Staying True

Following American Idol, Archuleta signed a recording contract with Jive Records, and his self-titled album, David Archuleta, was released in November of 2008. It was certainly a dream come true, but behind the scenes, he was constantly clashing with the record label.

"Record label management wanted to make me into a person that was so different from who I had presented myself to be on Idol. People would say, ‘You don’t know who you are. You don’t know what you want to be. This is who you are.’ But I told them, ‘You know what? That’s not who I am. Regardless if that’s what will get more radio play, that’s not what I’m supposed to do. I don’t want double-meaning lyrics. I don’t want things to be taken the wrong way. Music has an impact, and as an artist I can influence the way people think, the way they feel. No one can tell me what I am and am not. I’m just going to be true to myself.’"

Archuleta’s tenacity paid off. His first single, "Crush," debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and has sold nearly 2 million copies to date. But he readily admits that romance is not his favorite topic to sing about.

"I’ve never been in a relationship, but that’s what everyone wanted me to sing about—I was so frustrated by that. They would say, ‘That’s what people relate to.’ But I didn’t relate to it."

In fact, Archuleta does not plan on changing his bachelor status any time soon. "Dating isn’t something I’m taking seriously right now," he explains. "There are definitely more things musically and personally that I need to accomplish before I get into a relationship."

But when he does start dating, what qualities will his ideal girl have? "I want someone who has good values, who values family, and who thinks about others a lot," he says. "I want someone I can learn from, who likes exploring and trying new things, who likes to have fun, who likes to eat—I like food, and I hope she will too," he laughs. "Just someone who has a good heart."

David even has a song dedicated to that ideal girl on his third album, The Other Side of Down, called "My Kind of Perfect." "It’s about who that girl is going to be down the road," he explains. "I want to be myself, so this is my love song—wondering who that person is going to be."

Excerpt from LDS Living Magazine - November/December 2011