Breakfast at Mix 98.5 Boston With David Archuleta!

By On 10/29/2008 · 94 Comments · In Uncategorized

First I gotta than Kristen the promotions coordinator at MIX 98.5. for allowing me to hang out at the breakfast! The peeps at MIX were all really cool. Lander, the morning guy did not poke his head into the MIX lounge, (he’s like OZ says Kristen, ha ha) But, Fast Freddie, the guy who does gossip did come into the lounge for a bit. I promised him I’d send him any scoop I found it. Heh.

I just edited this paragraph to add info and fix typos! First things first: Here’s the information I managed to get from David and his Dad: There is a song that David wrote completely on his own for the album. It’s called “Falling” and it’s a bonus track on the iTunes deluxe version. He wrote the song when he was 14 years old. David wrote non-stop the two weeks before the album deadline, because he and Jeff felt there weren’t enough good tracks to choose from for the album. He wrote about 8 songs, four of them are on the album. He wrote the bonus track for the Wal-mart edition with Daniel Bedingfield. It’s an acoustic number, and the “heaviest” on the album. He also wrote “Don’t Let Go” with JC Chasez and “A Little Too Not Over You” with Matt Girard and Robbie Neville.

Check out my pictures and read my account of the morning after the JUMP…

When I arrived at the studio, there was no crowd waiting outside the building for David like at some of the other radio station events. Once inside, the fans invited to the event were milling about. They were mostly teens and their moms. Skipping school to see David Archuleta! Interesting, none of them are on the internet. Nobody I talked to knew that David’s album was available for pre-order on iTunes or that a full version of “Angels” was available for download. Most of these kids know “Crush” because it’s on the radio, but are pretty unaware of everything else going on with him. When I said, “his album is available for pre-order,” nobody appeared to be chomping at the bit to order it. They will probably buy his album when it’s available. Here’s a pic of some of the kids I met.

We waited around in the lobby for awhile before we were ushered into the MIX lounge. Breakfast from Panera was waiting for us. Yum. The original plan was for David to do his interview first, and then come back to meet the fans. But, he was stuck in traffic trying to get across town from the other radio station. He finally arrived:

And it turned out that David didn’t arrive in time to do a live interview, so he came out to have breakfast with the fans first. He sat up front, and it was so funny, because it was very quiet at first, so I asked the first question, about “Falling”–he mentioned that it was “only” a bonus track, then I thanked him for bringing peace to my blog–that his friendship with Cook helped bring all the fans together. Ha ha. I also mentioned that his pre-order had hit #6 on iTunes and he didn’t seem to be aware of that. He was all “Cool!”

He turned to talk to another fan and said, I think I have something in my teeth. After the fan left, he turned to me and said, “Do I have something in my teeth?” He squinted his eyes and grinned so I could inspect. Heh. David is so random, and so funny. No, he didn’t have anything in his teeth. David also sings to himself. All the time. When he’s signing autographs, when he’s answering questions…I mean all the time! Also, according to Kristen, when he walked into the building, he saw pictures of Jason Mraz and John Mayer from past MixFests on the wall and he got really excited.

David signed a picture for me, and he asked me my name, I said “MJ” and Jeff Archuleta was standing there, and said, “You’re MJ? I want to talk to you!” And I was all “Ruh Roh!” By this time, the kids got over their shyness and approached the table for autographs, it got crowded, so I retreated to the back to talk to Jeff and that’s when he told me about the cuts on the album and the songs David wrote right before deadline. Anyway, he said that he found me last November when I was posting spoilers from IDF, and that I introduced him to the wonderful world of AI online. Ha. He said he found the information useful, and didn’t mind at all that I spoiled David. He also was OK with the fact that I criticized David during the competition, and that he realizes that’s “part of the business.”

One other thing he made a point of telling me (probably because I criticized David’s penchant for ballads during the show) that David sang mostly ballads because he couldn’t hear himself during the faster numbers like “Shop Around”. They allowed the kids to wear in-ear monitors, but only for a couple of weeks.

So I pulled myself away from Jeff to snap some more pictures of David:

Jeff also said that album is “very mature” and has a variety of styles on it, and that people will be “blown away”. Towards the end of the breakfast, some of the staff came in to talk to David and take pictures, including Fast Freddie, and the music director and a few other people. Right before David left, he grabbed some breakfast for himself. He says there are no Paneras in Utah.

Here are some more random pictures:

Kristen, the promotions director was gushing. She said David was one of the nicest people she’s ever met.

Afterward, David left to record his interview. You’ll be able to hear it live tomorrow at the MIX 98.5 website

 
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  • http://myspace.com/pm68 Pam

    MJ,

    Thanks for the recap and the pics. Very interesting info. This was my favorite part of all:

    He turned to talk to another fan and said, I think I have something in my teeth. After the fan left, he turned to me and said, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Do I have something in my teeth?à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  He squinted his eyes and grinned so I could inspect

    :lol_tb:

  • Michelle

    LOL at the Sharpies – one in each hand! Glad to see Archie looking happy and by all reports, still adorable :)

  • http://www.myspace.com/gundomom CarieB

    Awesome that you got to be there, MJ. My favorite part was Jeff knowing who you were and wanting to do his own “spoiling” to you about the album.

