David Archuleta facts for kids

Quick facts for kids David Archuleta
Archuleta at the 2024 GLAAD Media Awards
Background information
Birth name	David James Archuleta
Born	(1990-12-28) December 28, 1990 (age 34) Miami, Florida, U.S.
Origin	Murray, Utah
Genres	Pop
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter musician
Instruments	Vocals piano
Years active	2003–present
Labels	Jive Shadow Mountain Ivory Highway E1 Music Archie Music Tone Tree Music

David James Archuleta (born December 28, 1990) is an American singer and songwriter. He became famous after appearing on American Idol.

When he was ten, David won a children's talent competition in Utah. At twelve, he became the Junior Vocal Champion on Star Search. In 2008, he finished second on the seventh season of American Idol.

In August 2008, he released "Crush", his first song from his first album. His album, called David Archuleta, came out three months later. It sold over 750,000 copies in the United States.

In October 2010, he released his third album, The Other Side of Down. In March 2012, he took a break from music for two years. He served as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Chile. He returned to music after his mission. As of February 2012, he had sold many albums and songs in the United States. Archuleta and his mother have since left the LDS Church.

In March 2012, he released his fourth album, Forevermore, only in the Philippines. This album featured covers of Filipino songs. It quickly became a gold-certified album in the Philippines.

His fifth album, Begin, was released in August 2012. A collection of songs, No Matter How Far, came out in March 2013. His sixth album, Postcards in the Sky, was released in October 2017. His second holiday album, Winter in the Air, came out in 2018. His eighth album, Therapy Sessions, was released in May 2020.

Early Life and Beginnings

Archuleta was born on December 28, 1990, in Miami, Florida. His mother, Guadalupe Mayorga, is a salsa singer and dancer. His father, Jeff Archuleta, is a jazz musician. His mother is from Honduras. His father has Spanish, Danish, Irish, and German family roots. David speaks Spanish fluently and has four siblings.

His family moved to Sandy, Utah, when he was six years old. He went to Murray High School.

He started singing at age six after watching a Les Misérables video. He said, "That musical is what started all of this." He first performed publicly at age 10. He sang "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton in the Utah Talent Competition. He won the Child Division.

When Archuleta was 21, he volunteered for two years as a missionary. He served in Rancagua, Chile. In June 2023, Archuleta stated that he is no longer a participating member of the LDS Church.

He graduated from Barbizon Modeling and Acting School in Salt Lake City.

Music Career Highlights

Early Career and Star Search

In 2003, Archuleta sang on the TV show Star Search. He became the Junior Vocal Champion on "Star Search 2". He competed against Alexandréa Lushington, who later joined him on American Idol. David started focusing on song lyrics more around age 12 or 13.

Before Star Search, he appeared on The Jenny Jones Show. He met finalists from the first season of American Idol. He sang "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" without music. Kelly Clarkson, the Season 1 winner, praised him. This led to appearances on CBS's The Early Show.

The year after Star Search, he found out he had partial vocal paralysis. He chose not to have risky surgery. He says he is almost fully recovered now. He limited his singing to special events, like Stadium of Fire.

Archuleta started writing and arranging music after Star Search. He wrote at least three songs. His first songs in 2002 were "Dream Sky High" and "Don't Tell Me".

American Idol Journey

Archuleta got his ticket to the Hollywood auditions in San Diego. He sang John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change". Judge Randy Jackson even sang along. David was sixteen during the Hollywood auditions. He attended school while on American Idol.

A parent or guardian had to be with him because he was a minor. David played the piano for some of his performances. He played for "Crazy", "Another Day in Paradise", and "Angels".

During the 1970s themed week, Archuleta sang "Imagine" by John Lennon. He skipped the first verses. He said the third verse was his favorite because it has "a great message".

After his performance of "We Can Work It Out", judge Simon Cowell called it "a mess". Entertainment Tonight reported that David's father, Jeff, was putting pressure on him. Jeff Archuleta denied this claim.

An article in May 2008 reported that Jeff Archuleta had his son add a lyric from a Sean Kingston song. This was into a version of "Stand by Me". This increased the costs for music rights. Jeff Archuleta was then not allowed backstage at American Idol rehearsals. David defended his father, calling him "a great guy".

During the Top 7 results show, David Archuleta was the only one not put into a group. He was declared safe. He was asked to choose which group he thought was safe. He refused and sat down on the stage floor.

In the finale, he sang "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", "In This Moment", and "Imagine". Judge Simon Cowell said Archuleta won the night. Even David Cook, who won, thought Archuleta would win. Cook said, "I have to concede it, the kid came out all three songs and nailed it." In the final vote, Archuleta received 44 percent of the votes.

