Natural talent + fate = Utah 'Idol' Archuleta

David Archuleta's singing was an unstoppable force of nature. Somewhere in the family's genetic chemistry, the music seeped right into his bones, and then fate or providence or whatever you want to call it lent a hand.

What if his father hadn't left a "Les Miz" record lying around the house?

What if his mother, a singer and dancer, hadn't emigrated from Honduras to Florida, where she met his father, who was there only to do temporary sales work for a summer?

What if his sister's boyfriend hadn't stumbled into a legendary voice coach, or what if the voice coach hadn't needed help with his computers?

"So many things have happened along the way to make this happen," says Jim Archuleta, David's grandfather.

David, the sweet-faced 17-year-old "American Idol" sensation from Salt Lake City, was drawn to singing the way most boys are drawn to football and video games. As fate would have it again, the 5-foot-4 teen developed a big, full voice that belies his stature. And with the soulful voice, he sang with purpose.

"Since David was 8, his goal has been to achieve enough celebrity that he would be able to reach many people with the gospel message through his music," says his grandfather. "He is very LDS."

He was only 12 when he appeared on "Star Search," a remake of an old talent show that ran on CBS for a couple of years to ride the coattails of "American Idol." He was awarded perfect scores from the celebrity judges — Naomi Judd, LeAnn Rimes, Ben Stein and Ahmet Zappa — and with it the $100,000 first prize. The first question he was asked during a telephone interview with a Salt Lake Tribune reporter was this:

"What do you plan to do with all that money?"

David's response, which went unreported by the Tribune: "The first thing I'm going to do is pay my tithing."

He gave $10,000 to his church — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Some four years later, David finds himself again showcasing his singing talent on the national stage. He has ranked first in the "American Idol" popular vote in every round. In his only subpar outing, he momentarily forgot the lyrics and struggled through a performance this week, but what almost no one knew is that he has been fighting a strep throat infection through two shows. It has been reported that record companies want to sign him regardless of the outcome of "American Idol." One source told the Deseret Morning News that David already has been contacted by record labels.