Anyone up for a Twitter Trending Party?!

Today is David’s 1 year Twitter anniversary aka: he joined exactly one year ago today!

We’re going to treet and hopefully trend #1yrDavidArchie today at 7pm EST (5pm PT, 6pm MST, 7pm CT, 8pm EST) for @DavidArchie’s 1 year tweetversary.

Also, tomorrow is David’s 1 year Twitterversary! We’ll be tweeting #HappyTwitterversaryArchie and #1yrDavidArchie all day! Be sure to join in the fun!

Last week, David Archuleta returned to Nashville to write more songs for his next album. As he did during his last Music City visit in October, he worked with singer/songwriter Joy Williams, even staying at the house of Williams and her husband, Nate Yetton.

“Sometimes, people are like, ‘Nashville, it’s only the country and the ballads,’” David said Friday morning, while sitting at Williams’ breakfast table, eating a bowl of cereal and granola. “They are good at that kind of stuff, but they care about the music. Sometimes people forget that special thing and piece to music that is so important. People get lost in ‘We need the hit’ and ‘We need the hook.’ So much is missing from that that I enjoy about music.”

David and Williams brought a variety of other writers into last week’s collaborations, among them Cary Barlowe (co-writer of Lady Antebellum’s latest country hit, American Honey), Hillary Lindsey (Carrie Underwood’s Jesus, Take the Wheel), Danny Orton (Josh Gracin and Tim McGraw’s Telluride), Jenn Schott and Jamie Kenney.

“Jamie’s just such a sensitive person,” says the 19-year-old singer. “Even the melodies, and the way he plays the piano are so sensitive and emotional. When he was playing the piano part on the track, he paid so much attention to the way he played, how it emoted and what was trying to be said and felt in the song. I loved that. I’ve never seen anybody pay that much attention to those kinds of details, which I loved.”

On Tuesday, for instance, David, Williams, Kenney and Jesse Frasure wrote a song called Nervous. “It’s about going ahead and doing it, even if you’re scared,” David says. “The main thing is, ‘So what if I’m nervous?’ Sometimes you have to take those risks, and sometimes you’ll be nervous, but why should that be an excuse? Some things, you need to do that way. And sometimes those are the most fulfilling things in life.

Monday brought a love song with Jeremy Bowes and Cindy Morgan (“It wasn’t about anyone specifically; it was about wondering who that person might be in the future”). Wednesday yielded a ballad with Kenney and Schott (“It was an honest song, about admitting that you’re not perfect … It’s just about letting the inside out”).

In all, David says he’s written about 20 songs so far for his next album. And as much as he’d like to have more hit singles, he says it’s more important to him to convey his personality through his music.

“So many people know who I am and say they’re fans and don’t know I have an album out, even,” he says. “People are still fans, and it’s interesting, because it’s not even because of my music.

I want people to say, ‘I appreciate what David’s trying to do, in that he tries his best to be who he is and keep doing what he’s doing, and that shows in his music. I can see him and feel him in his music. I can see his personality, and I can see what he believes in and what’s important to him.’”

David started writing for the album in the fall, but then came his Christmas album and holiday tour. Then had had to work on his memoir, Chords of Strength: A Memoir of Soul, Song and the Power of Perseverance, set for a June 1 release.

“Now I’m finally getting back to the music,” he says.

Writing Chords of Strength was a difficult process, David says. “I never thought I was interesting enough to write about myself. I didn’t think I had enough words to come out of me to make sense.”

David calls writing the book a great learning experience, “because it helped me remember things I hadn’t thought about for a long time. Sometimes you get so caught up in what everybody else is focusing on — the music, American Idol — that that’s where your life is. It’s like that’s where you were born.

“Some people don’t even think about your life before music. Even the writer I was working with would just focus on music. I started liking music and singing when I was 6. I didn’t feel that into it until I was 11. I had a life.

“But my life isn’t just music. Music’s a part of my life. That’s the thing I tried to make most apparent: Music is a part of my life, it isn’t my life.”

David generally shies away from discussing his religious convictions during interviews. “I don’t want to weird people out,” he says. “People have different views of life, and I try to respect that. I feel like music has a universal common ground, so I’ve just let the music do the speaking.”

However, he delves into the subject of his faith in Chords of Strength.

“I decided if people want to know who I am, they need to know this about me, this part of my life and how important it is to me and how it has affected my decisions, how I view things, and why I am who I am.

“I feel like God’s the reason why I’m here, and the way that I’ve tried to do what I feel is right is the reason why I’m here.

“Sometimes I feel like I don’t have the knowledge it takes to be in this position. I don’t  know if I deserve this. But God has different plans for me, and I trust him.”

