Early life
David Archuleta was born to Jeff Archuleta and Lupe Marie, a salsa singer and dancer from Honduras. Archuleta has four siblings. Archuleta's family moved to the Salt Lake Valley, to the city of Sandy, Utah, when Archuleta was six. He was raised in Murray, Utah after moving there when he was 6 years old.
Archuleta started singing at age six, inspired by a Les Misérables video. "That musical is what started all of this," he said. He started performing publicly at age 10 when he participated in the Utah Talent Competition singing "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton; he received a standing ovation and won the Child Division.
Archuleta was inspired by watching both Tamyra Gray and Kelly Clarkson to "see what performing and really getting into a song was like" during the beginning weeks of the premiere season of American Idol. He later made his television debut, at eleven years old, singing "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" on a Jenny Jones show for future Latino stars alongside season one finalist A.J. Gil. Through A.J. Gil he was able to meet and sing for Gray who had sung the song on American Idol as well as Clarkson (that year's winner) and Justin Guarini (the runner up).
Musical influences
Archuleta's mother is from Honduras, and much of the music he listened to as a child was Latin-influenced including watching his mom sing at events with her sisters. She also "was big on dancing" according to Archuleta, and would "make" him dance to traditional music with his older sister. He also listened to jazz music, he said, from his father's collection as well as gospel, pop, rock and "soulful music." In a later interview, he revealed that his father was a jazz musician. Archuleta also said he enjoys Broadway musicals.
On his American Idol "Fast Facts" page, Archuleta cites his musical influences as Natalie Cole, Stevie Wonder, Kirk Franklin and Bryan Adams. When asked to list his top pop artists, he cited Natasha Bedingfield, Natalie Cole, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Bryan Adams, Kirk Franklin, and Robbie Williams. Like Elliot Yamin and another singer he admires, John Mayer, Archuleta tries to infuse his pop selections with a soulful vibe.
Star Search
In 2003, at age 12, Archuleta sang on several episodes of the television show Star Search. He ended up as the Junior Vocal Champion on Star Search 2. On one episode, he sang against then-11-year-old Alexandréa Lushington, who also became a "top 20" semi-finalist on American Idol alongside Archuleta. Around the second year of being on Star Search he started focusing on the lyrics, "I didn't even pay attention to the lyrics when I was 12, 13".
Archuleta's competing on Star Search led to appearances on The Jenny Jones Show and CBS' The Early Show, and meeting the finalists from American Idol's first season, for whom he performed a spontaneous a cappella rendition of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from Dreamgirls, and received enthusiastic praise from Season 1 winner Kelly Clarkson. The year after Star Search he found out he had partial vocal paralysis but declined risky surgery and has said he feels he is almost fully recovered. He limited his singing for specific occasions like Stadium of Fire, the Independence Day celebration at Brigham Young University Stadium.
American Idol
Archuleta won his ticket to the Hollywood final auditions (with a performance of John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change") with the help of idol judge, Randy Jackson, who sang the background "waiting" in the song. (at the San Diego tryouts held at Qualcomm Stadium July 30 and July 31, 2007) He was 16 during the Hollywood auditions (where he sang Bryan Adams' "Heaven" and Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" to unanimous praise) and because he was not yet 18, had to attend school while a part of American Idol's seventh season. His parents were there because he was a minor. Archuleta also took advantage of the decision to allow contestants to play musical instruments when he accompanied himself on piano for his performances of "Another Day in Paradise" and "Angels."
A Los Angeles Times article speculated why Archuleta avoided singing the first verse of "Imagine": because "of his religion (Mormonism), he's unlikely to espouse the song's agnostic ideal . . . with the line about 'no religion too.'" Archuleta did, however, sing the entire song on Good Things Utah when he was 13. During his first performance of Imagine on American Idol, when asked by judge Randy Jackson why he didn't sing the first verse, Archuleta said the third verse was his favorite because it has "a great message."
In the finale he sang "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me," "In This Moment" and "Imagine." Judge Simon Cowell declared that Archuleta won the evening and even David Cook, who ultimately won, thought Archuleta would win: "I have to concede it, the kid came out all three songs and nailed it," said Cook. In the final tally, Archuleta received 44 percent of the votes. During the finale show, both Archuleta and fellow finalist Cook appeared in separate but nearly identical commercials for the game franchise Guitar Hero, mimicking a Tom Cruise scene from Risky Business.
