陽光大衛私房粉絲網

菲律賓你們準備好了嗎？大衛瘋五月來襲！！！

manilatimes

原文附在繼續閱讀之後。

He may have lost out to namesake David Cook, but with the way his career has taken off after the show, does anybody really care? The teenager has already amassed a tremendous following from the ‘tween’ set and beyond, all of whom have been enamored by his aw-shucks, boy-next-door persona. His album has sold millions, and his tours (first with the American Idol top 10 and then his own solo tour) have been well-received. Still, the kid is still, well, a kid, and it was evident during our roundtable interview, with his long-rambling sentences and his propensity to giggle and laugh at every other sentence.

Upon learning that I was Filipino, Archuleta immediately brought up fellow AI season 7 contestant Ramiele Malubay. “She’s always speaking Tagalog,” he said. I asked if he’s picked up any Tagalog himself. “Kinda!” He laughed. “Ramiele taught me a little bit but I kinda forgot it.”

Mice In The Drawer

The native of Salt Lake City, Utah said he’s been missing home a lot since he started touring, but added that he wasn’t exactly in a hurry to get back to his own room in his house. “I can’t stay in my room because it’s so messy. There’s so many fan mail. My family has been using my room for all the fan mail and all the fan gifts. They were looking for my birth certificate in the drawer and they found five baby mice in there! [The mice] shredded up my papers and made a mess out of them. I just couldn’t sleep in there and it smells so bad.” Archuleta said he’s now staying with a Persian friend and is learning how to speak Farsi. “Their grandma, Mama Jun, she doesn’t speak any English. None whatsoever. So I had to learn how to communicate with her. I’d have to point to things, do emotions and stuff. But it’s fun.”

Despite becoming a celebrity, Archuleta insists that he’s still the same person he was before he was thrust into the limelight. “A lot of my friends at first didn’t know how to treat me. They were so nervous because they thought I had changed and become this famous person, and its like, uhmm...I’m still the same person that you were hanging out with six months ago, a year ago. And after being around them for half an hour, they go, ‘oh it’s David, he’s still himself.’”

Funeral potatoes

Still, Archuleta had to deal with weird fan moments, especially if it involves people he’s known way before he became famous. “I went to a party at my school and it was right after American Idol. And everyone was like, ‘Oh David’s here. David Archuleta!’ And people who I had known for years, they’re like, ‘Oh can we get pictures.’ So I’m like, ‘Yeah, sure.’ I’ve been used to doing that but it’s kind of weird when it’s people you actually know versus people who are like, yeah I’ve never seen you before.”

Asked about what particular dish he misses from back home, he answered, “Funeral potatoes. It’s potato casserole, cause they always have it at funerals. Or at weddings or church gatherings.”

There was the inevitable question on whether he kept in touch with any of his fellow Idol contestants. And the short answer is yes, he still keeps in touch with most of them, especially Jason Castro, David Cook, Brooke White, Ramiele and Michael Johns. “Except Chikezie. I haven’t talked to him in a while, but other than him, everyone else I’ve gotten a hold of at one time or another.”

Water and cookies

And here’s something that should warm the hearts of everyone following Archuleta’s every move (including those here in the Philippines): Archuleta said he is proud of his fans. “For the most part, they’ve been really great and very supportive and really considerate. And that’s what I really appreciate from them. Even though they get really excited, they still make sure that they give me space. And they all know when I’m sick. They’ll give me honey and little herbal tea packages and stuff. They’re always giving gifts. Sometimes they give a lot of gifts,” he said laughing.

Archuleta also mentioned the way his fans rally to support the causes he believed in, including the Children’s Make-A-Wish Foundation and Stand Up To Cancer. “It’s neat to see that they’re fanatical in good ways too,” he added.

For his fans who want to find out exactly how David Archuleta “parties,” he said: “Usually just listening to music. And dancing. But not with drinks. Maybe just water and cookies.” There’s that giggle again.

Plan B

Archuleta, who just finished high school, said he is thinking about pursuing college, though not anytime in the near future as he is just too busy with his burgeoning career. “I think that education is really important and while I never thought that I was smart enough to go to music classes and stuff, it’s something that I’ve really gotten interested in.”

The teenage pop star had so much to say during the interview that sometimes, words would just roll right on top of each other in his mouth. But for someone still fairly new in the business and still grappling with fame and all its trappings, he expressed himself fairly well and did pretty good. At 18, the future might be his for the taking, but he is also pragmatic and is fully aware of the ephemeral nature of show business. “Music has always been something I’ve always wanted to do in my life, and I don’t plan on stopping to do it. But you just don’t know how long things will last. You always need a plan B and a plan C and a plan D, just in case music doesn’t work out. I think, something that I was always interested in ever since I had my vocal chord paralysis thing was being an ear, nose and throat doctor. I think it’d be nice if I could help other people who don’t know what to do in that situation.”

David Archuleta performs in Manila with David Cook May 16, at the SM Mall of Asia. For tickets. contact Ticketworld 8919999.