Posts Tagged ‘LA Times’
Idol’s Biggest Charmers
Archuleta should have been #1! Haha! 
5. David Archuleta: Here’s another portrait of an Idol charmer: It takes no more than two minutes to walk from the “Idol” stage doors to the parking lot, but for Archuleta, who came in second to Cook on Season 7, that can take more than half an hour. That’s because the well-mannered Archie insists on hugging and catching up with each and every member of the crew, from the producers to wardrobe staffers, security and even the dude at the craft services table — all people with whom he’s on a first-name basis. In truth, not even the burliest stagehand can resist Archie’s dimples, nervous laugh and aw-shucks shrug to anything even slightly out of his comfort zone, and neither can this seasoned “Idol” observer.
Click HERE to see the rest of the article.
LA Times interviews David!
New interview! Los Angeles Times interviews David Archuleta! Haha!
Here are excerpts from the article:
Catching up with David Archuleta!
by Shirley Halperin
Season 7 runner-up David Archuleta has a new album in the works, a book about to hit the shelves, and a very busy few months staring him in the adorably dimpled face. But the 19-year-old native of Murray, Utah, still made time to talk to us between his travels to Nashville for songwriting sessions. The follow-up to David’s gold-selling debut is slated for release later this year, but read on to learn about its progress, as well as David’s experience with the Spanish-language “We Are the World” and his thoughts on the new season of “American Idol.”
What do you think of Season 9 so far?
I just really feel for the contestants. I want to talk to them, to tell them: I went through this, and I know what it’s like. While you’re there, you’re overwhelmed with so many different things. It’s a lot of work but you’re gonna learn so much from it, and there will be so many opportunities that you wouldn’t even imagine coming to you. And all the people who work on “Idol” — so many of them made what I thought was an impossible dream come true. These are the people who can really change your life.
Talent-wise, do they measure up to previous contestants?
I think they’re really talented. They show a lot of their own personalities, and I liked that about them. And there’s some really good singers, too. Like Andrew Garcia, I like the character that he’s shown. I feel like there’s a lot of pressure for them because people are now expecting them to change up the songs, and they’re not sure exactly what to be showing people. It’s matter of balance — changing the song enough to show who you are but still preserving the song for what made it magical.
Is that the secret, David? You would know, having made it all the way to the finale.
It’s difficult. You only have so much time in the day to think about that. Especially for the kids who are in school who study and are supposed to use their brain in another way for a lot of the day. Sometimes it’s hard to focus on both things at once, especially when you have to sing in front of millions of people. But “Idol” is like boot camp — that’s what I always say. It just makes you strong and gives you the knowledge and experience that you’ll need in the future. I’m excited to continue watching.
Tell us about your new material, and how long you’ve been working on it.
I’ve been working on it since January, but I had my first writing sessions in the summer, and I went to Nashville to write in October. Then the Christmas album came out and sort of took over, but I go back to Nashville this week.
Why Nashville?
It’s a really fun town, and I just love the people there. They’re really focused, very humble people, and the writers want the songs to be meaningful. That means a lot to me. It’s just a matter of finding that balance between radio hits and songs that really bring a message across to people. Plus, I love to tell a story, but I want to talk about my own stories, so I’ve been learning a lot about the writing process by working with people like Matt Squire.
Please tell us we won’t be hearing you all auto-tuned. …
I hate auto-tune! There’s a certain emotion that you work on trying to get into your voice all these years, and I feel like auto-tune takes that away. Sometimes imperfections are supposed to be there! I have a hard time singing with it on because I pay so much attention to what is coming out of me, that when what I’m hearing in my headphones is not the same as what’s actually coming out, it really throws me off. So, no, I’m not a fan of auto-tune.
One of your songs, “She’s Not You,” was leaked recently. Is it a contender for this new album?
That was like the third song I ever recorded a year and a half ago. I don’t know how it got leaked. I guess people are hacking into things a lot more, like Jason Mraz’s Twitter [account] got hacked into.
I recorded over 30 songs for my first album, and this was one of them. It was written by E-Man [Emanuel Kiriakou], who wrote “Crush,” and I really liked recording it, but it didn’t make the record. And now, he worked hard to write that song, record it and produce it, but because it’s not released or for sale on iTunes, he’s not being provided for all the work he did. So I feel really bad for him.Your book, “Chords of Strength,” is coming out. How do you respond to those who say you’re too young to write a memoir?
I agree with them. When the idea was brought to me, I was like, “Huh? I’m only 19, and I don’t think my life has been that interesting.” At first, I wasn’t sure how I was going to do it. Except in my liner notes [laughs], I was never good at writing a lot. Even in school, I always stayed after class because I’d never finish my essay in time. So writing has been a challenge but something I’ve been working on. Also, a lot of people ask me questions about my life, and I thought this is a great way for me to finally explain how I managed to get to this point at a young age and why I’m still the way I am. That’s the focus in the book: There were so many times when I thought, “I’m not good enough,” or, “There’s no way this is going to happen,” and then it does happen. I like to share those things with people, which is what music’s all about — having even a small influence by sharing my stories.
