David Archuleta leaves teen years with a bang
MANILA, Philippines – Pre-Americanan Idol, David Archuleta was like any other teenager. But just like any other teenager, when the opportunity to pursue music came, he readily jumped at the chance, even if he had to skip his prom!
Three years, a debut record, and a Christmas album later, David is now ready to show the world what else is up his sleeve.
“I’ve done a lot more than what I was going to do being a teenager. I guess because I didn’t expect much in my teenage years. There’s a lot more than I thought that happened and I feel like part of it is how you’ll decide how to act. I think a lot of it is up to you, with your decision, with your attitude and how you’re going to handle things. I think that’s very important, not just as a teenager, but in life,” says David in an interview with the Students and Campuses Bulletin held last week at The Peninsula Manila.
The 19-year-old American Idol 2008 runner-up was in Manila to promote his sophomore album “The Other Side of Down.” The first single “Something ‘Bout Love” is currently making the rounds of the local airwaves.
“This is the last chance I had to make an album as a teenager. Unless I make another one in two weeks,” he quips. “And because it’s my last year as a teenager, I want the album to still be fun. At the same time, I want people to pay attention to the lyrics so they’ll understand how I look at things now.”
As he turns 20 years old next month, David admits he is not quite ready yet to leave his teenage years behind. “Leaving that phase and focusing on being an adult is exciting. But 20 is not 21 yet, so I still feel like I’m kind of a kid,” he enthuses.
IMMATURE WAY OF BEING MATURE
With budding maturity, David worked on the album throughout the last year of his teenage life, sharing co-writing credits on most of the songs, and singing about more than just having a crush. Although at first, he found it difficult to open up in his songs.
“I felt I had to hide myself so much because I was imperfect. I had mistakes. Then I realized that people didn’t care that I was imperfect. I realized that you don’t have to be perfect to do this. You must just be willing to work hard. This album and doing the book at the same time, really allowed me to be more open. I learned a lot how to express myself, all the ideas that I have, and all the experiences I’ve had. Today, I feel I don’t have to hide myself,” he explains.
His follow-up album captured two years worth of introspection and reflection, hence the album’s title – The Other Side of Down.
“There’s a balance of fun and meaningful messages in the album. It was an immature way of being mature. For me, it’s about moving forward and making progress. I’m heading towards ‘the other side of down,’ which is ‘up’,” he says. Adding that the album has the right balance of what he wants to accomplish. “With the lyrics, the feel good kind of vibe it had, and the quirkiness, I felt like it was what I wanted to show to people.”
LIFE CHANGING
David didn’t expect to get a record deal after the Idol season wrapped up. Instead, he planned to go back to school. “After the Idol tour, my plan was to go back to school so I wasn’t entirely prepared to make an album, which is why I was really surprised too that the first album did as well as it did,” he says.
The first album, “David Archuleta,” was released in November 2008, while the first single “Crush” debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.
“In the first album, I didn’t really have the time to get involved in it until near the end of the process. It was like let’s get a bunch of songs in an album as fast as we can. I learned a lot from how the business works, what goes on, and who’s involved. To work on the current album, I took that experience from the past with me,” he admits.
David’s appreciation for the beauty of melody, a trait he displayed in his performances on Idol, reflects his current musical tastes, from acoustic guitar-driven singer-songwriters like Jason Mraz to the electronic sounds of A Fine Frenzy’s Alison Sudol and Imogen Heap. “It’s amazing how one song can change someone’s life. It’s been done for me so many times and I want to give to my fans the same thing those artists have given me,” he says.
CHORDS OF STRENGTH
David has always felt a greater sense of purpose in his music most especially after overcoming vocal cord paralysis at age 13. The trying experience was chronicled in his book “Chords of Strength” and resonates in the overall message of “The Other Side of Down.”
“Instead of acting like everything in life is so hard and confusing, look at it this way, the only way you can go from here is up. It’s our decisions and how we handle things, even when they get rough. If we keep holding on, looking at things positively, we can improve our lives, help ourselves, and even help the greater good,” he ends.