!

David Archuleta - Pictures - David Visiting Mirage Dolphin

2008-05-06T18:19:00.000-07:00

A shame he wasn't shirtless near that refreshing looking water! Still looking adorable though!

David Archuleta - Music - Song Choices For Top 4 Performance (5/6/08)

2008-05-06T16:43:00.000-07:00

David Archuleta song choices for tonight --

"Stand by Me" by Ben E. King and

"Love Me Tender" by Elvis Presley (cover by Norah Jones)

David Archuleta - Video - Interview - David is Ticklish

2008-05-01T19:33:00.001-07:00

Neck massages and touching his face will make David Archuleta laugh.

Idols-0424
by greateggs

A little interview he did with fox reality.

David Archuleta - Pics - Top 5 Results Pictures

2008-05-01T18:36:00.001-07:00

Top 5 Results Pictures - Looking cute and adorable like always

David Archuleta - News Article - 'American Idol': Once shy, Utah's David Archuleta bitten by limelight

2008-04-30T21:23:00.000-07:00

Not everyone knew David Archuleta could sing. Not like America knows now.

On a parched June day in 2006 before the 17-year-old "American Idol" phenom became a household name, David and dozens of other teens were on their way home from an LDS Church youth conference in Martin's Cove, Wyo., when friends started pestering him to sing.

"He was being bashful. He said, 'No, I haven't warmed up,' " youth leader Julie Lundberg remembered. "They were giving him all kinds of crap. I said, 'They're not going to leave you alone until you sing.' "

David finally relented, grabbing a microphone from the bus driver, and his airy voice resounded through the static-filled Blogs
Village Vidiot: TV writer Vince Horiuchi

intercom system. He sang Robbie Williams' hit song, "Angels," the same inspirational ballad he would later perform on "Idol."

"It was cool. It was dead silence on the bus," Lundberg said. "It's like they all went, 'Wow!' "

Two years later, David Archuleta is inching toward stardom. Since first stepping on the "American Idol" stage two months ago and stunning 25 million TV viewers with his interpretation of the 1961 Miracles' hit, "Shop Around," David has come to be viewed as the "Idol" contestant to beat.

With just five singers left, the Murray teenager known for his soft ballads and sweet, bubble-gum demeanor is virtually guaranteed to make the final two, likely with

rocker David Cook, a raw power singer from Missouri and David Archuleta's polar opposite.

"Once he gets out there on stage, it's a whole other world," said friend Shantel Hansen, 17, a Murray High School junior. "He's doing it for the sole love of the music."

David has always been passionate about music, especially since the day his father Jeff Archuleta videotaped a PBS broadcast of "Les Miserables" in Florida and gave it to his kids to watch while they were unpacking in their new home in Utah.

David, who was 6 at the time, and his younger brother Daniel (David has three sisters and a brother) watched the video repeatedly to the point where David soon learned to sing the songs by heart, even mastering a cockney accent.

He comes by his talent honestly. Jeff is a jazz and Latin trumpet player who has performed at clubs such as Salt Lake City's D.B. Cooper's. He also has performed with his wife Lupe, a pop/Latin singer and dancer from La Ceiba, Honduras.

The couple's second son was born in Miami, where he lived until his family moved to Utah in 1997. In Florida, Lupe would teach David songs on the piano such as "The Little Drummer Boy," and he would pick them up instantly. Though he briefly took piano lessons, his family and friends say David's ability is instinctual.
"He has an amazing grasp of styling and phrasing," said Dean Kaelin, David's vocal coach.

At 4 and 5 years old, David composed songs to accompany his dreams -- pieces he'd play on the piano. A growing obsession with musicals led him to master songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber from "Evita," and "Cats." He sang at church events and family get-togethers at 8 and 9 years old.

But what David had in talent and musical intuition, he lacked in confidence. Those close to him say he never thought he was a good enough singer -- that audiences wouldn't want to listen to his voice. And he certainly didn't feel comfortable singing in front of a crowd. "He's his own worst critic," said Brett Hales, a family friend.

Everything changed in 2001 when David was 10 and his mother signed him up for a state talent competition. It would be the first time he sang in a contest -- and the first in front of an audience of strangers.

Before stepping onto the Salt Palace Convention Center stage to sing Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You," David had an anxiety attack. Crying and reluctant to come out with only two minutes to spare, David and his father said a small prayer, and the boy regained his composure. He received a standing ovation and won first place, taking home $200 and a trophy.

But more importantly, he won the courage to sing in front of an audience. A year later, he discovered "American Idol."

The first season in 2002 captivated him, and he would pore over recorded episodes until he knew the songs by heart, especially Tamyra Gray's cover of "And I'm Telling You." Later that season, he met some of the contestants at a Hollywood hotel and sing that version to Kelly Clarkson, a moment captured on a now famous YouTube video.

He was only 12 when he competed on the CBS show "Star Search." David instantly charmed the judges.

