David James Archuleta (born December 28, 1990) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. At ten years old, he won the children's division of the Utah Talent Competition leading to other television singing appearances.[6] When he was twelve years old, Archuleta became the Junior Vocal Champion on Star Search 2.[6] In 2007, at sixteen years old, he became one of the youngest contestants on the seventh season of American Idol.[7] In May 2008 he finished as the runner-up, receiving 44 percent of over 97 million votes.
East Grand Traverse Bay, Michigan. Photo by Betsy.
I just returned home from vacay and was inspired to write a little about what I perceived that I missed out on. I wrote it in thirty minutes, so plz be kind, lol.
I have had quite the time catching up on all things David.
I have been out-of-town visiting my daughter and her family. I returned today.
With Twitter on my phone, I received updates. I do not have the internet on my phone, so the updates remained just that. My daughter has a computer, but I could hardly barge in and ask them to get off so that I could hear a new song. 🙂 So we went to the beach. East Traverse City Bay, Traverse City, Michigan.
The air is so clean, the water so blue – it’s been said that breathing the air of this town is akin to taking a muscle relaxer. It’s true.
Sunset on East Traverse City Bay, Michigan.
But next time I leave, I will be more prepared.
Here are some helpful tips for fans leaving town:
1.) Make sure you pack your laptop, if you have one. (I do not. YET)
2.) Bring your own music, unless you actually LIKE listening to metal.
3.) Do not fret when people start tweeting late at night that your favorite singer is releasing 5 new songs. Sit back and quietly spazz along with them, while sitting at the campfire and discussing the deer that just meandered past you.
4.) Do not hyperventilate when you wake up the next morning to tweets that a new song will be played momentarily, and you have no sound on the available computer. That is a story much too long and boring to go into. Eventually you will hear it (the song, not the long boring story).
5.) Do not worry that you are the only one mentally screaming and running around. Wait, no way, was I? I was.
6.) Do not eat 7 squares of pizza in one go. (doesn’t really go with the article, but on reflection, I thought it sound advice, haha).
7.) When you finally make it home and have the luxury of uninterrupted time to catch up, appreciate everything you just had to leave. I just heard this lyric, “Don’t look down ’cause this is reeeeeeal”.
So glad I finally got to hear this song. By myself. I like it. I don’t care if it’s too high. It’s now connected to time spent watching my beautiful daughter smile at her happy beautiful son
Thanks for the song David. It was everything and more, and so worth waiting for.
When it comes to vocal talent, David is as consistent as they come. His voice is on point and on pitch in every performance. He is consistent in delivering an emotionally potent and riveting performance. Singing comes as natural to him as breathing and he rarely misses his mark. He may hit an off note once in a while, but they are few and far between and it’s usually when he’s sick. Vocally, people know what to expect from David and he never disappoints.
David is in the process of discovering his own sound and deciding what picture he wants to paint for the world with his songs. He understands that the world needs to know what to expect from him and he’s trying to make sure that his next project shows the world “who he is” and what they can expect. He is now striving for consistency in this aspect of his life.
There is one last category where I think David still needs to find consistency. That is his wardrobe/image. I know this might seem insignificant. And I know it would be hard for him to actually look bad. With that face? Please! He’s just too beautiful. But I do think he needs some consistency for not only his fans, but for anyone who wants to hire him for a performance. They should know what to expect both in his look and his sound.
David is in a transitional stage with his image as well as his music. David’s first tour, when he was only 18 years old, was affectionately known by some fans as “the plaid tour.” David wore a different plaid shirt for almost every performance. For the CFTH tour, the second half was performed with him wearing a beautiful black jacket and dress shirt with black pants (very nice, by the way). Since then, David has had no real consistency in what he wears. He has done performances in everything from T-shirts and scarves to a Tux. Of course, the Tux was an exception, worn for the most formal of occasions, singing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, but you get my meaning.
