David Archuleta

David Archuleta

David Archuleta became a star when he was just 16. In 2008 more than 30 million television viewers fell in love with his angelic voice and their 44 million votes made him runner-up in Season 7 of “American Idol.” Soon after, the young Utahan signed with Jive Records and his first single “Crush,” debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart the week of its release. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the track sold 166,000 downloads that first week in the U.S. and subsequently more than 1.92 million digital copies. Three months later, David’s self-titled album, “David Archuleta,” went gold, selling more than 750,000 copies in the U.S., and more than 900,000 worldwide. “It was so neat to see how positive fans were about ‘Crush,’” David said of the enthusiastic reception for his chart debut. Born in Miami, Florida, to Lupe Marie (née Mayorga), a salsa singer and dancer from Honduras, and Jeff Archuleta, a jazz musician of Spanish–Basque, Danish, Irish, German, and Iroquois descent, David credits his parents with shaping his musical style. “Music was always a part of my life growing up,” he says. “My mother was also big on dancing and would teach my older sister and me to dance to traditional music. I can’t think about celebrating my family without thinking about celebrating music.” In 2010 David released his third album, “The Other Side of Down” which featured the single “Something ‘Bout Love” and appeared as guest star on The Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s holiday album, “David Archuleta – Glad Christmas Tidings.” “I grew up with such a great respect for the Choir, and never imagined I’d be up there with them one day,” he says. “Just getting to be up on that stage with the Choir is one of the best feelings I’ve ever felt in my life.” David went on to release his fourth album, “Forevermore,” exclusively in the Philippines in March 2012 where it was soon certified gold. Later that year he released his fifth album, “Begin,” which featured the new original track, “Broken.” David’s sixth album, “No Matter How Far” was released in March 2013 along with a new song, “Don’t Run Away,” which was released on iTunes as the accompanying lead single. In 2012, David, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, put his singing career on hiatus so he could volunteer for a two-year stint as a full-time missionary in Santiago, Chile, at the La Misión Chile Rancagua.

Update this biography »
Complete biography of David Archuleta »

Follow 1 fan