David Archuleta

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David Archuleta

David James Archuleta (born December 28, 1990) is an American singer. In May 2008, he became the runner-up on the seventh season of American Idol receiving 44 percent of over 97 million votes. Archuleta's first single "Crush" was released in August 2008.[2]

Early life

David Archuleta was born in Miami, Florida, to Jeff Archuleta and Lupe Marie, a salsa singer and dancer from Honduras. Archuleta has four siblings.[3] Archuleta's family moved to the Salt Lake Valley, to the city of Sandy, Utah, when Archuleta was six. He currently lives in Murray, Utah, where he is a student at Murray High School.[4]

Archuleta started singing at age six, inspired by a Les Misérables video. "That musical is what started all of this," he said.[5] He started performing publicly at age 10 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.[6]

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.[7] He later made his television debut, at eleven years old, singing "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" on a Jenny Jones show for future Latino stars alongside season one finalist A.J. Gil.[7] 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).[7]

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.[7][8] She also "was big on dancing" according to Archuleta, and would "make" him dance to traditional music with his older sister.[9] He also listened to jazz music, he said, from his father's collection as well as gospel, pop, rock and "soulful music."[5] In a later interview, he revealed that his father was a jazz musician. Archuleta also said he enjoys Broadway musicals.[10]

On his American Idol "Fast Facts" page, Archuleta cites his musical influences as Natalie Cole, Stevie Wonder, Kirk Franklin and Bryan Adams.[6] When asked to list his top pop artists, he cited Natasha Bedingfield, Natalie Cole, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Bryan Adams, Kirk Franklin, and Robbie Williams.[6] Like Yamin and another singer he admires, John Mayer, Archuleta tries to infuse his pop selections with a soulful vibe.[5]

Star Search

In 2003, at age 12, Archuleta sang on several episodes of the television show Star Search.[11][12][13][14][15][16][17] He ended up as the Junior Vocal Champion on Star Search 2. On one episode, he sang against then-11-year-old Alexandréa Lushington, who also became a "top 20" semi-finalist on American Idol alongside Archuleta.[14] 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".[7]

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 Idol's 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.[18][7] 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.[5][7] He limited his singing for specific occasions like Stadium of Fire, the Independence Day celebration at Brigham Young University Stadium.[7]

American Idol

Overview

Archuleta won his ticket to the Hollywood final auditions (with a performance of John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change") with the help of idol judge, Randy Jackson, who sang the background "waiting" in the song. (at the San Diego tryouts held at Qualcomm Stadium July 30 and July 31, 2007.[19][6]) He was 16 during the Hollywood auditions (where he sang Bryan Adams' "Heaven" and Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" to unanimous praise) and attended school while a part of American Idol's seventh season.[20] His parents were there because he was a minor.[20] Archuleta also took advantage of the decision to allow contestants to play musical instruments when he accompanied himself on piano for his performances of "Another Day in Paradise" and "Angels."

A Los Angeles Times article speculated why 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.'"[21] 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."

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.[22] In the final tally, Archuleta received 44 percent of the votes.[23][24] During the finale show, both Archuleta and fellow finalist Cook appeared in separate but nearly identical commercials for the game franchise Guitar Hero, mimicking a Tom Cruise scene from Risky Business.[25]

Performances

Week Theme Song(s) Original artist
Auditions n/a "Waiting on the World to Change" John Mayer
Hollywood n/a "Crazy"[26][20] 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[27]
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[28]
John Lennon

Fans

File:David Archuleta - 2.jpg
The center stage screens announcing American Idol season 7 runner up (2) Archuleta at the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2008 stop at Rosemont, Illinois in July.

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 teenage girls.[29][30][31] 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.[32] Billboard magazine's Fred Bronson notes “David fills a spot where there’s a void. . . . He has innocence and humility.”[31] Los Angeles Times' Richard Rushfield noted that the "tween/teen girl hysteria" has only increased.[33]

Beginning with his performance of "Angels," Archuleta responded to requests of his fans on the American Idol Forums to signal them by putting his hand over his heart.[citation needed] 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]."[33]

Controversy with father

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 Magazine, denied the claim.[35] 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.[36] In May 2008 Archuleta defended his father calling him "a great guy" who keeps him grounded.[37]

Post-Idol career

In June 2008, Jive Records announced that Archuleta signed a recording contract and his debut album will be released later in 2008, after the "American Idols tour".[1] The three songs he performed in the American Idol finale; "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", "In This Moment", and "Imagine", became top-10 downloads on iTunes. All three debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart the week of 7 June 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.[38] That same week he landed three songs on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, where his versions of "Longer", "Think of Me", and "Angels" debuted at #15, #19, and #24 respectively.[39] On the 17 July 2008 edition of So You Think You Can Dance, Archuleta's cover of "Imagine" by John Lennon was featured by Katee Shean and William Wingfield with their pas de deux dance number.[40]

In July 2008, two more song titles, "My Hands" and "Ruined Me", were registered at ASCAP.[41][42] Archuleta's first single "Crush" was released on 1 August 2008 on Z100, a New York radio station.[43][2] On August 12 "Crush" became available on iTunes, where it rose to the #1 position within 24 hours.[44] It debuted at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, beaten only by Rihanna's " Disturbia." It's the best chart debut in more than 18 months. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the track sold 166,000 downloads in the United States.[45]

He was a presenter with American Idol winner David Cook at the 2008 Teen Choice Awards on 4 August 2008.[46] He also won the Teen Choice surfboard for "Most Fanatic Fans".[46]

Archuleta has made initial attempts at songwriting and arranging music after his Star Search experience and has written at least three songs.[7]

Discography

Albums

  • TBA (2008)