Now that David is no longer a teenager and is looking ahead towards what I hope will be a very long career in music, isn’t it time for him to develop his own style in regards to his professional appearance and have some consistency in this area as well? I think he would benefit from finding a nice mature look that he’s comfortable and consistent with, whether it’s for concerts, interviews, singing the NA at sporting events or performing for charity. I’m thinking that this might just fall into place once he discovers his own sound. There will probably be a look that he feels just naturally goes with it.
I know David isn’t going to take our opinion into consideration and I’m not saying he should. When David is ready, he will choose his own style. So…
JUST FOR FUN, and because things are slow right now, how about a little poll? Which of the following photos do you think would be a good look for David now that he’s no longer a teenager? What would you like to see him wearing consistently?
If there’s another photo out there that’s not listed that you think would be a great image for David, let us know. Personally, I’m partial to the fitted T-shirt with a jacket and dark blue or black jeans. It might be a little warm for him on stage with a jacket, but he could always take it off after a few songs, once he gets warmed up.
1.
Very nice! Well fitting. (This color blue looks GREAT on him.)
Casual, comfortable, & looks every bit of his 20 years in this one.
2.
This could work, too. Fitted shirt and skinny tie FTW!
3.
Hmmm … a bit too casual? Maybe with darker jeans?
(Is that the same T-Shirt from pic 1? Hmmm…
Different jeans and no jacket? Not the same look. )
4.
Short-waisted, double-breasted MJ style military jacket. Nice. ♥
5.
Dressy casual. Hmmm… a bit too dressy for on stage?
6.
Black leather jacket with jeans and tie anyone? 😛
7.
My fave.
Gorgeous. That’s all. Just Gorgeous. Well fitting, solid colored T-shirt, Jacket, Dark Jeans, Boots ♥ Different colored T-Shirt = different outfit! Easy as pie.
A little too hot? Like I said, he could always take the jacket off later. (P.S. His hair looks GREAT brushed back like that, too. Makes him look older.
Ready? Choose a photo and tell us why you chose it in the comment section.
It’s (insert date), 2051 and a few of us current fans are sitting on the edge of our clouds, high above, waiting for the concert to begin. Others are using whatever means it takes to get them there, wheelchairs, walkers, canes (reality bites)—and some are still very capable of maneuvering on their own. People of all ages are there. The venue has been sold out for weeks and you can feel the anticipation in the air.
The sound of a heartbeat grows louder.
The band begins playing, the curtain drops and there is David! ♫♫ “Saw you from a distance, saw you from the stage” ♫♫. He still has the same beautiful voice, coming from a little older, very handsome David, who is appearing in one of his rare concerts.
This is my hope and wish for David: FOR HIM TO HAVE A LIFE TIME OF SUCCESS!
With all the angst going on in David’s career (it seems to us), changing labels and management and all the things that go along with it, i.e. promotion –radio play-concerts- PR… I thought this would be a good time to address something that’s been bouncing around in my head for a quite while now.
SandyBeaches’s article on mentoring brought it back to mind again. The fact is I would like to see Neil Diamond mentor David. It probably won’t happen, but I think they think along the same lines about their music and Neil certainly has the experience.
Truth be known Neil Diamond is the only other singer that I would trip over myself to go see other than David.
There are probably a lot of stories out there like Neil Diamond’s but somehow it has always struck me that he and David are similar in a lot of ways.
Although Neil started out his career differently than David, it was his love of music that finally won over his plans for his future. After trying out college, Neil decided it was music that he wanted to do the rest of his life. He started out writing songs in a one room apartment with a piano and phone at age twenty. Those songs were recorded by a vast array of performers from many different musical genres. Later, he started recording songs himself and it was a slow but steady climb to the recognition and fame he has enjoyed for years now.
Neil has recorded over 40 albums and recorded over 100 songs he wrote himself. His style is hard to pinpoint. It varies from ballads, to classic rock and roll, to pop, to a piano and singer gig, sometimes even to a harder beat. But he never changes his style. He was and is a musical prodigy and I would like to see David’s career run a course parallel to his. Although at this point we don’t know which direction David is going to decide to go, you can be sure it will be diverse, not sticking with just one sound. He will have his own style.
When Neil and David are singing there is no mistaking who is singing. They both have their own unique sound and can sing any style of music with feeling and emotion. They both give dynamic, captivating live performances on stage, drawing their audience’s full attention.