While David’s last trip to Nashville involved several outings in additions to his writing sessions, this most recent visit was more work-focused. He even had to skip a Lady Antebellum concert, which he had hoped to attend with actress/singer Jennette McCurdy because he was in the studio recording one of the new songs.

“I still want to go to the Pancake Pantry,” he says. “That’s the place that people keep telling me about. I haven’t been there yet.”

Brian also wrote a piece on “Imagine”, calling it “one of the riskiest choices a contestant has made.”  He got David to talk about that performance, too!

I’ve always thought David Archuleta’s Imagine was one of the riskiest choices a contestant has made on American Idol.

There were so many ways that February 2008 performance could have backfired on David. Simon Cowell acknowledged as much afterward, telling David it was “very, very risky to do a John Lennon song — particularly that one.”

After all, Imagine is an iconic song with a simple melody and a message considered both sacred and profane by different groups of people. Beatles fans could have turned on him David for having the audacity to change the melody so much — or simply for being 17 and sing it. The judges might have thought it was too old — or too weighty — for him.

If David had sung the first verse about imagining there’s no Heaven, he probably never would have won back large segments of the show’s conservative, religious viewers. But starting the song’s on the third verse could have caused problems, too. It might have sent the message that he wasn’t willing to sing that first verse — even though he had time constraints as an excuse.

There were so many reasons that performance might not have worked — and the fact that David sang and smiled his way right past every last one of them made him one of that season’s instant favorites.

It turns out, though, that Imagine wasn’t David’s first choice that week.

“I actually picked another song before I picked Imagine,” David says, though he declines to name the other number. “But I knew I needed to do Imagine.

“It was scary, because everyone else was doing uptempo stuff. It was ’70s Week. It was, like, feel-good week. I didn’t even know that no one else picked slow songs until rehearsals, and I was scared.”

David even went so far as working up the arrangement of the first song, only later telling producers that he wanted to change his performance number.

“They were not happy that I wanted to change,” he recalls. First of all, switching songs made an already tight schedule even tighter. Secondly, they wanted David to sing the song’s first verse.

But David stuck to his guns.

“There are more important things about the song than the first verse,” he says. “I leaves it to what matters — what matters in life and what matters in music. That song captures those things perfectly, and it captured what I wanted to do with music. It captured why I felt like I needed to be there and what I needed to say.

“Some people were, like, ‘Why didn’t he sing the first verse?’ You know what? The third verse is my favorite one. Not everybody focuses on what the song’s about — they just focus on those first words and obsess about ‘how bad it is.’ I’m a religious person. I felt like this song meant more than that, and I wasn’t going to let that distraction get in the way.

“People were upset that I wouldn’t do the first verse — ‘That’s the verse everyone knows!’ You know what? People need to listen to the song. I didn’t want people to think they already knew the song. I wanted people to listen, because there’s more meaning, and it captures a substance in music that is so meaningful to me.”

David says he also understood that, with switching verses, he ran the risk of being considered “cheesy,”  but “it didn’t matter, because I said what I needed to say.

“Same with this next album. Maybe it’s cheesy, but there’s a point where you have to be brave to be cheesy, because you know it’s what you’re supposed to do. Maybe I’m a cheesy person, but that’s who I am. I’m not going to pretend to be somebody else just to humor society.”

Judie (Supergrandjudie) emailed us about this great fan tribute video by pabuckie!  The song featured is “Feeling Good” by Michael Buble, and has some great swoon-worthy David pictures. :)

Fans, we appreciate your help in helping make this Gift to Honor David a success.

Today is Four ($4) for Friday!!!

$4 for Friday! Donate $4 to The David Archuleta Music Scholarship and help a student’s dream come true!

David thanks you!

Makes sure to pick up your own copy!

They are also taking nominations via their Twitter at @TeenCAwards2010!  Let’s get to it, guys! :)  Oh, and when you do send in your nominations, please DO NOT spam them.  We want all our nominations to count!

Meet Joy Williams Yetton, and Nate Yetton! The happy couple haha. Looking forward to this week of writing!

A blogger from the LA Times interviewed David! Click “read more” to read the article. :)

Season 7 runner-up David Archuleta has a new album in the works, a book about to hit the shelves, and a very busy few months staring him in the adorably dimpled face. But the 19-year-old native of Murray, Utah, still made time to talk to us between his travels to Nashville for songwriting sessions. The follow-up to David’s gold-selling debut is slated for release later this year, but read on to learn about its progress, as well as David’s experience with the Spanish-language “We Are the World” and his thoughts on the new season of “American Idol.”

What do you think of Season 9 so far?