Archuleta performing during the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2008

Archuleta's first songs on music charts were from the American Idol finale. "Imagine" entered at number 36, his first top-forty hit. "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" was at 58, and "In This Moment" at 60.

Archuleta signed with Jive Records in June 2008. His album, David Archuleta, came out in November 2008. His first single, "Crush", was released in August 2008. It debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was the best chart debut in over 18 months. The song sold 166,000 downloads in its first week. It has sold 1.92 million digital copies in the US.

Archuleta and American Idol winner David Cook were second on Forbes' list of "Breakout Stars of 2008". They presented an award together at the 2008 Teen Choice Awards. Archuleta also won the Teen Choice Award for "Most Fanatic Fans".

New Albums and Tours

After his first album, Archuleta released "Let's Talk About Love" and "Zero Gravity". In February 2009, it was announced he would tour the United Kingdom. He supported the British band McFly. The tour started on April 21, 2009. Archuleta also opened for Demi Lovato's tour starting June 21, 2009.

Archuleta signs autographs while serving as Grand Marshal at the Krewe of Caesar Mardi Gras parade in Metairie, Louisiana, on Valentine's Day in 2009.

On April 22, 2009, Archuleta returned to American Idol to perform "Touch My Hand". On April 30, 2009, he appeared on The Paul O'Grady Show in the UK. He performed "Crush" and talked about his album. In May, Archuleta and David Cook visited the Philippines. He made live appearances on two GMA-7 shows. He also confirmed he was working on two new albums: a pop album and a Christmas album. In August 2009, Archuleta won three Teen Choice Awards. He won for Breakout Artist, Love Song, and Music Tour with Demi Lovato. In September, he won the Rising Male Star award at the ALMA Awards. He performed "Contigo en la Distancia".

Archuleta acted as himself on Nickelodeon's iCarly in "iRocked the Vote". He also appeared in Season 3 of Hannah Montana. He sang a duet ("I Wanna Know You") with Miley Cyrus. The song was on the Hannah Montana 3 soundtrack.

On May 16, 2009, Archuleta and David Cook performed in Manila, Philippines. On June 1, 2010, Archuleta released his book, Chords of Strength: A Memoir of Soul, Song, and the Power of Perseverance. The book talks about his vocal paralysis. He went on a book signing tour. The book became a bestseller.

Archuleta returned to American Idol on April 7, 2010. He performed John Lennon's "Imagine" again. He mentioned he was working on his third album. He sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "Stand by Me" at the A Capitol Fourth concert in Washington, D.C.

Archuleta at the 15th Annual Arthur Ashe Kids Day on August 28, 2010

Archuleta sang live at the Tejano Music Awards on July 11, 2010. He covered Selena's songs as a tribute. On June 24, 2010, Jive Records announced his new single, "Something 'Bout Love". His album The Other Side of Down was released on October 5, 2010.

On October 7, 2010, David Archuleta was announced as a guest star. He sang at the annual Christmas concert of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The performances were from December 16–19. A concert CD and DVD, Glad Christmas Tidings, was released in September 2011.

On February 18, 2011, Jive Records released David Archuleta from his contract. He also left his management. Archuleta wanted to focus on writing his own music. On July 2, 2011, Archuleta joined Brad Paisley at the Stadium of Fire. He sang the national anthem and his own songs. From July 16 to 26, 2011, Archuleta toured Asia. He performed in Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia.

At the end of his My Kind of Christmas Tour on December 19, 2011, Archuleta announced his mission. He planned to serve as a missionary for two years. He said he would return to music after his mission.

Missionary Work and New Releases

In early 2012, Archuleta signed with TV5 to film a mini-series in the Philippines. It was called Nandito Ako (I'm Here). It aired from February to March 2012. An album of Filipino music, Forevermore, was released on March 26, 2012. It included covers of classic Filipino songs.

Archuleta began his two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He entered the Provo, Utah, Missionary Training Center on March 28, 2012. On August 7, 2012, a pre-recorded album, Begin, was released in the United States. It had cover songs and a new song, "Broken". On February 12, 2013, a new song, "Don't Run Away", was released on iTunes. This was his first single while on his mission. A collection album, No Matter How Far, was released on March 26, 2013. It had songs previously only in Asia and two new original songs. Archuleta confirmed on March 24, 2014, that his mission was complete. He was back home in Utah.

Archuleta then went on a Military Tribute Tour.

Recent Years and The Masked Singer

Archuleta filmed a music video in Costa Rica for an untitled song. On September 28, 2014, he released a new song "Glorious" for free. The song was used in the movie Meet the Mormons. It was later on his holiday album Winter in the Air in 2018.