David loves the connection he has to the audience in smaller venues, and Neil Diamond liked playing at these smaller venues also, around 1500 to 3000. He often stayed at one place for quite a while, playing to sold-out crowds. As his career grew he began playing at arenas and stadiums.
Neither sings or writes because they are ego driven or thrive on the lime light. They just want people to enjoy and appreciate their music. They both write and sing songs that have personal or meaningful thoughts. Neil Diamond wrote several unique songs, two of which were “Cracklin’ Rosie” and “Crunchy Granola Suite.” And if you’re wondering Cracklin’ Rose is a wine. The second one was inspired by his trip to an Indian reservation because he was impressed with their healthy food, and enjoyed it so much he wanted to write a song about it. Sound like anybody we know? The song “Elevator” David wrote about a dream he had comes to mind. David has stated that he doesn’t have writing a big hit in mind while writing a song; he just wants people to enjoy his songs and relate to the meaning or message he puts in them. Neil Diamond didn’t write for big hits, although it sometimes happened unexpectedly as with “Cherry Cherry” which to this day remains a famous tune. During his Hot August Nights concert, I recall him saying how it was a complete surprise the way it took off, because it took only about 15 minutes to write. I know in my bones that this will happen to David also.
Neil Diamond changed recording companies several times, once in a dispute over what kind of songs they wanted him to do. For him, it was sometimes a long drought in between song successes. There was never one hit after another. Without knowing how it worked back in Neil Diamond’s younger years, I’m sure he wasn’t marketed to just one age group. Everybody liked listening to him because he was good, and like David, appealed to people of all ages
On the final 5 show David sang Neil’s “Sweet Caroline” and “America.” Neil Diamond was the mentor and I’m sure he was referring to David when he said “there are a couple of prodigies in this group.”
David is just getting started, and as he matures and gains more of life’s experiences, he will write some mega hits. Maybe some will be sung by someone else, but he WILL record many himself. David began writing songs at the age of eleven. He has since written several wonderful songs and is presently working on writing more and perfecting his skills in this area. At twenty years old he is already head and shoulders above anybody out there when it comes to singing and expressing a song. This musical prodigy has something else in common with Neil Diamond—-they both adore their mothers.
Diamond continues to tour successfully, and maintains a very loyal following.
On Monday, March 14, 2011 , at age 70, Neil Diamond was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He continues to tour successfully, and maintains a very loyal following.
I just want David to achieve success, security, balance and happiness, cause that’s not a bad place to be and if it comes slowly but surely, like Neil Diamond’s, that’s just fine with me!
In a recent interview with Yes World, David painted a portrait of himself. It is the portrait of a man. A man of deep convictions and a will of iron. A man of clear-eyed vision and remarkable patience. A man of wisdom and courage. The kind of wisdom to “know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em and know when to walk away” and the kind of courage to say no to what feels wrong, let the consequence follow. In this interview is revealed a man who is nobody’s puppet. A man who is not afraid to chart his own course, who can not be bought, and who will not be moved from the path he has set for himself. He will be true to the gift he has been given from that God he relies upon. He talks candidly of leaving his label and management. He tells of other offers he has had to sign with other labels. He turned them all down in order to find his own direction and his own style.
What did they offer him? They offered him money. He knows it can’t buy happiness. They promised him fame. He knows that “gets old fast.” They offered him the world and he chose the road less traveled. He chose to stay true to himself and to the kind of music only he knows is right for him. No one can tell an artist what to paint or what to sing or write or in what direction he should grow. That kind of growth needs time and space to develop and thrive. David is wise enough to know that and he is not willing to compromise his genius. He would not call it genius, he is too modest, but we all know what is at stake here.
There are so many things about this interview I find irresistible: the powerfully simple statement that God is his mentor and guide. His incurably romantic yet patiently responsible views on love and marriage and having kids. My absolute favorite part is where he paints a scene, thrilling in its boldness (love the ego) of the present unfolding into a future of his own making, a future of his decisions married to his vision and his unshakable belief in himself.