  • frogcooke

    YAY thanks Mj for the scoop and pics! :)

  • soundscene

    Thanks for the pics and the recap MJ! I’m so excited for this album–and David looks as adorable as ever.

  • E

    Thanks MJ!

  • http://mjsbigblog.com lucyfan

    Thank you mj! Hope you enjoyed yourself.
    Great job, as usual! :thumbup_tb:

  • ealbino

    Thank you for those pics and the info Mj! he is so adorable!

  • IGetCranked

    Whoaaa MJ were you nervous when Jeff said that to you? LOL
    It is amazing at how down to earth Jeff and David both are from all the reports I’ve read. They take the bad along with the good.

    I liked how those fans weren’t “chomping at the bit” because that just shows that he has brought in new fans from his song not from AI. Hopefully, they will get his cd when they see it on the shelves.

  • http://mjsbigblog.com lucyfan

    I liked how those fans werenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“chomping at the bità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  because that just shows that he has brought in new fans from his song not from AI. Hopefully, they will get his cd when they see it on the shelves.

    Good point, IGC. I agree, and I’m thinking they’ll be snatchin’ up that cd when it drops, especially after having had the opportunity to “meet” David in person. From all accounts, he’s even sweeter and more genuine in person, so I have a feeling those fans left that event a bit starry-eyed! I know I would have, and I’m old enough to be his, um, mom! There, I said it. ;)

  • frogcooke

    heres a nice littel interview from this morning at WLAN, he sang happy birthday at the end

  • LK08

    MJ, is there a picture of YOU with David?

  • BootStar

    OMG, that was so cute. Where’s the photo of you, MJ???

    We’ve got a new Panera’s opening in our shopping center soon. DS#2 was very upset when the old IHOP got the ax only to see signs for Panera’s go up shortly thereafter, but I’ll have to take him to Panera’s for breakfast in honor of Archie when it opens. Ha, ha.

    Album sounds great; glad I pre-ordered it on iTunes.

    I have to say of all of Archie’s endearing qualities, this “singing all the time” thing is probably the cutest. I’ve read about it several times. While I’m not the biggest Archie fan in the world, I gotta say again, it’s hard not to love this kid.

  • http://myspace.com/girlgeek mj

    MJ, is there a picture of YOU with David?

    Oh, hell no. I don’t do pictures. I’d wind up as a photo chop on various blogs, without a doubt. No need to give people who are looking for it, ammunition. LOL.

  • http://myspace.com/girlgeek mj

    My crappy typing will be the death of me! I just added a little more information to the post… I also fixed some typos!

  • abbysee

    What great pictures MJ. He’s just adorable. The random singing is just so funny to me. It’s like his brain is just wired to sing. I am so elated that he has many normal fans who don’t think he walks on water but like him cause he’s cute and has a wonderful voice. Those folk he will never let down.

    David is turning out to be a very charming and interesting young man. I can’t wait to listen to the songs where he had direct input. That will give us rabids some stuff to slice and dice until the next project, lol.

  • IGetCranked

    I eat at Paneras all the time! Love it!

    It is interesting that David didn’t feel like there was enough good tracks to choose from. He is so mature and ready for this process. A lot of people his age would just sing anything given and throw it out there and hope for groupies. You can tell that this really is his passion.

    I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t do pictures. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d wind up as a photo chop on various blogs, without a doubt

    Party pooper!

    (off to listen to Frogcooke’s link)

  • frogcooke

    little david info Angels at #20

  • gerreb

    Thanks for your recap of this morning MJ! Sounds fun, I’m glad you got to talk with him and his dad!
    David is so photogenic, he doesn’t take a bad picture!

  • http://myspace.com/girlgeek mj

    I just thought of one more thing Jeff told me. He said that David sang mostly ballads on the show, because he couldn’t hear the band. That during “Shop Around” he had a hard time hearing.

    That’s probably not new information to some of the fans, but I hadn’t heard that before.

  • elle

    Fun times! And I didn’t think I could be any more excited than I already am about the album!

    And Happy Birthday?! It will never be the same again. :tongue1_tb:

  • IGetCranked

    I think that is one thing that got him off track during We Can Work It Out.

  • LK08

    I am not sure I had ever heard he had a hard time hearing the band.

    Regarding him constantly singing, I can relate. I am a musician and there is constantly music going through my head- lately David archuleta. He is just a very musically gifted person and being a singer, it is natural that he would be constantly singing. Some people think it is really weird. I remember being an instrumentalist in music school and the choral people would all go around singing all the time like that. His world is just filled with music. I think it is darling. I think it also shows how happy he is, despite that awful stage dad (Just kidding).

  • gerreb

    I just thought of one more thing Jeff told me. He said that David sang mostly ballads on the show, because he couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t hear the band. That during à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Shop Aroundà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  he had a hard time hearing.