"Listening to you is nirvana," country singer Naomi Judd, one of the show's judges, told him. "You're the real deal."
David won $100,000 on the show, money his family used to buy recording equipment as well as Florida property for David.

He competed a second time on "Star Search" in a "champions" round, but David developed paralysis in one of his vocal cords that made it difficult for him to sing week after week. He was eliminated just before the finals.

"The last half of 'Star Search,' we were doing everything we could to keep his voice together," said Kaelin, the vocal coach.
His family wanted him to take a break. "He said, 'I just want to go to school and just be the normal kid," Michael Lundberg, his Mormon bishop, remembered.

So that's what David did, spending summers Rollerblading through his neighborhood, occasionally stopping to sing if asked and gaining a reputation for being a good kid.

"One day he came to my door and asked if he could rake our leaves," neighbor Amy Goeckeritz said. "He knew I was pregnant and almost due, and he was raking away. I told him, 'Can, I pay you anything?' and he wouldn't even take a Popsicle. He came back at least two or three times. He didn't even ring the door bell. He just raked and swept."

"Every Christmas he's come to our house to sing," added Sherry Madsen, David's former Sunday School teacher. "I learned that you never give David money. He just acted like it was a thrill for him to be asked. He spreads his love of music. That's what he wants."
Once he turned 16, the minimum age for "Idol," David tried out in San Diego last fall and got on the show.

These days, David -- who is living in an L.A. apartment with his father during the show's run -- fills each week with rehearsals, photo shoots, episode interviews, vocal exercises with Kaelin and working with his father on the week's musical arrangements.

"They don't have any time to do anything else," said friend Courtney Hales, 18, who visited David in L.A. "But he's doing really good. He doesn't think it's a competition. He's just there to sing and have fun."

David's rising stardom hasn't all been fun. Internet tabloids claimed in unsubstantiated reports that Jeff Archuleta had been so demanding that he pushed David to tears during one recording session.

In a "Today" show interview last week, Judd, the "Star Search" judge, pleaded with the father to "leave him alone," calling Jeff "the worst stage dad." She said guards once banned him to a security "box" during "Star Search."

But friends defend Jeff, calling him a caring father who never even met Judd.

"He doesn't know how they got that impression, but he's heartbroken about it," said Hales, the family friend.

"I was there for two of the tapings, and there was no guard 'box,' " Kaelin added. "Jeff and Lupe always sat with all of the parents."

So goes the life of a newly minted star.
David, meanwhile, keeps his eyes on the prize as "Idol" marches on to its season finale next month.

Observers say he is still unsure which direction his music will take, whether it be pop, adult contemporary, inspirational or straight to the adoring tween market. Hales said record executives already are "lined up" to sign David after the show ends.
Whether David will put his career on hold in just more than a year to serve a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is unknown.

"I truly believe it will be his choice," said Lundberg, David's Mormon bishop. "I know his desire to do it is strong. I believe he would want to do this."

Kaelin, however, believes David may forego the important milestone for Mormon 19-year-olds, believing his "mission" is to move listeners with his music.
"I don't know if he realizes it, but he's on his mission now," Kaelin said. "People say how inspired they are by him. He's already serving."

Either way, friends and family hope the teen they acknowledge is somewhat naive will stay grounded. But no one's really worried.
David recently was in a recording studio with Kanye West and wanted to meet the rapper. West didn't see David as he walked by him, and the teen was too shy to bother him.

"I don't think he'll ever comprehend how big he is," Kaelin said. "Here he is on the biggest show, and David's still kind of star-struck. He has no idea that people think about him in the same light, and I don't think he ever will."

David Archuleta

Born: Dec. 28, 1990 in Miami
Height: 5 feet, 6 inches
Education: Attends Murray High School, where he is a junior. David has attended 10 different schools.
Musical influences: Natasha Bedingfield, Stevie Wonder, Natalie Cole.
Favorite musical genres: Gospel, rhythm and blues, pop.
First concert he ever attended: NYSNC.
Who is his American idol? His mother Lupe.
One of his proudest moments performing: At a New York City fire department station on the first anniversary of Sept. 11
If he didn't become a singer, what would he do: Become an ear, nose and throat doctor.

David Archuleta - Video - Cracklin Rosie 4-30-08

2008-04-30T21:20:00.000-07:00

American Idol's Top 5 and David Perform Together Singing "Cracklin' Rosie for Neil Diamond Song Week on 4-30-08 for the opening song.

David Archuleta - Video - Natasha Bedingfield on American Idol (Including the Natasha and David Kiss)- 4/30/08

2008-04-30T21:14:00.000-07:00

Natasha Bedingfield on American Idol 7 - 4/30/08

Including the Natasha and David Kiss! For those who don't know it was revealed to Natasha on TRL that David Archuleta would choose Natahsa if he could choose a singer to work with and it so happend that Natasha was a big fans of David's. So do you think Natasha might really go to the prom with David?

