Golden Arch

Some quotes from theStarOnline:

“A lot of people went ‘oh you must have been so sad’ and ‘weren’t you bummed?’. And I was like ‘no’,” he said, punctuating almost every sentence with a quirkly laugh. “I was fine. I know a lot of people were sad but I don’t think they should have been because I am totally happy.

Nineteen-year-old Yvette Chan who won a DiGi contest which enabled her to be part of Archuleta’s entourage, got the chance to do some shopping with him! She shared that while Archuleta wasn’t nearly as obsessed with clothes before Idol, he finds that he has to keep up with trends now that he is in the public eye... “and he kinda likes it!” Chan revealed that Archuleta went from clothes store to clothes store, to clothes store. “He walks so fast ... he walks as fast as some people run,” she said, adding that he kept his head down low so no one would recognise him but when three screaming teens eventually did, Chan and Archuleta had to run for cover to the hotel.

“In the competitions that I’ve done, I’ve never had a competitive mindset. They were just opportunities for me to sing. I just love to sing,” he said, adding that his dad (along with the rest of his family) keeps him grounded most of the time.

Tracks like Crush, A Little Too Not Over You, Touch My Hand and Don’t Let Go – all of which he performed at his showcase in Malaysia – seemed to go down well with the hordes of screaming teens, who knew every lyric and were happy to sing at the top of their voices along with their current favourite star. Rapport with the audience was not something Archuleta had to work at. It came very naturally.

It’s no wonder that last year, the 1.7m tall singer (yes, he’s not that short) received the Teen Choice Award for “Most Fanatic Fans”. Banners and posters spotted during the local show - “I love Archie”, “Marry Me” and “You are my crush” – revealed the connection these kids felt with their heartthrob. Archuleta, in turn, paid the crowd kudos for their rousing reaction with a heartfelt shout-out of “Malaysia Boleh”.

Apparently when he was little, he would sing all the time – “in my backyard, driving my neighbours and their dogs crazy.”

And he still does.

“I don’t shut up. You can ask my sister, she tells me to shut up all the time. I’ll be singing late at night and she’ll be banging on the door.”

But things were not always rosy for him on the singing front. When he was 12, Archuleta had the distressing experience of being diagnosed with vocal paralysis.

For those of you who thought Archuleta was a one-trick pony, think again. He’s actually even filmed two guest appearances on teen shows iCarly and Hannah Montana.

“I didn’t get to watch this last week but I think they’ve got a really talented bunch this season. There are a lot of good people – Danny Gokey and Allison Iraheta are both really good ... and then two weeks ago, Kris Allen with Aint No Sunshine, I really enjoyed that, especially the way he showed that he can play both piano and guitar. And then there’s Adam Lambert who is awesome. He’s just so talented and really different. He’s so creative and catches people off guard.”

He’s already got three new songs up his sleeve – Let’s Talk About Love, Save the Day and Zero Gravity – and is working on more. Meanwhile, he’s off to Britain to tour with the band McFly next week.

And then in May, Archuleta and David Cook are slated to perform in Manila together. What’s that gonna be like? It’s always fun when the Davids collide.

Bye, David...