    Yeah I have heard that, but I think most people are unaware of that. I guess the producers wouldn’t let the contestants wear the in-ear monitors until the finale because they “looked funny”. There were a couple shows at the beginning where they were allowed to wear them, but after that, they weren’t allowed to wear them anymore.

  • frogcooke

    Yeah MJ, thats one of the reasons.
    Also in the ‘with you’ performance I think that may have been one of the issues why he kinda stumbled in the begining. Though he was fine when they used ear monitors.

  • trahnc

    What a great write up. Thanks for sharing. And of course, David looks amazing in the photos.

  • soundscene

    ^^ Yeah, he was apparently thrilled when they got to use ear monitors for a couple of weeks, but the producers thought they didn’t look good so it was taken away.

  • frogcooke

    yeah gerreb, after the wcwio fiasco thats when they started with the ear monitors lol then took them away a few weeks later… lol

  • sidewalk

    MJ thank you!!! Wow lots of info! I can’t wait to hear his album

  • elle

    He couldn’t hear the band. Girls screaming too loud.

  • soundscene

    yeah gerreb, after the wcwio fiasco thats when they started with the ear monitors lol then took them away a few weeks laterà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ lol

    Ah, yeah… the WCWIO fiasco. He was dealing with a wholly new arrangement he had only rehearsed with the band once and he couldn’t hear himself. Poor guy.

    Bandzilla was the primary reason he attempted to keep all his arrangements very simple. Sometimes the producers allowed it, sometimes they didn’t.

  • sma11ie

    He said that David sang mostly ballads on the show, because he couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t hear the band.

    That’s really interesting. During the show, I was convinced, especially after “With You”, that Archie just struggled with the clipped phrasing of faster songs (didn’t Paula say something like that) because he wasn’t used to singing them, but then he totally knocked it out of the park with Crush, so I figured it was just nerves on the show. I wouldn’t have guessed it had to do with hearing the band. Anyway, I’m just glad Archie proved me wrong, because as much as I like his voice, I get bored with too many ballads.

  • JOJOSIE

    I’m a big Panera fan also, and I’m going there tomorrow and I’ll just say it’s because of Archie. Read on one of her blogs that Syesha was a Panera fan also. Glad to hear all the songs on his album aren’t like Crush. It’s not a bad song but just sounds like a lot of others I hear (that’s what TPTB want, I guess). He seems really happy and Dad seem really proud of the CD so all is well. MJ, you really are a celebrity, especially in the Idol world. What would we do without you?

  • http://myspace.com/girlgeek mj

    Yeah I have heard that, but I think most people are unaware of that.

    I added it to the article. Jeff also mentioned the in-ear monitors, and that the contestants were only able to wear them for a few weeks.

  • Aladdin88

    here’s a nice little interview from this morning at WLAN, he sang happy birthday at the end

    Um, wow…what a lucky little girl. I must say the mental image of Archie stopped at a tollbooth singing into his cell phone makes me giggle. It seems that booth attendant got a little more than toll fare.

    Thanks so much for the update from the event, MJ. I’m glad you got to spend some time talking with Jeff and David.

    I had also heard about the problems David had hearing the band. I remember his friend, Richard, specifically mentioning that he struggled without the ear monitors–especially when he was trying to hear himself over all of the squealing girls in the mosh pit. It was most noticeable to me when he sang “With You” because he was ever-so-slightly behind on the beat during the first verse. I never doubted he could sing faster songs just fine, but unfortunately, he wound up being accused being incapable because of not being able to hear what he was singing.

  • cheese

    Hmm, interesting that anyone survived performing anything besides ballads with simple arrangements on the show if it’s that hard to hear the band. I’m not sure it’s a “poor Archie” situation unless he’s hard of hearing or something. But, it is good to know that his taste in music is not as dire as it seemed, lol.

    The quality of performances was definitely better overall when the kids had their ear monitors in.

  • leome

    When I said, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“his album is available for pre-order,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  nobody appeared to be chomping at the bit to order it. They will probably buy his album when ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s available.

    LOL I wouldn’t call what they’re probably going to do, buy.

    That’s nice that he felt the need to write some songs, judging by the 2 Hands songs I can imagine him not beeing all that thrilled.
    Those pictures are adorable.

  • soundscene

    Thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s nice that he felt the need to write some songs, judging by the 2 Hands songs I can imagine him not beeing all that thrilled.

    He likes the “Hands” songs–people have talked to him about them. Not sure why you would think he doesn’t. And a lot of people like or love the “Hands” songs.

    Hmm, interesting that anyone survived performing anything besides ballads with simple arrangements on the show if ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s that hard to hear the band. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not sure ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“poor Archieà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  situation unless heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s hard of hearing or something. But, it is good to know that his taste in music is not as dire as it seemed, lol.

    A lot of the other contestants didn’t have to deal with the screaming girls in the mosh pit, which I’ve heard were much louder in person than you can hear on TV. Archie is a vocalist–that was his biggest asset on the show. And he’s a perfectionist. He was in a situation where he couldn’t hear himself and it threw him. Not all performers are so focused on the exactness of their vocals, but he was and still is.