My Kind of Perfect
David Archuleta Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I drew a little picture
But some things you cant put on paper
Like you like shooting stars?
I write songs on guitar
Got more things to do than stare at a mirror
I know, I know she's gotta be
Maybe I'm wrong
Maybe I'm right
Maybe I just let you walk by
What can I say
Maybe I've known you all my life
Is she the one? Is it today?
Will I turn the corner
See my future in a beautiful face
Maybe.
She's anything but typical
A sweet surprise
No matter what, she's looking at the bright side
It's gonna be worth it
'Cause that's what love is
I'll keep searching for my kind of perfect
I know, I know, she's gotta be out there, out there
I know, I know, she's gotta be
Maybe I'm wrong
Maybe I'm right
Maybe I just let you walk by
What can I say
Maybe I've known you all my life
Is she the one? Is it today?
Will I turn the corner
See my future in a beautiful face
Maybe.
They say give it time
Give it time, and it will fall in line
But I keep wondering how and when
And why I haven't met you
But maybe I'm wrong
Maybe I'm right
Is she the one? Is it today?
Will I turn the corner
See my future in a beautiful face
Maybe
Maybe I'm wrong
Maybe I'm right
Maybe I just let you walk by
What can I say
Maybe I've known you all my life
Is she the one? Is it today?
Will I turn the corner
See my future in a beautiful face
Maybe
I'll keep searching for my kind of perfect.
The song "My Kind of Perfect" by David Archuleta is a heartfelt ballad that speaks to the uncertainty and hopefulness of finding true love. The lyrics reveal the innermost thoughts of the singer as he contemplates the person that he is looking for. He acknowledges that there are qualities that are difficult to express in words or pictures, and that true love requires patience and perseverance. The song's central question is whether the singer will find his soulmate or not, and it reflects the universal longing for companionship and connection.
The song is driven by the repeating refrain of "Maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm right," which highlights the uncertainty of the singer's quest. He wonders if he has already met the love of his life and let her go, or if he will stumble upon her unexpectedly around the corner. He describes his ideal partner as someone who is not typical but rather a sweet surprise, who always looks at the bright side of things even in the face of challenges. The lines "It's gonna be worth it, 'Cause that's what love is," emphasize the belief that finding true love is a journey worth taking, even if it requires some setbacks and heartache along the way.
Overall, "My Kind of Perfect" is a poignant and relatable song that captures the essence of the search for love. It speaks to the doubts and uncertainties that accompany this journey, and the courage it takes to keep searching despite them. The song encourages listeners to stay hopeful and keep their hearts open to the possibility of finding their own kind of perfect.
Line by Line Meaning
I was thinking about ya
I couldn't stop thinking about you.
I drew a little picture
I tried to capture your essence in art.
But some things you cant put on paper
Your awesomeness can't be fully expressed with art.
Like you like shooting stars?
Do you admire shooting stars as much as I do?
I write songs on guitar
I pen compositions that celebrate your beauty.
Got more things to do than stare at a mirror
I have more important things to do than admire my own reflection.
I know, I know, she's gotta be out there, out there
I believe my perfect match is somewhere in the world.
Maybe I'm wrong
Perhaps I'm not sure.
Maybe I'm right
Maybe I am right.
Maybe I just let you walk by
Perhaps I unknowingly let you pass me by.
What can I say
I don't know what to say.
Maybe I've known you all my life
Maybe I've been waiting for you forever.
Is she the one? Is it today?
Is that one special person my perfect match?
Will I turn the corner
Do I need to keep looking?
See my future in a beautiful face
Will I finally find someone that makes my heart beat fast?
Maybe.
Perhaps.
She's anything but typical
She's unique and special.
A sweet surprise
A pleasant and unexpected delight.
No matter what, she's looking at the bright side
She maintains positivity even during hard times.
It's gonna be worth it
Finding love will be worth all the effort.
'Cause that's what love is
Because love is worth the trouble.
They say give it time
People advise me to be patient.
Give it time, and it will fall in line
Patience might result in things happening the way they should.
But I keep wondering how and when
I can't stop speculating about love.
And why I haven't met you
Why haven't I bumped into you yet?
I'll keep searching for my kind of perfect.
I will continue my quest for my ideal match.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: CINDY MORGAN, DAVID ARCHULETA, JEREMY BOSE, JOY WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind