David needs to add a warning banner to his new DavidArchuleta.com OS redesign… if you open the site on your phone, no problem, but on your desktop?? The hero image is basically the size of the one above.
If you have wheels on your desk chair, prepare to be flung backwards by the awesomeness.
It’s like walking around the corner and BAM, there he is!
Seriously though, looks amazing! Give the people what they want, I say. 🙂
What do you guys think?? Anyone going to the Spring tour??
p.s. NEW TOUR DATES ADDED!!!!
East Coast! I’ve just added three additional shows to my upcoming tour. Check them out below and be sure to go to https://t.co/PWwJvo6SND for all the ticket info!
3/22 – Pawling, NY at Darryl’s House
3/23 – Northampton, MA at Iron Horse
3/25 – Ithaca, NY at The Haunt
Guys, my heart is so full right now. There’s really nothing like David Archuleta Christmas music … and seasonal shenanigans… to put you in the Christmas spirit.
I already feel pretty connected to the reason for the season, but there’s something about hearing David sing about it and feeling the joy and love he channels, even more strongly at this time of year I think, that lights me up like a Christmas tree.
So on this beautiful Christmas Eve, with snow lightly falling here in the Great White North, just before I head out for a night with family, please indulge my Reverse David Christmas List… all the things I never even thought to wish for on this #WinterInTheAir tour but were granted in such a wonderful way (either in person or via the interwebs).
Photo: The one, the only, Ms. Shelley
1).Let’s start with the songs. Usually, on David’s Christmas tours, there’s one song that jumps out at me as my on-repeat-for-months fave. Last time, it was This Christmas (which NEEDS to be on his next Christmas album, btw… no pressure 🙂 ) This time, there were so many that blew me over unexpectedly.
The power and beauty of He Is Born lifted me off my chair, I literally felt an electric charge ripple through me on every “HALLELUJAH!” And I found myself marvelling at the glorious beauty of his voice on “Booooooorn”… and feeling so thankful to get to hear it.
Winter in the Air was already my fave from the album but nothing prepared me for hearing it live. In Franklin, tears spontaneously started gushing from my eyes and they kept flowing through the whole song. Completely involuntary. It was like I stepped into an alternate universe that was so sublimely beautiful, the joy melted the ice in the corners of my heart and it spilled out through my eyes. I know that makes no sense but that’s how it felt.
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen felt so right with a Latin beat and my only complaint is IT WAS TOO SHORT!!!!
Leaping to my feet for Christmas Every Day and dancing like no one was watching even though I’m sure I’m in some person’s video somewhere looking like I need psychiatric intervention, was a highlight of my entire month… no, year.
2).In New York City, when one girl yelled out “I LOVE YOU, DAVID!” and quiet voices called out, “Me too!” …. “Me too!”… “Me too!”… one by one, all around the venue. Cutest. Thing. Ever.
3).David’s Insta Love… from the gas-cap episode with Kari (CAN SOMEONE MAKE A BUDDY MOVIE WITH THE TWO OF THEM, PLEASE???!!!!)
… to his sharing of peeps’ concert insta stories with his hilarious emojis and comments …. to his vocal technique tips (SOOOO fascinating, am I right??) … to this… still dyinggggg:
4).Being able to add to my compendium of David VIP awkwardness… let me paint you the picture… my turn comes, but I’m alone and Refnaf and I usually go up together… I get distracted by where I should drop my coat and stuff and stick my phone in my back pocket… I walk over, say hello to David, put my arm around him, turn to Kari with a big smile and she says, “So whose camera I’m using?”… because it’s still in my pocket! IN WHAT BIZARRO WORLD WOULD I EVER CASUALLY WALK UP TO MR. DAVID ARCHULETA AND THROW MY ARM AROUND HIM, JUST ‘CUZ????!
5).All the amazing promo David’s been doing! How awesome is his new PR team?? I literally can’t keep up with all the interviews and appearances… and some of these acoustic versions of the songs are sooooooo good! (*cough* acoustic album sometime please *cough*)
6).David surprising us by announcing a new tour WHILE HE IS ON TOUR! When the heck has that ever happened?? And then the icing on the cake: Him saying that he’s really proud of Postcards in the Sky (can I get an “Amen”?) and with his new PR team in place, he wants to tour more with it because he thinks it deserves more love.
7).Hearing so many amazing comments around me during a show… from men and women of all ages… things like, “Now, THAT was fantastic!” after White Christmas, and “WHAT a voice!” after O Holy Night, and “Did he write that? Great song!” after Winter in the Air.
