David Archuleta is an American singer and songwriter who was a contestant on the popular show “American Idol” in 2007. He was born in 1990 in Miami, Florida to parents Jeff and Lupe. David sang and competed from a very early age and was a competitor on “Star Search” at age twelve. He won the title of Junior Vocal Champion that season. He also sang on “The Early Show” and “The Jenny Jones Show”. Tragically, David suffered from partial vocal paralysis at age thirteen and had to limit his singing to rare occasions. Fortunately, today he has fully recovered from that condition.
In July of 2006, David auditioned for “American Idol” at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. He made it through each round of elimination with growing popularity. In the final stage of the show, Archuleta competed against David Cook for the winning title. David Archuleta took 44% of the votes, barely losing out to David Cook in a surprising upset. 97 million Americans voted for the winner of that season. Three of the songs David sang in the finale went on to be on the Billboard Hot 100.
In the following June of 2008, Archuleta signed on with Jive Records and released his first album that November. His first single, “Crush”, debuted at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also sold 2 million copies online. Since then he has released a second album and a Christmas album. He has been on six tours, including one through Asia and one where he opened for Demi Lovato. He has since ended his contract with Jive Records.
Since his time on”American Idol”, David Archuleta has been extensively involved in several charitable organizations. He helped with a celebrity telethon following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, answering phones, tutoring students. He has also traveled to India with an organization that helps kids suffering from leprosy called Rising Star Outreach.