    And while he sang some ballads, I don’t think the songs he chose showed a lack of taste. He worked with what he was given and what he was able to do based on the constraints of the show.

  • leome

    He likes the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Handsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  songsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’people have talked to him about them. Not sure why you would think he doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t. And a lot of people like or love the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Handsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  songs.

    I did not say he didn’t like it. And I’m also not expecting him to say he doesn’t like a song that is part of his album. What I meant is that those 2 Hands songs are just another Crush (but not as good) and it does not surprise me if he wants to have other type of songs in his album.

    And a lot of people like or love the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Handsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  songs.

    Of course there are. And I’m sure his fans do like it or Love it. But I remember when it was posted here (and other places) there were many who also didn’t like it. So I don’t know what you mean with that.

  • soundscene

    Of course there are. And Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m sure his fans do like it or Love it. But I remember when it was posted here (and other places) there were many who also didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t like it. So I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know what you mean with that.

    Well, I don’t like a lot of songs on the radio, but that’s just the way things work. No song is universally liked. Random opinions by people on the internet don’t have anything to do with how David likes his own stuff, or the general quality of the song as it sits in with the rest of pop. I saw more good reviews of those songs than bad (non-uber-fans, btw). I happen to think that neither Hand song sounds like Crush. They’re all pop, so maybe that’s it. And, actually, I like one of them better than Crush. We all have different tastes.

  • cheese

    Archie is a vocalistà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’that was his biggest asset on the show. And heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a perfectionist. He was in a situation where he couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t hear himself and it threw him. Not all performers are so focused on the exactness of their vocals, but he was and still is.

    I guess the inability to hear the band is all well and good if you are just randomly making noises into the microphone like the typical Idol contestant, lol. I’m not suggesting that he shouldn’t have been thrown by it, but he’s not really in a class by himself. This is the first year Idol has allowed the monitors at all. Contestants have been not hearing the band for years.

    I agree with that the “Hands” songs are not bad, but so far, 4 of the 5 songs leaked are all very similar in theme and style. The description of the album as a whole makes it sound like it will be fairly eclectic so it seems reasonable to wonder if the songs David co-wrote will have a different feel to them. So far, I haven’t really heard the “mature” sound that Jeff referred to.

  • Aladdin88

    A lot of the other contestants didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have to deal with the screaming girls in the mosh pit, which Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve heard were much louder in person than you can hear on TV.

    Very true. If you go back and watch the episodes, you can see that the reaction from the mosh pit was noticeably different depending on the contestant. As the mosh pit was stocked with a lot of young girls, it’s pretty obvious whom they were likely to scream for.

    And while he sang some ballads, I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think the songs he chose showed a lack of taste. He worked with what he was given and what he was able to do based on the constraints of the show.

    I agree with this, too. Also, it’s been reported by several people close to David that he chose quite a few upbeat songs to sing, but either they weren’t able to be cleared or the producers outright rejected them. I know that happened during rock and roll hall of fame week because David himself spoke of it in an interview right after the show ended.

  • Aladdin88

    So far, I havenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really heard the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“matureà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  sound that Jeff referred to.

    What’s considered “mature” is relative. The songs on David’s album aren’t likely to be considered mature to the over-30 crowd. My guess is that Jeff was probably referring to the album going beyond the typical Miley Cyrus/Jonas Brothers music that people would expect from a teenage singer.

  • Michelle

    I’ve heard the “can’t hear myself sing” issue before, I think it’s valid especially with the new setup where the band is scattered all over the set, and the contestant is expected to move around the stage. At various points you could be directly in front of the drums, or the guitar amps, but you never hear the complete mix as it sounds through the tv. I’ve never understood why the show just doesn’t allow them to wear the monitors. Gawd, it’s not like the audience has never seen them before. And if they all wear them there is no unfair advantage. So to sum up, this is all TPTB’s fault (again) :)

  • http://myspace.com/girlgeek mj

    I guess the inability to hear the band is all well and good if you are just randomly making noises into the microphone like the typical Idol contestant, lol. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not suggesting that he shouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have been thrown by it, but heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not really in a class by himself. This is the first year Idol has allowed the monitors at all. Contestants have been not hearing the band for years.

    This is true, which is why there is a ton of “pitchy” singing on Idol. Some contestants deal with singing without ear monitors better than others. For instance, Elliott Yamin never sang off key, and my theory is that his partial deafness helped him hear himself–like when you see a singer put a finger in their ear.

    ETA: I also think TPTB try to make it as tough as possible for the contestants during the competition, which is why they don’t allow ear monitors. Anything that could trip up the contestants and cause drama is good, as far as they are concerned, imo.

  • –bianca

    I have never posted here before (though I post other places) and I remember something about the “can’t hear” issue that others have not mentioned.

    What I remember is that David could not hear the band on the big stage. That makes sense because the WCWIO fiasco was the first week on that stage in addition to all the other issues mentioned. The band is in a much different place on the new stage. It would also explain why the Idols did well without in-ear monitors in previous seasons.