8).Being there to see David’s reaction to this amazing present (I’m a little too not over the creativity of this, tbh).
How some of the VIP questions were so deep and philosophical and the way David answered them so thoughtfully and beautifully:
So this one was actually bearing his testimony. Its beautiful but the throws some ninjas into it quite literally 😂😂 I love him pic.twitter.com/5uuwBnGZxC
Did not expect the Fairfield, CT, show to be one of my all-time faves, but it was.
Did not expect the tiny Fairfield Theater to have some of the best acoustics I’ve heard in a while, but it did.
Did not expect David to respond to a fan’s “This is my third show” sign in the audience (2 Christmas and 1 pop show) by comparing the trifecta to “a reverse ice-cream sandwich” (cold ones on the outside) but he totally did.
What I did expect was David to make me cry… again… as he floated me into the magical snow globe world of “Winter in the Air.”
And raise me up into the heavens on every He Is Born “HALLELUJAH!”
And rocket me onto my feet and turn me into a dancing fool for “Christmas Every Day.”
What a wild, fun crowd! They spontaneously sang Happy Birthday to David and wouldn’t stop until the end, he was totally tickled by it and when David laughs, the world is a brighter place, am I right, my friends?
Photo: The lovely & amazing DJxox
The VIP questions were deep and philosophical, about his view of forgiveness … he spoke about how therapy has helped him with that, and that he repeats daily affirmations, such as “I love you, bless you, I forgive you” so that these feelings manifest themselves within him.
He talked about what he learned on his mission and what challenged him (being vulnerable enough to present his broken self to God).
DJxox asked about possible duets and he said he’s reached out to peeps for that and been declined…
I NEED NAMES AND ADDRESSES AND 656865456 CREAM PIES FOR THESE MISGUIDED INDIVIDUALS!!!!! 😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡
He said other duets with friends just haven’t worked out yet ‘cuz of timing etc.
David was having so much fun with this crowd… turning the band intros into The Price is Right 😂…. loving everyone singing along… and acting out “ninja Jesus” moves before one song. *DEADDDDDDD*
I felt “He is Born” lift us all off the ground to touch the edge of heaven… for real, it was incredible… a mist floated around him like a cloud and I didn’t know if it was a stage effect or actual choirs of angels winging by for a celestial group hug.
I got talking to a couple of great guys behind me … relatively new fans… and when I told them he was doing a spring tour, their faces lit up and later they told me they’ll be going to one of the shows… they told me that David’s genuine concern for others and his openness and honesty about his struggles made them fans just as much as his incredible talent.
I’m going to add more later when I come back down to earth so stay tuned!!!
I pretty much Periscoped the whole show (in sections, and not Christmas Every Day because… come on!… of course I was up failing like a fool!). Please excuse the shakiness … when David would start to come over to our side of the stage, I’d panic and put the phone down, lol:
Videoooooooos from the lovely and amazing DJbell!!! Check her channel for moooooore!)
Okay, I know David’s been up to all sorts of amazing things lately… shows, TV appearances, interviews, new m.u.s.i.c..v.i.d.e.o.s.!!! … I can hardly keep up, tbh.
But what do I choose to post about? THIS AMAZINGNESS!!!!
Random, I know. But, as you’ve probably noticed, this site is nothing if not completely random, lol.
You may remember my obsession with This Christmas back in the MKOP Christmas Tour days… and it clearly has not ended because I let out an actual squeal when I saw this clip. (Confession: I was SO hoping it would be on the new Christmas album, but I digress.)
Why did I squeal? Three reasons:
1) I love all BTS, soundcheck and VIP videos
2) I love this song and, most importantly
3) I LOVE David’s interpretation of it and how he jams to it here. I swear he could do a whole album of 12 tracks of this song and each one would be unique and special and utterly incredible.
Thanks to Shelley for capturing this from the VIP, and also for this amazing photo from the Colorado show:
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Also, from the same VIP, David teaches Shelley’s granddaughter the Bachata… priceless!
p.s.
For others on #TeamThisChristmas, check out Taterzen’s (the artist formerly known as Archugeezer) amazing review of the best versions from that tour HERE.
Reading my last post before this one makes it look like I was planning to do a “before and after” series… ya, that’s it… I totally was! 😆
When you read this awesome interview, be prepared for a disconnect between some of what David says and these photos. (“There were words in the article,” you ask? 🙂 )
*********** David: “I felt like I was a failure because I couldn’t be cool. I couldn’t be what it takes to be successful. And so, I was like, Okay, I’m just going to be myself and enjoy that for as long as it lasts. But I guess I’m not cool, so I won’t last very long. But I’m still here and I’m grateful for that.”