Archuleta performing in 2018

Archuleta performed in a group on the fifteenth season finale of American Idol in April 2016. He returned to his music career in 2016 with the single "Numb". The video for "Numb" premiered on November 17. In 2017, he released "Up All Night" and "Invincible". His sixth album, Postcards in the Sky, was released on October 20, 2017. He toured the Philippines and the United States.

On June 15, 2018, Peter Hollens released a video with Archuleta. They sang the Scottish folk song "Loch Lomond".

On August 27, 2019, he released the single "Paralyzed".

On November 14, 2019, Archuleta released a deluxe version of Winter in the Air. It had three bonus songs. He released a music video for "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays". It featured Lance Bass and Chris Kirkpatrick.

Archuleta released his eighth album, Therapy Sessions, on May 20, 2020. A deluxe version was released later that year. On April 30, he released "Just Breathe" as a single. He made a music video for it, dedicated to frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Money from YouTube views was donated to Direct Relief.

On March 26, 2021, Archuleta worked with BYU Vocal Point. They made the "What a Beautiful Name" video.

A song he wrote, "I Know He Lives", was released in March 2021. David said he had performed it live before but never recorded it. Two more singles, "Be That for You" and "Losin' Sleep", came out in April and May 2021.

Archuleta also has a children's book, My Little Prayer, released in 2021.

In 2023, Archuleta competed on the ninth season of The Masked Singer. He was "Macaw" and finished in second place.

In 2024, Archuleta became very popular on TikTok. He performed a cover of Sabrina Carpenter's "Espresso" at a concert. He also covered "Please Please Please" for SiriusXM's TikTok Radio.

Upcoming Music

In June 2025, Archuleta announced a new EP and North American tour. The EP is called Earthly Delights. Before the EP, he released the singles "Crème Brulée" and "Can I Call You".

Helping Others

Archuleta works with Do Something and Dunkin' Brands Community Foundation. He helps teenagers make a difference in disaster relief. He also joined DoSomething.org's Teens for Jeans. This charity donates jeans to homeless teenagers. In January 2010, Haiti had a big earthquake. On January 22, 2010, Archuleta joined other celebrities for a fundraising telethon. He answered phones to help raise money.

Archuleta partnered with ChildFund International for his My Kind of Christmas Tour. He wanted to raise awareness and find sponsors for children in need. He surprised some ChildFund children in the Philippines. He sang "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and met with them. He has also supported Invisible Children. He encouraged fans to donate to protection efforts in Central Africa. He performed at their events.

In January 2011, Archuleta traveled to Chennai, India. He went with Rising Star Outreach. This charity helps children from leper colonies get an education.

Archuleta was one of many Latino singers in Somos El Mundo. This was the Spanish version of "We Are the World 25 for Haiti".

In April 2020, David Archuleta worked with Billboard for a Live At-Home concert. This raised money for Direct Relief. He chose this group because of their work during the COVID-19 pandemic. He performed piano versions of his songs. He also released a music video for "Just Breathe" for frontline workers. Both were fundraisers for Direct Relief.

Musical Style

Archuleta's mother is from Honduras. He listened to a lot of Latin-influenced music as a child. His mother would sing at events with her sisters. She also made him dance to traditional music with his older sister. He also listened to jazz music from his father's collection. He enjoyed gospel, pop, rock, and soulful music. His father was a jazz musician. Archuleta also enjoys Broadway musicals.

Archuleta has a tenor singing voice. Today described it as "one of those once-in-a-decade pop voices". Michelle Drown called it "silken" with a "gentle vibrato". When he released "Something 'Bout Love" in 2010, a writer for Billboard thought fans might miss his clear voice. On his American Idol page, Archuleta named Natalie Cole, Stevie Wonder, Kirk Franklin, and Bryan Adams as his musical influences. Like Elliott Yamin and John Mayer, Archuleta tries to add a soulful feel to his pop songs. He looks up to Sara Bareilles as a clever singer-songwriter.

Personal Life

Archuleta was a member of the Boy Scouts of America. He earned the rank of Eagle Scout in 2008. This was just three days before his 18th birthday, while he was on American Idol. He received the award two years later.

Since 2015, Archuleta has lived in Nashville, Tennessee.

Discography

Studio albums

• David Archuleta (2008)
• Christmas from the Heart (2009)
• The Other Side of Down (2010)
• Forevermore (2012)
• Begin (2012)
• Postcards in the Sky (2017)
• Winter in the Air (2018)
• Therapy Sessions (2020)

Filmography

Television

Web

Awards and Nominations

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See also

In Spanish: David Archuleta para niños