    MJ, I really appreciate your blog, read it 3 times a day–it’s my main source for idol news outside the “Archusphere.” Thanks for all you do.

  • leome

    Well, I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t like a lot of songs on the radio, but thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s just the way things work. No song is universally liked. Random opinions by people on the internet donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have anything to do with how David likes his own stuff, or the general quality of the song as it sits in with the rest of pop. I saw more good reviews of those songs than bad (non-uber-fans, btw). I happen to think that neither Hand song sounds like Crush. Theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re all pop, so maybe thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s it. And, actually, I like one of them better than Crush. We all have different tastes.

    I don’t know why you’re not reading what I write and are putting things in my fingers. I never said the songs were bad, I never no one liked the songs. You were the one who came with the people like it and love it, so now you’re giving me the not everyone has to like it speech?
    The 3 original songs leaked are very much like Crush, same kind of pop song with the same beat, and David has said that he is influenced by stuff like John Mayer and Sarah Barreils, plus, he and Jeff were the ones who felt there weren’t enough good tracks. With this evidence, I tried to conclude that David probably wants something that has a different sound from those 4. It’s my opinion. And it has nothing to do with David liking or not the Hands or fans liking or not the Hands, I just think he’d probably like something else too. Juding by what he likes and things he has said that’s what I wonder.

  • soundscene

    ^^ I read both your posts and understood them how I believe they would commonly be read. But since this is going nowhere, I won’t comment further.

  • Aladdin88

    What I remember is that David could not hear the band on the big stage. That makes sense because the WCWIO fiasco was the first week on that stage in addition to all the other issues mentioned.

    I agree about David not being able to hear well on the big stage, but the WCWIO forgotten lyrics incident didn’t have as much to do with that as a combination of the new time constraints (it was the first major press blitz for the new top 12 and the first week shooting the Ford commercials–in addition to his schoolwork) along with the fact that he was sick with strep throat. I’m not trying to make excuses for him, just trying to put things in the proper context that there was a lot more that went awry the week of that performance beyond not being able to hear himself.

  • ozarka

    You take great pictures, MJ. Thanks so much. He looks adorable. And thanks for all the details. His asking you to check for stuff on his teeth is just too funny.

    Fans of David has this afternoon’s interview from 92 Pro FM in Rhode Island. I haven’t listened to it yet so I’ll just quote Jenny’s recap…

    I missed the first five minutes of this interview (he talked about how his love for music began when he listened to Les Mis as a young childà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦weà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve all heard that awesome story). David discusses his early dismissal from the American Idol San Diego audition (he was told that he did not make it through the first round, only to be chased down by the producers and ushered into the second round); he goes into detail about vocal paralysis (eventually it got bad enough that he trouble talking and even breathing); he talks about touring overseas: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t wait to go across the big ocean!à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  He admits that acting is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“way fun…it would be fun to do more of thisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d love to take classes.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  He discusses the writers on his upcoming debut album and gushes about the talent of singer/songwriter/new Idol judge Kara DioGuardi, who wrote and sang backup vocals on Davidà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s album. These are just a few of the topics covered; great interview, David!

    You can download the MP3 from HERE.

  • sma11ie

    Don’t mean to bring this up since it’s over, but I just had to LOL at this:

    I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know why youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re not reading what I write and are putting things in my fingers.

    It took me a second– I was like, what fingers? Oh, like literal typing fingers, as opposed to a talking mouth. Haha. Sorry, easily amused.

    I also think TPTB try to make it as tough as possible for the contestants during the competition, which is why they donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t allow ear monitors. Anything that could trip up the contestants and cause drama is good, as far as they are concerned, imo.

    I wouldn’t put it past them, for sure. I also get that the constraints of the competition are designed to make things challenging for the contestants (I believe Brooke said as much in her popwatch interview with Slezak, which btw, was a great interview, gotta love her). But I just hope TPTB realize some of those constraints *don’t* make for good TV, and hurt the ratings because narrow theme nights with short song lists mostly result in mediocre or “not-current” performances that bore viewers, rather than ratings-enhancing trainwrecks.

  • frogcooke

    smallie.. yeah… they need some less restricting themes going on… and 60′s stuff… what was that about… seriously…

  • davidaforlife

    thanks for the pics and info MJ. David looks great of course and it’s so funny how he’s always singing to himself.

  • LK08

    Personal opinion. I have heard some people say the hand songs and crush are alike, but I just don’t hear it. OK, “My Hands” in style is closer to Crush, but “Touch my hands” (has a beatles vibe to me) is way different and “A little too not over you” is way different.To each his own.

    I get it now- David is not hard of hearing- he was dealing with the mosh pit and screaming. That seems unfair since he had some of the loudest screaming. Oh well, he did fantastic anyway. It seems like it would be wise for the producers to let the contestants have realistic circumstances so they could see what they can really do in a normal setting, but oh well.

  • http://myspace.com/girlgeek mj

    I get it now- David is not hard of hearing

    There have been contestants who hear just fine who handled singing on the big stage without ear monitors. My Elliott theory was just one example. Every singer is different.

