David Archuleta to perform two concerts at BYU-Idaho

The following is a news release from Brigham Young University-Idaho.

REXBURG — Pop star David Archuleta will perform two concerts in the Hart Auditorium at Brigham Young University-Idaho in Rexburg on Friday and Saturday, June 3 and 4, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for this Center Stage performance are available online at tickets.byui.edu, from the University Store Ticket Office or by calling 208-496-3170.

Archuleta became a star when he was just 16. In 2008 more than 30 million television viewers fell in love with his angelic voice and their 44 million votes made him runner-up in Season 7 of “American Idol.”

Soon after, the young Utahn signed with Jive Records and his first single “Crush,” debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart the week of its release. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the track sold 166,000 downloads that first week in the United States and subsequently more than 1.92 million digital copies. Three months later, his self-titled album, “David Archuleta,” went gold, selling more than 750,000 copies in the United States, and more than 900,000 worldwide.

“It was so neat to see how positive fans were about ‘Crush,’” Archuleta said of the enthusiastic reception for his chart debut.

Born in Miami, Florida, to Lupe Marie (née Mayorga), a salsa singer and dancer from Honduras, and Jeff Archuleta, a jazz musician of Spanish-Basque, Danish, Irish, German and Iroquois descent, he credits his parents with shaping his musical style.

“Music was always a part of my life growing up,” he said. “My mother was also big on dancing and would teach my older sister and me to dance to traditional music. I can’t think about celebrating my family without thinking about celebrating music.”

His family moved to Sandy, Utah, when he was 6 years old and he was soon making a name for himself as a singer, winning the children’s division of the Utah Talent Competition when he was just 10 and the Junior Vocal Champion award on Star Search 2 when he was 12.

After “American Idol” and his initial chart successes, he continued to win accolades in subsequent years, including three Teen Choice Awards for Breakout Artist, Love Song and the Music Tour category, as well as the Year in Music – Rising Male Star award at the ALMA Awards. As well as releasing a second studio album, “Christmas from the Heart,” in 2009, he also managed to find time to make his acting debut on the Nickelodeon show “iCarly,” and appear in Season 3 of the Disney Channel show “Hannah Montana,” on which he sang “I Wanna Know You,” in a duet with Miley Cyrus.

In 2010 David released his third album, “The Other Side of Down,” which featured the single “Something ‘Bout Love” and appeared as guest star on The Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s holiday album, “David Archuleta – Glad Christmas Tidings.”

“I grew up with such a great respect for the choir, and never imagined I’d be up there with them one day,” he said. “Just getting to be up on that stage with the choir is one of the best feelings I’ve ever felt in my life.”

He went on to release his fourth album, “Forevermore,” exclusively in the Philippines in March 2012 where it was soon certified gold. Later that year he released his fifth album, “Begin,” which featured the new original track, “Broken.” His sixth album, “No Matter How Far” was released in March 2013 along with a new song, “Don’t Run Away,” which was released on iTunes as the accompanying lead single.

In 2012 he put his singing career on hiatus so he could volunteer for a two-year stint as a full-time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Santiago, Chile. He’s described his experience of the mission as “a dream come true.” His decision to serve was influenced by his mother, who told him it was singer Donny Osmond who had helped get her interested in the Mormon Church.

“I never thought I would have the guts to talk to so many different people,” Archuleta said of his time in Chile, adding that since he’s completed his mission there, he’s never been more confident of either his singing or speaking skills — in English or in Spanish. Pursuing a greater sense of purpose as he did on his mission is nothing new to the now 25-year-old who battled a bout of vocal cord paralysis when he was 13 while competing on CBS’s “Star Search.”

He chronicled the debilitating experience in his New York Times bestselling 2010 memoir, “Chords of Strength: A Memoir of Soul, Song, and the Power of Perseverance,” and the determination to overcome obstacles, such as the worrying illness, resonates in the overall message of the songs he wrote for his second album, “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,” he said. “It’s our decisions and how we handle things that matter, even when they get rough. If we keep holding on, looking at things positively and working hard, we can improve our lives, help ourselves, and even help the greater good.”

Archuleta returned from Chile in March 2014 eager to perform and record once again. Since his return he’s traveled to the Middle East to perform for U.S. troops, recorded the song “Glorious” for the “Meet the Mormons” movie, and been busy writing songs.