David Archuleta
David Archuleta is a pop singer who found stardom via the 7th season of American Idol – a popular singing competition on TV. He was runner-up to David Cook, but that didn’t stop his success, as he had already earned many dedicated fans with his beautiful voice and personality.
David was born December 28, 1990, in Miami, Florida, to his father Jeff Archuleta and his mother Lupe Marie. He inherited his musical genes from his mother who was a salsa singer and dancer, but it was a music video from Les Miserables that inspired him and began his journey to where he is now. He was only six years old then when he started singing, around the same time his family moved to the Salt Lake City area – Sandy to be specific. He attended Murray High School. At age 10 he started competing, and his performances were well received. His first audience at the Utah Talent Competition brought him a standing ovation after he sang “I Will Always Love You” by Dolly Parton (although probably more well known today as being sung by Whitney Houston) and won 1st place in the child division.
At the age of 12 in 2003, David appeared on Star Search, and became Junior Vocal Champion as he competed against Alexandréa Lushington. The two would meet again years later as they both competed for the title of American Idol. A year after Star Search, he went through the trial of experiencing partial vocal paralysis. He refused surgery as he felt it would be too risky and thankfully made a full recovery on his own, limiting his performances to special occasions. He also appeared on The Jenny Jones Show and The Early Show on CBS, and others.
He is perceived as innocent, wholesome, and humble. His squeaky clean image has attracted many fans, but especially teenage girls who scream as if he were a lone Beatle. As the majority of American Mormon boys are, he is a member of The Boy Scouts of America, earning Eagle Scout rank just before he turned 18. He also seems to have a great love for his family, which was apparent as he defended his dad against public scrutiny during an American Idol controversy.
His mother is from Honduras and he grew up watching her sing with his sisters, she taught him how to dance, and a lot of his musical influence comes from the albums his dad listened to. David says musicians like Elliott Yamin, Kirk Franklin, Natalie Cole, Stevie Wonder, Bryan Adams, Celine Dion, Natasha Bedingfield, Michael Jackson, and John Mayer have influenced his style. His talent isn’t limited to singing. He also plays the piano, at times being is own accompanist, and the guitar.
Being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka The Mormon Church) has been influential to his life and the choices he makes. As he performed “Imagine” by John Lennon, he opted for singing the third verse on American Idol as the message had more meaning for him, whereas the first mentions how it would be nice to have no religion. Here you can find him singing “Be Still My Soul” at a church meeting and gain more insight into his beliefs through the lyrics as he sings from his heart.
David has had wonderful success with the releasing of his single “Crush” and his self-titled album. He has written a book, Chords of Strength: A Memoir of Soul, Song and the Power of Perseverance. His third album, The Other Side of Down, was released the first week of October, 2010. David joined the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square for their annual Christmas concerts. The concerts were presented on Thursday, December 16, 2010. The Choir’s weekly Music and the Spoken Word broadcast also featured Archuleta with a mini-concert immediately following.
After David turned eighteen, he went to the Mormon temple and entered into the higher covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ. He then announced his decision to serve a full-time mission for the LDS Church and was called to South America. As a Mormon missionary in training at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, David joined a missionary choir to sing in the 182nd annual General Conference of the LDS Church held in April, 2012. It was a humble role, compared to his star status.
As he matures, it will be interesting to see what he does with his music and life, and perhaps he will use his God given talent to bless others as he serves a mission for our church in an area that hasn’t yet been privileged to hear his voice. He may find that his talent brings him the greatest joy as he teaches the Gospel, or maybe as he shares it with his own children years from now in a private moment away from the screaming crowds.
Additional Resources:
Basic Mormon Beliefs and Real Mormons