  • soundscene

    ^^ I think somebody mentioned that this year’s big stage was bigger and oddly set-up. The band was right behind the contestants. I can imagine that would make a difference from past years.

  • LK08

    Just curious. I didn’t watch other seasons of AI. Did other season have tons of girls screaming every week from a mosh pit?

  • ozarka

    This year was the first time there was ever a mosh pit. There was a show called “Another 25 Things You Didn’t Know About Idol” on the TVGuide Channel where it was mentioned that they saw like 3 people faint at just the sight of David A coming on stage.

  • abbysee

    I know it’s not spoken about much, but I often hear David talk about hearing issues. When asked about if music doesn’t work out for him (fat chance at the moment) he often mentions wanting to be a ENT doctor. When asked why he talks about his vocal paralysis, but also that he thinks he has hearing problems. He has mentioned it more than once, but as far as I can see nobody has taken this and ran with it the way we tend to dissect everything else. Has anyone besides me noticed or hear about this? I

    That is not to make any excuse for him, WCWIO was a trainwreck as was With You, although at the end of With You he had caught up to the music and was working it out and the studio of WCWIO is incredible. We all know now that David is indeed a pop singer, and with all of his issues both real and manufactured he still made it to top 2. No small feat!

  • shell29

    I really hope the producers do away with that mosh pit this season, and I would also like to see them do away with the dated theme weeks (especially during the semifinals).

    I think the whole ear monitor issue/explanation for why Archie stuck to ballads for most of the season is a fair excuse. Very few of this season’s finalists had to contend with the screams and squealing every week from the girls in the mosh pit. Contestants in previous seasons may have had to deal with Bandzilla, but they didn’t have to deal with the double whammy of Bandzilla plus the mosh pit girls in front of the stage.

  • frogcooke

    abbysee I was going to mention that… he’s brought it a few times. Whether its actual hearing problems or not who knows.. but he doesnt like the sound of his voice, at least lol and being a perfectionist, maybe he thinks he has hearing problems. I dont know. But I have heard it brought up

  • toma

    I have heard David himself say several times that he thinks something is wrong with his hearing. It’s usually brought up when interviewers ask him about his vocal paralysis. It’s not something that David has dwelled on because it didn’t sound like he has been specifically tested for hearing issues.

    I think it’s one of those things that you notice about yourself that is a constant issue, but you don’t really see a doctor about it because you function pretty well the majority of the time.

    You’ll notice he says “WHAT?” a lot of the time, during interviews and meet and greets (even when it’s not too loud or chaotic). Not to say that he has serious hearing problems by any means, but it could explain why he has a tough time w/ loud background music. The ear monitor was a BIG relief to David when they were able to wear them.

    I think AI should accomodate singers if they need an ear piece. Who cares what it looks like?! Any artist on stage is going to wear an ear piece so they can hear the music!

    I wish I could remember the last interview where he spoke about maybe having hearing issues. It must have been an interview done sometime w/in the tour time. I think he was talking about Crush as well, so it may have been in August.

  • frogcooke

    Toma.. I think also sometimes he kinda zones out or gets spacey.. lol that may be part of the ‘what?’ issue lol. I know if im not fully paying attention, ill do the same.

    Yeah i dont remember which interview it was in either… I should be on top of this stuff lol lol

  • LK08

    frogcooke, he is definitely easily distracted and spacey, as he calls it. I think it is funny when he tells the story of why his friends call him “Lettuce Boy”. He says they were all talking about hating lettuce and that he told them he likes lettuce. The way his friends told it was that he was zoning out and he heard the word lettuce and suddenly came to life, saying “I love lettuce”.

  • toma

    frogcooke,

    YES.. there’s definitely some zoning going on.. lol His musical wheels are constantly turning and that’s ok!

    But you know how the whole ears, throat and nose thing go together. If something is wrong w/ either one or more.. then you can bet on all of them having some kind of issues. Personally, I think David is fine, but i’m glad his parents keep taking him for medical observation.

    To top it off, David is quite sensitive to his allergies, which can plug up those ears as well. :grrr_ee:

    Oh well. David still has more singing talent in one fingernail than i’ll ever hope to have! LOL

    I can’t wait to get my hands on that cd of his!

  • cruzceleste

    From the interview they did at top 4 with billboard:

    Have you ever thought about another career besides music?

    I was looking into dental stuff, but I don’t think that’s for me. Then I started thinking being an ear, nose and throat doctor would be really cool. If I can’t do something with music, I’d at least like to help people with music because the ear, nose and throat doctors I went to about my vocal paralysis helped me. I thought it’d be cool to figure out how to solve all the problems I’ve had, because I’ve had issues with my nose and I’m sure I have something wrong with my hearing and the voice.

    BTW Thanks for the photos MJ, glad you have fun…

  • frogcooke

    yeah he gets allergies, which plays havoc with it all. lol And yeah I cant wait for the cd.

    Thanks celeste!

  • lefty

    I know ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not spoken about much, but I often hear David talk about hearing issues.

