Channel News Asia

David Archuleta: Life after "Idol"

SINGAPORE : Known as the shy boy with a squeaky clean image on
“American Idol”, David Archuleta had a stunning run in Season 7,
finishing second in the finals last year.



In less than a year, the 18-year-old has emerged a big star with
his first solo tour in the US and a self-titled debut album that's been
gaining popularity among audiences from all ages.



You’d think with all the experience on “Idol”, performing on stage
in front of large crowds would come naturally for the teen star, but
Archuleta admitted that he was at a lost at the start of his tour.


“From the first show, I was like ‘Oh my gosh. How am I going to be able
to move around the stage. And I don’t know what to say, I don’t know
what to do.’”



In addition, Archuleta, who was used to performing shorter
renditions of songs on “Idol”, had to do up to 17 numbers in one night
during his concert, and wasn’t sure if his voice “could hold up till
the end”.



“But it seemed like the more I did it, the stronger my voice got,”
said the “Crush” hitmaker, who is Singapore as part of a promotional
tour in Asia.



“To see how my endurance has grown, how my voice has strengthened,
it’s been really neat to see that... And I’m just so glad to be able to
overcome that and to have these opportunities to go on tour and to
sing.”



He added, “It was crazy to think that everyone there came to see
me, like they actually did come to see me perform. It was so out-of
this world, so surreal to me.”



Archuleta, whose fan base consists mostly of legions of screaming
teen and pre-teen girls along with their mothers, shared that some of
his older fans are somewhat embarrassed about raving over his music.



To his older fans, Archuleta said, “You’re never too old to listen to the music.”



“Maybe you’re too old for me, but... as long as you don’t put it that way,” he joked.



So Archuleta fans - young and old - be sure to catch the star’s
performance at the newly-opened Iluma Media and Entertainment Centre at
Bugis on Tuesday at 7pm. Archuleta might just perform his unreleased
song, “Zero Gravity”, a fan favourite during his US tour.



On the amazing response to the song, Archuleta said, “It’s just
crazy because they’ve never heard it before! But I think that’s part of
what really drew them to it - the excitement of the song and the
energy.


"For me, I had so much fun (doing it on the tour). I’m always jumping
around and stuff and it’s so cool to see everyone else jumping too. The
thrill, it’s just amazing!"



And if you are crossing your fingers that “Zero Gravity” will be
released soon, you might be disappointed as even Archuleta doesn’t have
an answer to that.



“It’s all up to the (record) label if they want to release it after
the response,” he said. “It was a song that people thought wouldn’t
work out but we decided to put it in the show for the tour anyway so we
can have something fun.”



- CNA/ap/il

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