“I want to spend time writing, get those songs together, and then go out and say I’m ready. I’m ready to make an album and show it to the record labels and say this is the music I’m going to do. Are you supportive, do you believe in me?”
Once upon a time, bands recorded their music in a studio with all members playing at the same time. I remember watching TV specials about it and admiring the patience it must have taken to keep doing it over and over until they got it right. I also remember buying recordings of live performances.
Live performances have an element that cannot be duplicated in a sound booth. The band and the live audience add another dimension to the performance and enhance it. Many fans have remarked on this very thing in regards to David. David’s live performance of his music is on a whole other level. David becomes more playful with the song, incorporating runs and licks whenever he feels like it, or adding a little attitude to it. He also pushes himself and has more power in his vocals. I find that the result is a song that is more emotional and more powerful, less controlled.
In David’s vlog entitled “Alaska,” he mentions that he is getting back into the studio and has to focus on singing a different way, with a different vibe, that he has to get back into that “mode” of singing in a recording studio.
In what way does he sing differently? Why does he sing differently?
This got me thinking about the different methods of recording and wondering if David has ever considered trying something a little different. Of course, there is no way to get the feel of a live audience in a studio (we wouldn’t all fit!) but there could be another option, recording with a full band in the studio the way it was done before digital layering of recordings was the norm.
These days, most often, songs are recorded in layers, which are added one piece at a time. The artist may not know what the finished record will sound like when doing vocals for his own song. In the days before computerized layering, groups wrote a song, then they rehearsed it many times before attempting to record it. It gave them a chance to play with it, to do it over and over to see how they could make it better.
I think we’ve all seen how David does this during a tour. After performing it several times, he begins adding things to it that make it better and better. The more he performs a song, the better it gets. One fine example of how this might turn out is David’s performance of “My Hands” from Providence. This song is lovely on the original studio recording, but it is stunning in the live performance. Once you get past the first 10 seconds where David is smiling at the audience and are able to wipe the smile off your face, pay close attention to this performance and really listen. You’ll see what I mean. (Then again, you probably already know what’s coming. 🙂
Video by djbell
Let’s be honest. How many of us can name a few live performance vocals that we prefer to the original album version? I know I have one or two.
In this day and age, live recording does pose a problem. Would it be possible to record a song live in concert, put if up for sale, and make a profit from it once it has been performed live? No matter how many signs they post at a concert that say “No Recording Devices Allowed,” we know some ninja Archie will post a recording of that song. So I’m not sure that would work.
But, if a new song was written and it was only performed during band rehearsals, and practiced many times, I think he would be refining it as he goes along, just the way he does on tour. By the time he records it, we would have a really well developed version of the original. The result would be something similar to a live performance, particularly if it were recorded with the whole band.
We know David feeds off the energy of an audience, but doesn’t he get some of that energy from the band as well? We’ve all seen the difference between his performances with a full band and his acoustic performances. To me, there is a marked difference, the one with a full band being a much more high-energy performance. Could recording his music in a studio with all members playing allow him to feed off of their energy and achieve a similar result? Could this be a way to capture some of the magic that David has on stage during live performances?
Now that David has a full-time band that he’s rehearsing with on a regular basis, it is something that could be done. Would it be more costly? Maybe. Would the resulting music be stronger, richer, and more full-bodied? Probably. While recording with the band, he would be able to play with the various elements of a song just the way he does in rehearsal, tweaking it as he goes along until the resulting recording has a sound that feels right to him. It may be a slightly old fashion method of recording, but it’s one that worked for many, many years.
Not many artists could do live performance recordings these days. Most artists’ voices don’t lend themselves to live recording. Too many pitch problems and too much auto-tuning. David is one of the few exceptions. In his live performances his voice is front and center, powerful and on pitch throughout, even while improvising on the end of the song.
David’s gift of improvisation has brought us some amazing fan videos of his live performances. Now that he has assembled a group of musicians that are on a par with his ability to improvise, the resulting recordings, live or as a group in the studio, might well produce some truly incredible music.