David Archuleta - Video - 'Tainted Love' Ford Commercial

2008-04-30T03:09:00.000-07:00

The top 6 American Idol contestants do 'Tainted Love' in this Ford commercial.

David Archuleta - Video - American Idol Top 6 'Tainted Love' Ford Commercial Behind-the-Scenes

2008-04-30T03:06:00.000-07:00

American Idol, Season 7
Top 6 Ford Commercial
Behind-the-Scenes

David Archuleta - Music - America 4/29/08

2008-04-30T03:01:00.000-07:00

David performs America by Neil Diamond on American Idol Season 7. 4/29/08

David Archuleta - Video - Sweet Caroline

2008-04-30T02:52:00.000-07:00

David Archuleta performing Sweet Caroline 4/29/08

David Archuleta - Music - Think of Me (Studio Version)

2008-04-25T14:06:00.001-07:00

Think of Me (Studio Version)

David Archuleta - News - 2008 American Idol Tour Dates

2008-04-24T17:33:00.000-07:00

The 2008 American Idol tour dates have been announced, I hope to go to one of the shows in my area. Heres the dates:

Tickets go on sale May 17th, 2008

July 1 Glendale, AZ jobing.com Arena May 17, 2008 @ 10am
July 2 San Diego, CA San Diego Sports Arena May 17, 2008 @ 10am
July 3 Fresno, CA SaveMart Center May 17, 2008 @ 11am
July 5 Las Vegas, NV Thomas & Mack Center May 17, 2008 @ 10am
July 7 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center May 17, 2008 @ 10am
July 8 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion at San Jose May 17, 2008 @ 10am
July 9 Sacramento, CA ARCO Arena May 17, 2008 @ 10am
July 11 Portland, OR Rose Garden May 17, 2008 @ 10am
July 12 Tacoma, WA Tacoma Dome May 17, 2008 @ 11am
July 14 West Valley City, UT The "E" Center May 17, 2008 @ 10am
July 18 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center May 17, 2008 @ 10am
July 19 Rosemont, IL Allstate Arena May 17, 2008 @ 12pm
July 20 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center May 17, 2008 @ 10am
July 22 Indianapolis, IN Conseco Fieldhouse May 17, 2008 @ 11am
July 23 Cincinnati, OH US Bank Arena May 17, 2008 @ 10am
July 24 Detroit, MI Joe Louis Arena May 17, 2008 @ 10am
July 26 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre May 16, 2008 @ 10am
July 27 Rochester, NY BlueCross Arena May 17, 2008 @ 9am
July 29 Pittsburgh, PA Mellon Arena May 17, 2008 @ 11am
July 30 Newark, NJ Prudential Center May 17, 2008 @ 10am
August 2 Atlantic City, NJ Boardwalk Hall May 17, 2008 @ 10am
August 4 Long Island, NY Nassau Coliseum May 17, 2008 @ 10am
August 6 Albany, NY Times Union Center May 17, 2008 @ 10am
August 8 Hartford, CT XL Center May 17, 2008 @ 10am
August 9 Worcester, MA DCU Center May 17, 2008 @ 10am
August 10 Manchester, NH Verizon Wireless Center May 17, 2008 @ 10am
August 12 Baltimore, MD 1st Mariner Arena May 17, 2008 @ 10am
August 13 Philadelphia, PA Wachovia Center May 17, 2008 @ 10am
August 14 Washington DC Verizon Center May 17, 2008 @ 10am
August 16 Lexington, KY Rupp Arena May 17, 2008 @ 10am
August 17 Charlotte, NC Charlotte Bobcats Arena May 17, 2008 @ 10am
August 18 Duluth, GA Arena at Gwinnett Center May 17, 2008 @ 10am
August 20 Sunrise, FL BankAtlantic Center May 17, 2008 @ 10am
August 21 Tampa, FL St Pete Times Forum May 17, 2008 @ 10am
August 24 Houston, TX Toyota Center May 17, 2008 @ 10am
August 25 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center May 17, 2008 @ 10am
August 26 Bossier City, LA CenturyTel Center May 17, 2008 @ 10am
August 28 Oklahoma City, OK Ford Center May 17, 2008 @ 10am
August 29 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center May 17, 2008 @ 10am
August 31 Minneapolis, MN Target Center May 17, 2008 @ 10am
September 2 Green Bay, WI Resch Center May 17, 2008 @ 10am
September 3 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena May 17, 2008 @ 10am
September 4 Cleveland, OH Wolstein Center May 17, 2008 @ 10am
September 6 Bridgeport, CT Arena at Harbor Yard May 17, 2008 @ 10am
September 7 Providence, RI Dunkin Donuts Center May 17, 2008 @ 10am
September 8 Wilkes Barre, PA Wachovia Arena May 17, 2008 @ 10am
September 10 Ft. Wayne, IN Allen County Memorial Coliseum May 17, 2008 @ 10am
September 11 Evansville, IN Roberts Stadium May 17, 2008 @ 10am
September 13 Tulsa, OK BOK Center May 17, 2008 @ 10am