[Article]-MediaCord TV

"American Sweetheart"

Is it any surprise everyone wants a piece of American Idol runner-up David Archuleta?
By Jamie Yap

David
Archuleta. Two words that conjure collective sighs and screams from
women (mostly) aged eight to 80. Just what is it that makes the
18-year-old runner-up from the seventh season of American Idol, so
incredibly endearing to young and old? Besides those angelic vocal
pipes, maybe it’s the way he breaks into song during the press
interview. Or how he describes his rabid fan base as “fanatical, but in
a good way” (See, not a mean bone in his body). Or that he parties with
water and cookies.


What do you miss most about your home in Utah?
DAVID ARCHULETA: Definitely that’d be family, and the people there. There’s just no place like home, where I was raised and the people there are just so great.
It’s just nice to be in that normal environment. Like a lot of my
friends at first didn’t know how to treat me, cos they’re like, they’re
so nervous cos they thought I’d changed and become this famous person.
And it’s like, um, I’m still the same person that you were hanging out
with six months, a year ago. (Laughs)


But you are famous. You even won the Teen Choice Award for Most Fanatic Fans last year.
What’s neat is that for the most part, they’ve
been really great [and] really supportive. And they still are really
friendly and really considerate. That’s what I really appreciate. Even
though they get really excited, they still make sure that they give me
space. They’re like, ‘Oh, I hope you’re feeling better’ if I’m
feeling sick. So they’ll give me like honey and little herbal tea
packages, like ‘Here, this will help you.’


You made a guest appearance as yourself on Nickelodeon’s iCarly. Are you thinking of being an actor?
Actually
the week before I went on the solo tour, I did an episode of Hannah
Montana. That was a lot of fun. I was so nervous because I’m like, ‘I
suck at acting. Why am I doing this?’ (chuckles), but once I got there,
I just had a great time. I was [playing] myself again and I only had a
little bit to say and stuff, but it was still a lot of fun. It’s kinda
like telling a story, a little fun story. And that’s kinda like the
similarity I saw in music cos you’re still trying to like portray or
tell a story to someone. So it’s kinda cool.


You
started singing at age six, went on US talent show Star Search, and
then American Idol. Do you see yourself doing music forever?
Music has always been something I always wanted to do in my life. I don’t plan on stopping to do it.
You just don’t know when things, how long things will last, and like
with a career and making a living out of music, who knows how long that
will last. I’m still always gonna do music, just because I love it so
much, and that’s just a passion of mine.


You’re going on a UK tour with McFly later in April. Excited?
That
will be my first time in the UK, so that will be really exciting. I did
the American Idol tour and then I did my solo tour [and] had an opening
act for that one. This will be a completely different [since] I’m the
opening act and it’d be great to be touring with McFly, cos I really
like some of their songs.


Are you planning on partying with the boys?
I don’t know if their way of partying is exactly the same way I would party (laughs). I’m
usually just listening to music (guffaws) and dancing, but not with
drinks, you know, just dancing. And maybe water, and cookies. It’s
funny because it’s like some people think that my friends are drunk
because they’re so like crazy and energetic but none of us really drink
or anything. Like how do you have so much energy? I don’t know! (Guffaws) It’s just that way.