Shy Utah teen is an atypical 'Idol' star

MURRAY — It was no secret that David Archuleta could sing — students and teachers had heard him belt out holiday carols during Spanish class and an opera aria at a school arts festival.

None of that was reason enough to believe the junior at Murray High School would transform from a shy and impish 17-year-old to a fast-rising star on "American Idol."

"He giggles every time you confront him," Archuleta's 11th-grade English teacher Chantel Thackarey said. "I can't believe how well he's doing because he's just so painfully shy."

Week after week, Archuleta seems to out-sing the competition on the top-rated Fox television show, winning the hearts — and votes — of viewers. "Idol" judge Paula Abdul has said Archuleta is "destined for superstardom."

"He commands the stage," said Dean Kaelin, a vocal coach who has worked with Archuleta over the past six years.

Despite his obvious talents, Archuleta has kept a low profile on the Murray High campus. An A student with a quiet demeanor, he wasn't among the school's most popular kids, nor the star of school plays.

"I didn't see it coming," said Murray High student body president Adam Ward, who witnessed Archuleta's Spanish class serenade in 2006. "He's this little guy, and he just belted that music out. It was amazing. He's a notch above."

Kaelin recalls a similar reaction when an 11-year-old Archuleta first came to him for vocal training prior to appearing on the CBS network TV talent show "Star Search." (He won the junior singer division in 2004.)

Even then, the boy with dark hair and piercing eyes sang with a maturity beyond his years, Kaelin said.

"The thing that's unique about David is his sense of musical styling and phrasing. The one thing that is hard to teach is the sense of the music, the feeling of the music and the rhythm," Kaelin said. "It's intuitive. Sort of like a sixth sense."

Maybe talent is just in Archuleta's genes: His father, Jeff Archuleta, plays the jazz trumpet; and Lupe, David's Honduras-born mother, a singer. Both have performed professionally, and they've exposed their five kids to a wide range of music, Kaelin said.

David Archuleta started singing at about age 7, stopping only to recover from a paralyzed vocal chord discovered about the same time puberty began to deepen the teen's voice.