Natural talent + fate = Utah 'Idol' Archuleta

David, the second oldest child, performed one of his father's songs at a BYU women's conference. He performed at a political function for Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. In his spare time, he listened to recordings of his favorite singers — Natasha Bedingfield, Natalie Cole, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Bryan Adams, Kirk Franklin.

He made his national debut at 10. The "Jenny Jones Show" was looking for minority performers. A friend called the Archuletas to tell them about it, and David was chosen to perform on the show.

Two years later he landed on "Star Search" almost by accident. His aunt Char had a boyfriend who was in the music business; during a meeting with famed voice coach Seth Riggs, Riggs mentioned that he couldn't find anyone to program computer software that he used to teach singing. The boyfriend recommended Jeff, a computer whiz. Jeff flew to California and installed the programs and then casually mentioned that his son was a singer. Riggs offered to hear him perform. David, 11 at the time, sang for Riggs, who was impressed enough that he worked with him briefly and then recommended that he train with Salt Lake-based voice coach Dean Kaelin.

In another fateful twist, Riggs, who has coached 120 Grammy winners, was the vocal coach for the "Star Search" program. David not only made the show's lineup but went on to win the contest.

"Music has been everything in David's life," says Jim. "He was never into sports; he was always focused on music. The reason he's a good performer is that he's very sensitive to music, and he's able to transmit that in his music."

David, who exudes a certain gentleness and goodness even through the TV screen, is described as "just a good sensitive kid" by his grandfather. Jim also notes that David, normally a straight-A student, is "almost obsessive" about his grades — he once expressed his disappointment over one of his grades, an A-minus. In his spare time, he writes songs and plays piano and guitar, in addition to taking regular voice lessons.

David has always planned to attend college and serve a church mission — his "Star Search" money has been invested to cover those expenses — but with his success on "American Idol" and the record-label offers, those plans could change.

Says Jim, "I talked to Jeff about David's plans for college, and Jeff said, 'I don't know if he can afford to go to college. He can make so much money (singing) that he will never be able to afford (to quit)."'

Meanwhile, on "American Idol" night, Jim and his wife, Carol, sit in front of the TV to watch David, offering their own critiques of the performers aloud, like everyone else in America.

"We are having a wonderful time," says Jim. "David has been adding a great deal of pleasure to our lives for many years."

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E-mail: drob@desnews.com