David Archuleta Biography

American musician David Archuleta broke into the limelight in 2008 when he auditioned for American Idol. An early favorite to win, Archuleta repeatedly received glowing reviews and a growing fan base. He was ultimately named runner-up, however, to David Cook, who was crowned the idol of season seven.

David James Archuleta was born December 28, 1990 in Miami, Florida. His parents are James Jeffrey Archuleta and Xiomara Guadalupe Mayorga. Archuleta and his four siblings were subsequently raised in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Moving again to Murray, Utah, Archuleta currently attends Murray High School.

On the music front, Mayorga is from Honduras, and as such, Archuleta listened to a diverse array of music growing up. His father is also a jazz musician.

Archuleta’s musical aspirations started as early as six years old. By ten he was performing in local talent competitions and other public venues. Receiving a scare, Archuleta once suffered from partial vocal paralysis. He was able to regain his voice, however, without the aid of surgery.

While he gained his greatest exposure through American Idol, his first televised appearance came on the program Star Search in 2003. In an interesting connection, Archuleta competed against future American Idol semi-finalist Alexandrea Lushington during the competition. Archuleta took top prize as the “Junior Vocal Champion.”

Deciding that American Idol was the next logical step, Archuleta auditioned in 2008 for season seven of the wildly popular competition. He auditioned with “Waiting on the World to Change” by John Mayer and sailed into Hollywood.

While on the show, Archuleta never found himself in the bottom two or three. And most of his performances were unanimously praised, particularly his rendition of John Lennon’s “Imagine” and Robbie Williams’ “Angels.”

The early favorite to take it all, it was a minor upset when rocker Cook took the title. Still, Archuleta amassed a large and loyal following, dubbing themselves “Arch Angels” or “the Archies.”

Not all smooth sailing, there was a minor controversy with Archuleta’s father. He was eventually banned from rehearsal sessions after he advised his son to add lyrics to the song “Stand by Me,” thus increasing licensing costs for the show.

Archuleta has cited many artists as influences on his style. These include Bryan Adams, Natalie Cole, Stevie Wonder, and others.

Archuleta will, of course, tour with the show’s top ten and no doubt be a huge selling point for ticket buyers. His fellow contestants will be Cook, Chikezie, Ramiele Malubay, Syesha Mercado, Brooke White, Michael Johns, Carly Smithson, Jason Castro, and Kristy Lee Cook.