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By Paul John CaŃa, Contributor
When David Archuleta walked into the function
room of the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Singapore, he was instantly
swarmed by a horde of photographers. The smile never left his face
though as he was ushered into a corner and was made to stand and
pose for the cameras. “Hang on, I think I might have something in
my teeth,” he said, eliciting laughs from the photographers. In
person, the 18 year-old runner-up of last season’s American Idol
is exactly as he is on TV: polite, charming and perpetually flashing
that mega-watt smile.
He may have lost out to namesake David Cook, but
with the way his career has taken off after the show, does anybody
really care? The teenager has already amassed a tremendous following
from the ‘tween’ set and beyond, all of whom have been enamored
by his aw-shucks, boy-next-door persona. His album has sold
millions, and his tours (first with the American Idol top 10 and
then his own solo tour) have been well-received. Still, the kid is
still, well, a kid, and it was evident during our roundtable
interview, with his long-rambling sentences and his propensity to
giggle and laugh at every other sentence.
Upon learning that I was Filipino, Archuleta
immediately brought up fellow AI season 7 contestant Ramiele Malubay.
“She’s always speaking Tagalog,” he said. I asked if he’s
picked up any Tagalog himself. “Kinda!” He laughed. “Ramiele
taught me a little bit but I kinda forgot it.”
Mice In The Drawer
The native of Salt Lake City, Utah said he’s
been missing home a lot since he started touring, but added that he
wasn’t exactly in a hurry to get back to his own room in his
house. “I can’t stay in my room because it’s so messy.
There’s so many fan mail. My family has been using my room for all
the fan mail and all the fan gifts. They were looking for my birth
certificate in the drawer and they found five baby mice in there!
[The mice] shredded up my papers and made a mess out of them. I just
couldn’t sleep in there and it smells so bad.” Archuleta said
he’s now staying with a Persian friend and is learning how to
speak Farsi. “Their grandma, Mama Jun, she doesn’t speak any
English. None whatsoever. So I had to learn how to communicate with
her. I’d have to point to things, do emotions and stuff. But
it’s fun.”
Despite becoming a celebrity, Archuleta insists
that he’s still the same person he was before he was thrust into
the limelight. “A lot of my friends at first didn’t know how to
treat me. They were so nervous because they thought I had changed
and become this famous person, and its like, uhmm...I’m still the
same person that you were hanging out with six months ago, a year
ago. And after being around them for half an hour, they go, ‘oh
it’s David, he’s still himself.’”
Funeral potatoes
Still, Archuleta had to deal with weird fan
moments, especially if it involves people he’s known way before he
became famous. “I went to a party at my school and it was right
after American Idol. And everyone was like, ‘Oh David’s here.
David Archuleta!’ And people who I had known for years, they’re
like, ‘Oh can we get pictures.’ So I’m like, ‘Yeah, sure.’
I’ve been used to doing that but it’s kind of weird when it’s
people you actually know versus people who are like, yeah I’ve
never seen you before.”
Asked about what particular dish he misses from
back home, he answered, “Funeral potatoes. It’s potato
casserole, cause they always have it at funerals. Or at weddings or
church gatherings.”
There was the inevitable question on whether he
kept in touch with any of his fellow Idol contestants. And the short
answer is yes, he still keeps in touch with most of them, especially
Jason Castro, David Cook, Brooke White, Ramiele and Michael Johns.
“Except Chikezie. I haven’t talked to him in a while, but other
than him, everyone else I’ve gotten a hold of at one time or
another.”
Water and cookies
And here’s something that should warm the
hearts of everyone following Archuleta’s every move (including
those here in the Philippines): Archuleta said he is proud of his
fans. “For the most part, they’ve been really great and very
supportive and really considerate. And that’s what I really
appreciate from them. Even though they get really excited, they
still make sure that they give me space. And they all know when
I’m sick. They’ll give me honey and little herbal tea packages
and stuff. They’re always giving gifts. Sometimes they give a lot
of gifts,” he said laughing.
Archuleta also mentioned the way his fans rally
to support the causes he believed in, including the Children’s
Make-A-Wish Foundation and Stand Up To Cancer. “It’s neat to see
that they’re fanatical in good ways too,” he added.
For his fans who want to find out exactly how
David Archuleta “parties,” he said: “Usually just listening to
music. And dancing. But not with drinks. Maybe just water and
cookies.” There’s that giggle again.
Plan B
Archuleta, who just finished high school, said
he is thinking about pursuing college, though not anytime in the
near future as he is just too busy with his burgeoning career. “I
think that education is really important and while I never thought
that I was smart enough to go to music classes and stuff, it’s
something that I’ve really gotten interested in.”
The teenage pop star had so much to say during
the interview that sometimes, words would just roll right on top of
each other in his mouth. But for someone still fairly new in the
business and still grappling with fame and all its trappings, he
expressed himself fairly well and did pretty good. At 18, the future
might be his for the taking, but he is also pragmatic and is fully
aware of the ephemeral nature of show business. “Music has always
been something I’ve always wanted to do in my life, and I don’t
plan on stopping to do it. But you just don’t know how long things
will last. You always need a plan B and a plan C and a plan D, just
in case music doesn’t work out. I think, something that I was
always interested in ever since I had my vocal chord paralysis thing
was being an ear, nose and throat doctor. I think it’d be nice if
I could help other people who don’t know what to do in that
situation.”
David Archuleta performs in Manila with David
Cook May 16, at the SM Mall of Asia. For tickets. contact
Ticketworld 8919999.
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