Born David James Archuleta on December 28, 1990, in Miami, Florida, David was exposed to diverse music genres growing up in Utah, from Latin music on his mother’s side to jazz music from his father’s collection. He was particularly fond of and inspired by gospel, pop, R&B and “soulful” music, as well as Broadway musicals.
“For me, Christmas music has always been such a big time in my life,” David recounts. 2010 saw him singing with the prestigious Mormon Tabernacle Choir at their Christmas extravaganza, which earned him rave reviews.
When he was six, he won the children’s division of the Utah Talent Competition and at age twelve, he became the Junior Vocal Champion on Star Search 2. At sixteen, David became one of the youngest contestants on the seventh season of the popular television program American Idol where he finished as runner-up, receiving 44% of over 97 million votes. Signing with Jive Records, David released his first album in November 2008. The recording, David Archuleta, debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart and has sold over 750,000 copies in the United States and over 900,000 worldwide. His sophomore album, Christmas from the Heart, released in 2009 and debuted at number two on Billboard’s Holiday Albums chart. In 2011 he released his third album, The Other Side of Down.
David Archuleta is the second oldest of five children, attended Murray High School, and is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Boy Scouts of America. He supports numerous charities such as Rising Star Outreach, Invisible Children, Children’s Miracle Network and Stand Up To Cancer. In the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, he delved into his Latino roots by lending his voice to the recording of Somos El Mundo, a Spanish version of We Are The World.
Feeling a greater sense of purpose is nothing new to this singer, who overcame vocal cord paralysis that afflicted him at age 13 while competing on CBS’s Star Search. The trying experience was chronicled in David’s 2010 New York Times best-selling autobiography Chords of Strength: A Memoir of Soul, Song, And The Power of Perseverance.
For more information, visit the official David Archuleta web site.
Grab a copy of David Archuleta’s albums, available in music stores nationwide. — with Patrick Jayson Santiago.
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