    Glad you all brought this up. I was going to do the same. I have always had a very slight hearing impairment – no big deal in daily life, but it’s a bit challenging to speak on my mobile phone, and being put on speakerphone drives me bonkers. Even a tiny hearing loss can throw you off in certain situations. When I watch David in interviews he reminds me of me in that he tends to have to ask people to repeat themselves if they are speaking quickly or in a lower voice. He often has a look that reads, “I didn’t quite catch that but I’ll smile and nod politely.” I do that all the time.

    I’m definitely not making excuses because certainly all contestants faced the challenge of singing without an earpiece. I guess my point is that everyone’s got strengths and weaknesses, and if hearing and/or auditory processing is in fact an issue for David then he would have a greater difficulty under those circumstances (in the same way a slightly nearsighted person would if they were asked to read a teleprompter – they could probably do it but not with ease). Sounds like choosing ballads was his way of dealing with that challenge – and for me that was just fine!

    Not that I’m trying to slap a diagnosis on David, but since he brought the hearing issues up himself …

    MJ, sounds like you had fun! I’m happy to hear it, and thanks for all the great scoop on the album! :clap_tb:

  • cruzceleste
  • Tatiana

    David now has two songs in the iTunes Top 20! “Crush” is at #15 and “Angels” is at #20!

    Also, he can apparently do a mean running man! LOL

  • RV65

    ^^where did you see that Tatiana (the Running man LOL)

  • soundscene

    Angels now at 19 and Crush holding at 15 (and pretty far ahead of 16). If Angels can move up one more spot, then Angels and Crush will be right next to each other on the pop chart on iTunes. lol.

  • qbaloo

    RV65, in case you haven’t found the ‘Running Man’ bit yet, it’s in the 108 interview link that Cruzceleste posted. Go to the ’108 seconds’ with David Archuleta interview. It’s pretty hilarious…the part about his favorite cereal will have you rolling!

  • davidlove

    David gives many details about his AI experience in the Pro 92 FM interview. He seemed very comfortable with the DJ and went back through his thoughts and emotions during the auditions and show. It’s worth a listen!

  • E

    Angels at 19? I didn’t think it could go any higher, but go Angels! Who’s buying disturbia? haha

  • noctem seizure

    The sales for “Angels” should provide a very accurate account of Archie’s first week Itunes preorders. After all, who is going to buy a recording of him singing a cover of an old song (relatively speaking) unless they’re a dedicated fan of the guy himself? And if they’re dedicated fans, then they’re almost definitely pre-ordering the whole the album upfront.

    On the other hand, LO’s sales last week would not correspond to Cook’s first week album downloads because LO is his current single, so some people who bought it would have just wanted the song itself.

    Anyway, from just looking at the Itunes album and singles charts the last two weeks, it’s very difficult to project how the Davids’ preorders are going. On one hand, Cook was at #2 on the albums chart by some time on Thursday whereas Archie is at #8. But, that just may mean it’s a stronger week for album sales on Itunes this week.

    And on the other hand, while Angels and LO have both (so far) peaked at #19 on the singles chart (the weeks their album pre-orders started), that means Archie’s preorders alone are enough to get his “new” single that high on the singles charts (since as I explained, almost everyone getting the single is also getting the album) whereas Cook depended on both album preorders and singles-only purchasers to get LO that high. But, that could just mean that this week Itunes singles sales are weaker than they were last week.

    My sense is that both albums are doing about the same on pre-orders so far. And that probably reflects a relatively equal size among both Davids’ committed fanbases.

    So why did I write this long piece of analysis? Well, these observations got me thinking that maybe it’s the case that all popular Idols come off of the show with a roughly even amount of dedicated, pre-existing fans. After all, didn’t I hear that Taylor sold almost as many albums his first week as Daughtry? So, beyond the already-existent fanbase, what matters then is how well the Idols cross over to the public at-large, and that will determine how well they will eventually do in the end.

  • sma11ie

    David gives many details about his AI experience in the Pro 92 FM interview.

    Which link is that? Sorry, so many fancy links to sort through, I’ll never find the right one on my own.

    ETA: thanks, ozarka!

  • ozarka

    sma11ie, you can listen to the Pro 92 FM interview at Fans of David. Or you can download the MP3 here.

  • ozarka

    There is a rumor from Fanblast that says that David will be going on a solo tour beginning early next year…

    Chase Says:
    October 29, 2008 at 5:53 pm

    HI GUYà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢Sà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ JUST HEARD FROM A FRIEND IN LA WHO WORKS FOR A MUSIC MANAGEMENT COMPANY!!!!

    DAVID WILL HAVE HIS OWN SOLO WORLD TOUR OPENING IN NEW YORK LATE FEBRUARY OR LATE MARCH -

    OMG I FORGOT TO TELL YOU WHERE!! MADISON SQUARE GARDEN THAT IS JUST AWESOME! THE NEWS WILL BREAK ON SOME FEMALE DAYTIME SHOW!!!!

    “Female Daytime Show”… David will be on Ellen on 11/14 and the Bonnie Hunt show on 11/18. I guess we’ll find out during one of those shows if this is true or not. How exciting if indeed it is!