Dear David, the coolest people are the ones who don’t think they’re cool. Sincerely, A friend.
*********** David: “Being the person who can give back and make someone’s life a little better, then I’ve fulfilled my mission and purpose in life.”
Dear David, this is the ultimate in coolness, imo. And I’m not just saying that because of this:
Okay, maybe a little bit. 😆
**********
David: “I do get a little scared, because I do care what other people think. Will they think I’m a disappointment if I don’t meet their expectations? If I don’t continue to be as famous as they think I should be?”
Dear David, Wow, this really hit me hard. Because of all those times I railed at the universe for not giving you the fame that I think you deserve… every time I watch the Grammy’s or hear some meh song on the radio, I can’t help but think YOU deserve those accolades… not realizing what kind of pressure those expectations put on you. I’m much better at that now… at realizing fame doesn’t equal success (either professionally or personally)… at letting you be whoever you want to be. I’m not a fan because you’re famous, I’m a fan because you’re YOU.
And btw, this is just icing on a most wonderful cake. 🙂
**************
HERE’S MORE ICING!!!!!
What does music mean to you?
To me, music is language; it’s expression; it’s connection. You can help people understand things through music, especially like me, that you can’t through words. In just a few seconds of a song, you can be deeply connected to the listener. And I love that power. It can be happiness, sadness, anger, laughter…you can express all that in music and people will feel that. [My challenge is] how can I use this to the best way that I can. It’s not about how many people, but instead of doing whatever it takes to get as many people to listen, it’s not worth it to me if I can’t connect.
What for you keeps you centred and focused despite the noise that is part and parcel of the industry?
Something very important to me is personal time. I make sure I have time every day to pray, to meditate. Whether you’re religious or not, spirituality is important. There’s a spiritual nature to us that is more than our bodies, and you have to connect to that. If you try to keep yourself busy all the time, you never hear your spirit, what it is trying to tell you and what you need. Something inside of us knows what we need, and if we ignore it, we start feeling depressed. And it’s very easy to get anxiety by listening to all the other voices and comparing ourselves thinking: ‘I’m never going to be good enough’ or ‘How do I keep up?’ Sometimes you need to take a step back or take a social media fast. I get caught up, too. A few days, a week, or even a month and it was like, ‘There I am. I can hear myself again.’
Even if I have a few minutes, I’ll say a prayer, give thanks and just say, ‘God, what do you need me to see today? What do I need to learn about myself today?’ It’s easy to put yourself down, but through prayer, it can easily helps you look at yourself in a positive way.
Amen to that, David!
And what did I learn today? HOW TO DO A SLIDESHOW, THAT’S WHAT! 😆
If your David fandom goes back, ahem, awhile… you will, no doubt, remember these amazing photos of David taken by the talented photographer, Matt Clayton (who also helped shoot The Other Side of Down cover, and other David assignments).
A couple of weeks ago, before Matt posted about the shoot on his Instagram feed and on his blog, I actually came across my copy of Square magazine (where these b&w pics originally appeared).
I remember how exciting it was when it arrived in the mail, and I appreciated it, not just because of David on the cover and the great interview with him it featured, but because I’m a long-time magazine junkie and the square, perfect-bound format was beautifully done, and the design of the whole magazine was super retro-cool. But I digress, back to David…. 😆
Here’s an excerpt from Matt’s blog about the shoot:
I had picked up the shirt and pants at Target. I thought it would be fun to dress him up but keep it youthful with the Chuck Taylor’s — which were his own. I’ll never forget trying to get my assistant, Lindsay’s, attention, while I tied the tie on David. I was trying to get her to take a behind-the-scenes picture but she wasn’t catching on. After a few failed “read my mind through my eyes” glances at her, David finally turned and said “He want’s you to get a picture of this.”
Matt also shot the No Matter How Far cover (photo above) and posted about that on his blog, too (found here). Here’s an excerpt:
It was a nice surprise to see the finished album, while out shopping. I resisted the urge to tell the sales clerk that that was my work on the cover – I wasn’t in the mood to start signing autographs … plus I didn’t have a Sharpie on me.
And who can forget this shot?? It was turned into a near-life size poster, which was a gift at the MKOCT VIPs. Anyone have one of those? (Or one of the Invisible Children bracelets he’s wearing in the photos up top? 🙂 )
Matt’s clearly very talented… he captures something special in his David photos… idk how to describe it, something real and genuine in his eyes… I’ll label it “sensitivity with a twinkle” lol
OH. EM. GEE.
