American Idol Finalist David Archuleta was born in
Miami, Florida on December 28,1990. Devout Mormon parents
Jeff Archuleta and
Lupe Marie moved
David and his four siblings to Salt Lake City Utah when
David was 6. Besides watching his mother
Lupe sing and dance salsa at events with her three sisters in a group known as the
Mayorga Sisters. His father was also a performer who was always playing jazz on the trumpet around the house. He also had ordinary childhood activities like joining the
Boy-Scouts of America before discovering his love of music. Archuleta seems to have found his true calling while watching a video of
Les Miserables.
His official page states:
“As his family was relocating from
Florida to
Utah. It was the 10th anniversary concert of the stage musical
"Les Miserables" and David became captivated with the music, playing the tape over and over, memorizing each song, complete with cockney accents. Then he discovered and fell in love with other musicals like
"Evita" and
"Into the Woods.”
Soon the 10 year old multi talented singer, musician, began performing in public. One of his first notable performances was at the Utah Talent Competition . He performed a rendition of "Dolly Parton's I will always love you", which earned him a standing ovation and title of Child division.
That win led him to his Television debut on the
Jenny Jones “Future Latino Star’s” show. He blew away the audience by singing his version of “ And I am telling you,I’m not going”. Later at age 12 he sang of several episodes of
Star Search hosted by the Arsenio Hall .
Star Search had already launched the careers of other pop stars such as
Britney Spears,
Tiffany, Christina Aguilera, Aaliyah, Destiny’s Child,Jessica Simpson,Usher, and
Archuleta was no exception.
He was headed for the top!
He appeared on
Jenny Jones, and
CBS’s The Early Show. There he met the finalists of
American Idols first season. Archuleta used that opportunity to sing an acapella rendition of “I am telling you..I’m not going”. Reportedly he received high praise from
Kelly Clarkson ,
American Idols first winner. When his
Star Search stint was complete he found himself suffering partial vocal paralysis. He declined surgery and instead put himself on a strict vocal rest which paid off when he auditioned of American Idol in 2007.
After a performance of
John Mayers song
“Waiting for the world to change” Archuleta won his gold ticket to Hollywood. David was received well by fans and the judges but his father was not as warmly received. His father Jeff was attacked as a difficult and “controlling stage parent” in the weekly tabloids. Archuleta himself barely escaped a media attack when he was accused of avoiding a line of
John Lennon's "Imagine" because of his religious beliefs.
Concert Photo WIKI
The Finals found
Archuleta at age 16, competing against
David Cook, who ultimately won the competition .
Archuleta has not let the loss to
Cook get him down. He continues to perform for the
“Jive” lable, and has even acted on shows such as
iCarly and
Hannah Montana . This year he toured the United Kingdom with English band
McFly, and begins a tour with “up and coming”
Demi Lovato June 21,2009.
David and Fans Photos courtesy of Todd Pennington
Archuleta Fan Todd Pennington:
"I met David for the first time when he was 13-years-old (May 17th, 2004.)
He came and sang "Imagine" at the Boys & Girls Club in Wellington, FL
where I was the social recreation director. Even though he was Guest of
Honor, David asked if he could serve pizza to the 100+ other children
before he ate. Also, after the party, David pitched in and helped carry
out the empty pizza boxes and bags of trash."
David signs an autograph for a Fan (photo WIKI)
