David Archuleta

I loved hearing David Archuleta sing Imagine when I first saw this young boy on American Idol. He was only 16 at the time the show was recorded. I remember being so impressed with his stage presence. He seemed so calm and already a professional. Archuleta finished second on the show, but that’s probably a good thing. I’m pretty sure you’re locked into a bunch of contracts if you’re the winner. Finishing second or third is great since you’ve already gotten the exposure and don’t have to deal with contractual issues. BTW, he didn’t lose American Idol by much. He received 44% of the votes to David Cook’s 56%.

David James Archuleta was born in Miami, Florida on December 28, 1990. He was born with talented genes as his mom was a salsa singer and dancer and his dad a jazz musician. His family moved to Utah when he was just six years old. I’ve never been.

Archuleta won a children’s division of a Utah Talent Competition when he was only 10 years old. He won Star Search (Junior Vocal Champion) when he was only 12. I guess that’s why he seemed so composed when he arrived at Idol at the ripe old age of 16. He had already spent close to half his life in the spotlight.

David Archuleta recorded several successful albums but took a break from his singing career when he was 21 to go on a two year mission for his church. He spent his mission in Santiago, Chile. I don’t understand all that, but I respect his beliefs and his commitment to his church.

PTSD

Archuleta talked a few months ago about how he had suffered PTSD from his stint on American Idol. What? He says how the show created a character that was only partially David. He didn’t like how the show portrayed him and his family and he didn’t like being portrayed in a way that wasn’t exactly him. Umm…..was he not aware he was going on a reality TV show? Nobody forced him. This is what he signed up for. Did he think this was just a friendly competition at the county fair?

I’m sure he and other contestants have suffered negative things from being on the show, but there are also a lot of positive things. He went on a TV show and became famous and made a lot of money. There are consequences for that. I think the term PTSD should be reserved for those who sacrifice their life to protect our country. Having PTSD from a reality show kind of demeans those who have fought in the war.

David Archuleta is still making music. He has six studio albums out with the most recent one just a few months ago. Winter in the Air was released on November 2, 2018. I wish him the best with his music and his reality show demons. Just don’t call it PTSD……