“I’m back in Nashville and it’s been good”, David says in his latest vlog. I believe it’s mutual; David likes Nashville and Nashville likes David. He has said that in Nashville he had the best writing experience he’s had so far and that he always looks forward to going back. Whether he’s there to interview songwriters for future collaborations, to have meetings, to attend the Country Music Awards and Festival this week, or to go to Trader Joe’s for some goat cheese pizza, Nashville agrees with David.
It’s apparent that he’s in a good place. I’ve never seen him look happier, more focused, well-rested, content and confident, the master of his universe. He wants the songwriters to understand where he’s coming from so that he can write more meaningful songs. Not too concerned with what’s popular, he’s respectful of the way his music influences people and wants to write songs with this in mind. Most important, he wants his music to come from his heart.
I hope David takes his time and enjoys his newfound freedom, away from the restraints of a controlling label. I hope he doesn’t worry about getting songs together in a hurry as he did with previous albums. However long it takes will be so worth the wait!
Hi everyone…thought I’d give you my thoughts on a few of the songs from his set. First let me tell you a little bit about myself as a fan. I’ve been a fan since AI, though didn’t get crazy into him until towards the end. I’ve seen him on the AI tour, Richmond solo tour, one stop w/ Demi, and CFTH in Baltimore (w/ VIP)..I consider myself a closet DA fan for the most part, and keep my squeeing mainly amongst other DA fans. I don’t do Twitter except to get his tweets…so I know nothing except what I read on a couple of fan sites. I love David for his voice, his interpretation of songs, and for the person he is. I expect nothing from him, except his lovely voice, which brings me peace. 🙂
So here we gooo…
STR one of my favorites on TOSOD, and was super excited to hear it live…and he KILLED it…love his angry song..great (unexpected opening song) I’m sure some people in the audience who had never heard him (live or otherwise) just said “WTH??”
TOSOD got to hear the “HUH” in person!!
ALTNOY such a vocally difficult song, yet he nails it every time!
EWTRTW wow, totally didn’t expect this..and his explanation in the beginning was truly telling about where he’s at now. I really listened to the words as only he could interpret, and it was pretty powerful. If that wasn’t a message song, I don’t know what is. Love it…not much else to say…the ending is just amazing…WHY DON’T PEOPLE GET HIM??????
SBL Slower paced, slightly different vibe…I really like this song, and enjoyed hearing it live
GGTT Was pretty excited he sang this…loved it, his vocals were divine!! perfect for the band introductions/solos…some super talented young men in this band!
MH killed it, killed it, killed it…always love the ending
BB as soon as he said Paul McCartney I was excited…as soon as he started singing, I was stunned…his voice was like buttah! Love his lower register…and seriously his humming is better than most people’s singing! He really makes me listen to the words like I’ve never done before. The band’s instrumentation in this was beautiful!
FS G O R G E O U S!!!
WFM Oh how I’ve missed you “live”..one of his best..only way to top it off would’ve been for him to add that little somethin’ somethin’ from Reno 🙂
Complain I love this song…the guitar in it is amazing…and his vocals are crazy good…that note at the end=GAH!! His vocals were so strong, even though it was his 14th song! With NO water breaks!!
ELEV fun song, with audience participation
Crush His first born…..soooooo goooood liiiiiive
Photo I B TinaB
David sounded amazing, not sure what else to say…so good to see him back singing a whole set, I think he needed it as much as us. It was worth sitting in the sun from 10:30…thankfully I’m from the beach, so I already had a tan, so didn’t get burnt….not so much for some of the other fans. It looked like a pretty good crowd…I tried to look to see how far back people were, but I’m only 5’, so my range isn’t very good!
All in all it was a magical evening..worth having to deal with so much T & A walking/riding around MB..it was quite an interesting social experience!! LOL
It was fun to finally meet SF and her sister, and SB…thanks for the chips, dip, and water! and the chair 🙂 David has the best fans! (I spy part of myself in SB’s pic) Met some other familiar names, and it’s so funny to watch them all reunite and hug each other!
If this is the direction David is heading, then I’m standing in line for this ride!
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The Voice David Archuleta 