David also talks about a possible Spanish Album, Somos El Mundo, artists he looks up to and much much more!
Read the FULL ARTICLE.
Source: LA Times
A Great Review from LA Times, Christmas/Birthday Project and our very own poll!
We have another great review, courtesy of LA Times! Wow, I just think they are truly awesome to say that David’s album is worthy of winning Grammy Awards!
We think so too, David. We believe in you!
David Archuleta’s Future Revenge: Grammy’s Galore?
Take heart, David Archuleta fans. Just shrug off the ridicule and insults being heaped on your hero by cynical music journalists now that Archuleta’s debut CD is out. You knew it was coming. It doesn’t mean they’re right — or that David Archuleta will not get ultimate revenge.
Music journos tend to be guys with a desperate, inexplicable need to prove their masculinity by trying to assassinate anybody who croons great schmaltz. Remember how they tried to lynch James Blunt just for the audacity of singing “You’re Beautiful” so well — and meaning it? These are the same dudes who have to go into loud gagging fits whenever they hear a Celine Dion song.
Well, Celine has won five Grammys, including best record (“My Heart Will Go On”) and album of the year (“Falling Into You”). Blunt ended up getting five Grammy nominations, including best record and song (“You’re Beautiful”) and new artist of the year. He hasn’t won yet, but he’ll be back. Blunt and Archuleta sing the same kind of fiercely romantic music that earned Grammys in the male pop vocal category for others who’ve taken beatings through the years too: John Mayer, Michael Bolton, Barry Manilow, even Justin Timberlake (at first).
All of those chaps don’t whine in their songs about “me, me, me,” but they enthusiastically sell their adoration for “you, you, you.” As the Vulture blog at New York Magazine points out, 11 of the 12 songs on David Archuleta’s debut CD are addressed to “you.” Smart.
Also, the songs are truly smart, as musical compositions go. “Crush” — the CD’s first single spinoff — is a terrific, well-crafted tune, like other winners on the disc, such as “A Little Too Not Over You” and “Barriers.”
The point is this: David Archuleta’s debut CD proves that he’s got the right song formula plus the perfect vocal chops to sell his broken heart. Even some music journalists think so. Happily, one of them wrote the review of Archuleta’s CD for the music industry trade bible Billboard: “Most teen Disney heroes have got nothing on David Archuleta. The 17-year-old who was one of the most exciting ‘American Idol’ contenders has one of those once-in-a-decade pop voices: A silky tenor with a natural melancholy that makes him a heartbreaker by default. His charming debut exploits that very quality with some strokes of pop genius.”
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Also, I feel the month of December is approaching too fast so we have to get started with our very own Christmas/Birthday Project. Feel free to post your ideas!!! We’ll update you about these ideas soon, and we are expecting everyone’s cooperation!
Tennister from pinoy exchange has created a poll to determine how you rank David Archuleta’s songs (including the bonus tracks). You have to rank them accordingly, and he invalidates your entry if you give two songs the same rating. Just please follow his mechanics. You may vote here. Thank you!
And Today He Becomes His Own Man
From LATimes
After years lost in the darkness, on Nov. 11, America at last wakes up to a new age. Hope. Change. For so long, they have been just words — especially to the vast legions of tween girls who watched “American Idol” season after season wondering when it might finally be their chance to lead.
At last that day has come. For on this Veterans Day, America faces the morning light to find that David Archuleta, the Chosen One, foretold by “Idol” prophecies, reared from the cradle on the works of Clarkson and Aiken, has released his solo album and begun his career at last.
The reviews are coming in, and in Idolland it will be a long week while we await the first sales numbers to come trickling in. But however things turn out for this album, as one who watched this young phenom burst upon the Idoldome, it has been incredible to to see his legend explode — from the “Idol” stage and on the national tour as tens of thousands made the rafters of stadiums quake with their their screams. And through it all, the boy from Murray amazingly remained seemingly untouched by the nuclear blasts of adoration. To all appearances, from the little I had the chance to interact with him, he stayed the same nervous, unfailingly polite, pathologically modest and humble lad he was when he first arrived at the Idoldome.
Much has been written about David’s father’s allegedly controlling ways backstage, and on that score I have no direct knowledge. But I can say that, from all I have seen, he has raised a very, very nice son, who defies nature with his ability to keep his head while all around him are losing theirs.
And today he becomes his own man. Mazel tov’s are very due.
- @jenlalalovesdja I'm sorry I just can't help myself, haha.
- @Becca_Cali lol no other than what you use for singing.
- @leijazel Haha, no. For something else..
