David Archuleta

David Archuleta lives in Murray, Utah and is currently a student at Murray High School. If he doesn’t become the next American Idol he wants to continue school and keep singing.  The only job he has had was as a sound technician at a park amphitheater.  Before making it through to Hollywood he suffered partial vocal paralysis but decided against surgery as it was risky and feels that he has fully recovered.

David started singing when he was six years old after being inspired by a Les Misérables 10th-anniversary video, "That musical is what started all of this." says Archuleta. His first success was at age 10 when he participated in a Talent show in Utah. He sang Dolly Parton’s “I will always love you” and won the children’s division.

This gave Archuleta the credentials to compete on Star Search  appear on The Jenny Jones Show and CBS’s The Early Show as well as being lucky enough to meet the finalists from American Idol's first season for whom he performed an acappella version of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from the movie “dreamgirls”.

His mother was born in Honduras and alot of the music Archuleta listened to as a child was Hispanic-influenced; he also listened to a lot of other genres such as jazz music from his father’s collection as well as, rock, gospel, pop and soul. He is also a big fan of Broadway Musicals.

On Archuleta’s American Idol "Fast Facts" page he says his musical influences are: Natalie Cole, Kirk Franklin , Stevie Wonder, and Bryan Adams. When asked to list his top pop artists he answered; Michael Jackson, Natasha Bedingfield, Natalie Cole, Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, Bryan Adams, Celine Dion,  and Kirk Franklin.

He also chose Elliott Yamin & Tamyra Gray and as his favorite American Idol contestants from former seasons. Like Yamin and another singer he admires, John Mayer, Archuleta enjoys infusing his pop songs with a soulful vibe.