Idol’s Archuleta Hopes Holiday CD Expands His Audience

Idol’s Archuleta hopes holiday CD helps expand his audience

By John J. Moser, The Morning Call, Allentown, Pa.

Dec. 12–It would seem you’re in a good career position when Disney, the juggernaut of the entertainment world, seeks you out to tour with its latest teen pop princess or to duet with its reigning starlet on her TV show’s new soundtrack.

But if you’re David Archuleta, runner-up from 2008′s “American Idol” show, there are even bigger career issues — to take your music to a broader audience than the teen pop world and to achieve artistic integrity.

That’s why Archuleta, having had two hit singles and with his poppy 2008 self-titled debut disc about to hit platinum, is recording a new disc he says will “show more of my personality.”

And it’s one reason Archuleta, who turns 19 this month, says he recorded “Christmas From the Heart.” The holiday disc, released in October, this week was No. 34 on Billboard’s albums chart.

“That was a goal with the Christmas album — to get music that did not have any boundaries and did not have any restrictions, like ‘Oh, this is only for my kids,’ ” says Archuleta, who performs a Christmas concert Friday at the Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg. “It’s for anyone who wants to listen … ’cause with Christmas music, there aren’t any boundaries.”

Of course, Archuleta knows that when Disney comes calling, it’s hard to turn down the opportunity.

Such was the case, he says, after his successful spring first solo tour of clubs (he played Allentown’s Crocodile Rock in March).

He says he was approached by Disney to accompany Demi Lovato on her first solo tour last summer.

“They just invited me to come on the tour and I was like, ‘OK!,’ ” Archuleta says. “And it was a lot of fun. It’s fun getting to do arenas again. Demi’s so talented — she’s really cool.” The tour was successful enough to win the Teen Choice Award for Best Tour. Archuleta also won Breakout Artist and Best Love Song for his hit “Crush.”

Then, in July, Disney again tapped Archuleta to duet with Miley Cyrus on the song “I Wanna Know You” on her “Hannah Montana 3″ soundtrack disc. Both the disc and the single hit the Billboard charts.

“I guess my image just fits that,” he says with a laugh. “I haven’t really tried to do the Disney thing; I guess I just automatically had that kind of image. I guess I try to keep a pretty clean image, and my music is very pop and stuff. I’m happy to know that my music is OK for kids.”

But he’s also aware of the limitations of being a Disney star, and says older fans come to his shows, too. “I mean, half of them are kids and then the other half is, I guess, from the ‘American Idol’ audience, just a lot of older people, too,” he says. “My music ‚… is for anyone who wants to enjoy the music.”

And while Archuleta says he’s indebted to “Idol,” he also says he hopes to move beyond that image, as well.

“That’s what people [focus on], ’cause they’re the ones who voted for me and allowed me to do this,” he says. “But the reason I wanted to do ‘American Idol’ was so I could be able to do my own career. So it’s not like I want to be, ‘Hi, I’m from American Idol.’ ‚… I’m hoping that people will be able to say, ‘Hey, David Archuleta,’ just to be known for your hard work; to be respected as an artist.”

Archuleta says a Christmas CD was an easy choice. “We used to go Christmas caroling and that’s like the early parts of my performing. … The first time I ever remember performing for an audience was Christmastime. I remember singing, ‘I Saw Momma Kissing Santa Claus,’ ” he says with a hearty laugh.

He wrote one of the disc’s songs, “Melodies of Christmas,” and hopes to write more on his next CD.

“I really enjoy it because it’s like I get to say and share with people, ‘This is me and this is what’s on my mind and this is who I am.’ ”

Asked whether that disc also will be pop, he says, “It has more of my personality. I mean, I’m kind of quirky person. … And I want to be that with my music. It’s not like I’m this deep, dark, mysterious person.”

He says he’s also writing a memoir — “another opportunity that came up,” he says with a laugh. “At first I was like, ‘I’m not old enough to talk about my life.’ I still have a lot more life to live, I hope, you know? But I guess people have been interested in what things I’ve gone through in my life.”

But with such a busy life, Archuleta says, things such as romantic relationships have had to wait.

“Well, I went on a date a couple months ago, but that shows how much I do date,” he says. “I don’t go on dates. It wasn’t even like a serious date or anything. ‚… Just waiting for the right girl, I guess.”

In a February interview, Archuleta even said he hadn’t had a first kiss. Has that changed? He laughs again.

“Once again, waiting for the right person,” he says. “I don’t think it’s really something that you just look for a moment to do it. I don’t know, I want to make sure it’s a special person, you know?”

john.moser@mcall.com

610-820-6722

DAVID ARCHULETA

with Benton Paul

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

Where: Sherman Theater, 524 Main St., Stroudsburg

How much: $30 (standing) and $43 Set list: Songs from his new CD, “Christmas From The Heart,” such as “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “Silent Night” and his original composition “Melodies of Christmas,” as well as his pop hits “Crush” and “A Little Too Not Over You.”

Info: 570-420-2808, http://www.shermantheater.com

Online: davidarchuletanetwork.ning.com; http://www.myspace.com/davidarchuleta

Thanks Naree

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