  • Jabkmc

    Part 1 & 2 of the Q100 interview is up now on their website….video.

    http://allthehitsq100.com/video/TBS_David-Arch_102708/

    Part 1 – You get to see the video of the setup on the surprise for the fangirls…and the reaction
    of the third girl. LOL!

    Part 2 – OMG! Thank you video guy! And fantastic interview.

  • sailormoon

    David’s so funny without it being on purpose…and it’s adorable. 108 Seconds is a must see! It’s RFLOL hilarious!

  • frogcooke

    Also the Kiss cleveland meet and greet videos are now up. Some really nice stuff. ESpecially the last part of part 2. He talks about how he would listen to stuff play it back and try to sing it. and gives advice for others. He certainly can talk…. lol

    Part 1 & Part 2

    ————–

    Here is a short vid of David at the Boo Bash last night.. lol He accidently almost hits someone on the head, and then pats them on the head after like Carly does lol

    ————–

    I wouldnt put too much stock in what fanblast is saying, supposedly that came from an annoymous commenter at their site..

  • JudyOhio

    Will the new “Angels” be played on the radio? At mediabase quickcut, they only show the studio version from idol, and they don’t list this new “Angels” from Jive. Anyone know?

  • E

    noctem:

    I don’t think you can base Archie’s preorder numbers on Angels. From what I understand (I don’t live in the US), Angels is also available as single, so people can actually buy Angels without having to get the whole album. As for the album, there’s the deluxe and there’s the regular one, lol it’s very hard to estimate I’m not going to try.

  • http://www.youtube.com/user/iamthepurplewalrus purplesmile

    Great report and awesome pictures, as usual, mj! That’s cool about your “talk” with Jeff. ;)

    DAVID WILL HAVE HIS OWN SOLO WORLD TOUR OPENING IN NEW YORK LATE FEBRUARY OR LATE MARCH -

    he talks about touring overseas: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t wait to go across the big ocean!à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

    Archie has to come to our shores. He certainly has lots of fans here (including me) and many of them are truly “hardcore” and would be thrilled if he visits. :)

  • soundscene

    Angels at 19? I didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think it could go any higher, but go Angels! Whoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s buying disturbia? haha

    I’ve been wondering that for months.

    Thankfully, it’s finally started its descent.

  • frogcooke

    Disturbia cant fall fast enough… its still at 14… Im waiting for it to fall past crush.. that song needs to die a quick death..

  • frogcooke

    PRO-FM Video interview is now up on snarkie archies, in 3 parts. THey basically just let him talk. Good interview :)
    For a while he idnt realize the we could see and hear him especially on the breaks lol. After realizing he was like ” oh, what do you know.. lol’

    Part 1 – Part 2 - Part 3

    In the first part of part one they have pu together a bunch of his songs, and hge sings along to a bunch of them lol its soo cute.

  • cruzceleste

    Chase Says:
    October 29, 2008 at 5:53 pm

    HI GUYà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢Sà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ JUST HEARD FROM A FRIEND IN LA WHO WORKS FOR A MUSIC MANAGEMENT COMPANY!!!!

    DAVID WILL HAVE HIS OWN SOLO WORLD TOUR OPENING IN NEW YORK LATE FEBRUARY OR LATE MARCH -

    OMG I FORGOT TO TELL YOU WHERE!! MADISON SQUARE GARDEN THAT IS JUST AWESOME! THE NEWS WILL BREAK ON SOME FEMALE DAYTIME SHOW!!!!

    Somehow this is hard to believe for me, I wish this were true, but I don ´t think David can hold a World Tour on his own… they will have to be another really big artist with him, like Coldplay or Britney… not even Jordin had gotten a World Tour … and as much as I think David is very talented, I don ´t think he is that big yet…

    Beside FANBLAST isn ´t a reliable source anymore…

  • ozarka

    PRO-FM Video interview is now up on snarkie archies, in 3 parts. THey basically just let him talk. Good interview :)
    For a while he idnt realize the we could see and hear him especially on the breaks lol. After realizing he was like à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  oh, what do you know.. lolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢

    Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3

    Actually there is also a PART 4.

  • ozarka

    During Part 1 it was really fun to see his reaction to himself listening to clips of his performances. He sang along to himself in some instances, at times really belting it out. When they got to the clip of Simon saying, “You have so many things going for you. You’re young, you’re good-looking…,” he quickly interjected, “Oh no I’m not!” I thought that was funny.

  • maxie2go

    cruzceleste , what makes you think “FanBlast” isn’t a reliable site anymore?

  • gerreb

    I love that beginning segment in Part 1….he usually won’t listen to himself at all when people play his old performances, but he did good listening to all of that, and singing along to himself, lol. I love his little falsetto he did singing along to the end of “With You”…at 2:26

  • ozarka

    Rickey.org has an Archey report plus 3 videos of the lunch meet and greet from the 92 PRO-FM visit. During the first video, in response to a question, we hear him saying…

    When am I going on tour? I’m going on tour like next year. Yeah.