Singles

Year Title Chart positions Album
U.S. U.S. Pop U.S. Digital CAN
2008 "Crush" 2 12 1 7 TBA

Awards/Nominations

Year Presenter Award Result
2008 Teen Choice Awards 2008-Most Fanatic Fans[47] Won
2008-Best Smile (Post Show) Nominated

References

  1. ^ a b "Archuleta signed with Jive". Jive.
  2. ^ a b Z100, David Archuleta "Crush" (date accessed 1 August 2008)
  3. ^ Deseret News "Friends knew Archuleta had talent"
  4. ^ "Murray High teen moving up on 'Idol'". Associated Press. Deseret News. 2008-02-15.
  5. ^ a b c d "Introducing David Archuleta". American Idol. February 18, 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ a b c d "American Idol Fast Facts: David Archuleta: Weekly Q & A". American Idol, Fox.com, FremantleMedia North America, Inc. February 19–26, 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Bronson, Fred (6 May 2008). "Q & A: David Archuleta from American Idol". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
  8. ^ "American Idol Fast Facts: David Archuleta: Weekly Q & A". American Idol, Fox.com, FremantleMedia North America, Inc. February 27 – March 4, 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-27.
  9. ^ "Top 10, Archuleta interview". American Idol. Season 7. Episode 25 March, 2008. 2008-03-25. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |episodelink= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ Archuleta, David (2003–2005). "The Official Website of David Archuleta: Journal September 2002". KidActors. Retrieved 2008-02-28. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)CS1 maint: date format (link)
  11. ^ "Star Search: Episode 03, 01/31/2004, Story". CBS.
  12. ^ "Star Search: Episode 04, 02/07/2004, Story". CBS.
  13. ^ "Star Search: Episode 05, 02/14/2004, Story". CBS.
  14. ^ a b "Star Search: Episode 06, 02/21/2004, Story". CBS.
  15. ^ "Star Search: Episode 07, 02/28/2004, Story". CBS.
  16. ^ "Star Search: Junior Singer Video". CBS.
  17. ^ Delaveris, Lea (2008-02-19). "Ringer Singers: Some 'Idol' Contestants Aren't Novices". Columbus Dispatch.
  18. ^ "David Archuleta sings for Kelly Clarkson"
  19. ^ Wilkens, John (2007-07-30). "Thousands audition in S.D. for 'American Idol'". Union-Tribune.
  20. ^ a b c Barnes, Ken. "Idol Chatter: A conference call with Nigel". USA Today.
  21. ^ Powers, Ann (February 28, 2008). "David Archuleta's 'Imagine' wasn't just imagined up". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-04-30. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  22. ^ Kaufman, Gil. "Even David Cook Thinks David Archuleta Nailed 'American Idol' Finale: 'I Have To Concede It'". VH1.
  23. ^ ITN - 'Rocker' Cook wins American Idol
  24. ^ American Idol » Carrie Underwood
  25. ^ Lang, Derrick. "Record 'Idol' vote is also a landslide". AP.
  26. ^ The performance wasn't aired due to licensing issues with the original artist(s).
  27. ^ John Farnham released the track in 1985; it was re-arranged and released as a cover version by David Foster with vocalist Jeff Pescetto in 1990, the year Archuleta was born, hence being able to choose it.
  28. ^ Rocchio, Christopher (2008-04-14). "Fox reveals 'American Idol' Top 20 songwriting competition songs". Reality TV World. Retrieved 2008-05-20. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  29. ^ Horiuchi, Vince (March 13 2008). "Utah's 'American Idol' stumbles over Beatles' lyrics, but it all works out". The Salt Lake Tribune. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  30. ^ Breihan, Tom (March 26 2008). "American Idol Week Six: The Archuleta Problem". The Village Voice. Retrieved 2008-03-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  31. ^ a b Jones, Brenda (7 March 2008). "American Idol Battle: David Archuleta vs. David Hernandez". National Ledger. Retrieved 2008-03-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  32. ^ Davenport, Misha (March 23 2008). "The Curse of The Front-runner: David Archuleta's 'the one to beat,' but history prefers the underdog". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved 2008-03-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  33. ^ a b Rushfield, Richard (March 26 2008). "'Idol' Tracker: To the death!". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-03-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  34. ^ David Archuleta's So-Called 'Stage Dad'?
  35. ^ "David Archuleta's Father: I'm No 'Stage Dad'". Us Weekly. Yahoo!. 2008-04-23.
  36. ^ Elber, Lynn. "AP Source: David Archuleta's dad loses 'Idol' backstage pass". Associated Press. 2008-05-10.
  37. ^ "David Archuleta Defends Dad". CBS.
  38. ^ Hasty, Katie (5 June 2008). "David Archuleta Signs With 19 Recordings". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
  39. ^ Pietroluongo, Silvio. "David Cook Sizzles With Record Chart Debuts". Billboard.
  40. ^ "Week 6 (16 July 2008)". So You Think You Can Dance (U.S. TV series). Season 4. Episode 13. 2008-07-17. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  41. ^ ""My Hands"". ASCAP. 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
  42. ^ ""Ruined Me"". ASCAP. 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
  43. ^ Slezak, Michael (8 August 2008). ""David Archuleta's 'Crush' is surprisingly good!"". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2008-08-12.
  44. ^ David Archuleta Keeps His Fans Up To Date From The Set Of His 'Crush' Video
  45. ^ Rihanna Fends Off Archuleta Atop Hot 100
  46. ^ a b "TC08 Rocked The House". Teen Choice Awards. Season 10. Episode 1. 2008-08-03. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  47. ^ TC08 - The Official Website of Teen Choice 2008

External links