I just really feel for the contestants. I want to talk to them, to tell them: I went through this, and I know what it’s like. While you’re there, you’re overwhelmed with so many different things. It’s a lot of work but you’re gonna learn so much from it, and there will be so many opportunities that you wouldn’t even imagine coming to you. And all the people who work on “Idol” — so many of them made what I thought was an impossible dream come true. These are the people who can really change your life.

Talent-wise, do they measure up to previous contestants?

I think they’re really talented. They show a lot of their own personalities, and I liked that about them. And there’s some really good singers, too. Like Andrew Garcia, I like the character that he’s shown. I feel like there’s a lot of pressure for them because people are now expecting them to change up the songs, and they’re not sure exactly what to be showing people. It’s matter of balance — changing the song enough to show who you are but still preserving the song for what made it magical.

Is that the secret, David? You would know, having made it all the way to the finale.

It’s difficult. You only have so much time in the day to think about that. Especially for the kids who are in school who study and are supposed to use their brain in another way for a lot of the day. Sometimes it’s hard to focus on both things at once, especially when you have to sing in front of millions of people. But “Idol” is like boot camp — that’s what I always say. It just makes you strong and gives you the knowledge and experience that you’ll need in the future. I’m excited to continue watching.

Tell us about your new material, and how long you’ve been working on it.

I’ve been working on it since January, but I had my first writing sessions in the summer, and I went to Nashville to write in October. Then the Christmas album came out and sort of took over, but I go back to Nashville this week.

Why Nashville?

It’s a really fun town, and I just love the people there. They’re really focused, very humble people, and the writers want the songs to be meaningful. That means a lot to me. It’s just a matter of finding that balance between radio hits and songs that really bring a message across to people. Plus, I love to tell a story, but I want to talk about my own stories, so I’ve been learning a lot about the writing process by working with people like Matt Squire.

Is there something you’re trying to accomplish with this record that you weren’t able to do on the first one?

[Lyrically], I just want it to sound more like me. I want people to say, “This is David talking.” Instead of just interpreting — and I’m sure there will be songs like that — I want to focus on showing people who I am, what my personality is like and hoping that I leave an impression on people. Even if it’s a light, fun topic, I still want it to make people think. I don’t want a typical everyday relationship song. If it’s going to be about a relationship, I want to create an image in people’s minds and let their imaginations go.

Have any current artists helped inspire you as the album has come together?

Jason Mraz, A Fine Frenzy, Owl City, Imogen Heap… those are some of my favorite artists. I love how Imogen gets you thinking and her music paints all these pictures in your mind. Owl City too, the weird abstractness makes all these colors and images come to life in your head. I love it when a song can do that. I don’t wanna get too abstract about it, but I want people to have a good time with the music and for it to match my personality. That’s kind of the goal right now, which is still kind of difficult because I’m still figuring out what exactly I want to do.

Please tell us we won’t be hearing you all auto-tuned. …

I hate auto-tune! There’s a certain emotion that you work on trying to get into your voice all these years, and I feel like auto-tune takes that away. Sometimes imperfections are supposed to be there! I have a hard time singing with it on because I pay so much attention to what is coming out of me, that when what I’m hearing in my headphones is not the same as what’s actually coming out, it really throws me off. So, no, I’m not a fan of auto-tune.

One of your songs, “She’s Not You,” was leaked recently. Is it a contender for this new album?

That was like the third song I ever recorded a year and a half ago. I don’t know how it got leaked. I guess people are hacking into things a lot more, like Jason Mraz’s Twitter [account] got hacked into.
I recorded over 30 songs for my first album, and this was one of them. It was written by E-Man [Emanuel Kiriakou], who wrote “Crush,” and I really liked recording it, but it didn’t make the record. And now, he worked hard to write that song, record it and produce it, but because it’s not released or for sale on iTunes, he’s not being provided for all the work he did. So I feel really bad for him.

Your book, “Chords of Strength,” is coming out. How do you respond to those who say you’re too young to write a memoir?

I agree with them. When the idea was brought to me, I was like, “Huh? I’m only 19, and I don’t think my life has been that interesting.” At first, I wasn’t sure how I was going to do it. Except in my liner notes [laughs], I was never good at writing a lot. Even in school, I always stayed after class because I’d never finish my essay in time. So writing has been a challenge but something I’ve been working on. Also, a lot of people ask me questions about my life, and I thought this is a great way for me to finally explain how I managed to get to this point at a young age and why I’m still the way I am. That’s the focus in the book: There were so many times when I thought, “I’m not good enough,” or, “There’s no way this is going to happen,” and then it does happen. I like to share those things with people, which is what music’s all about — having even a small influence by sharing my stories.

What was the process like?

It was very challenging, but I feel like it taught me a lot of things. It brought back memories that I completely forgot about because it got me thinking deeper and in more detail.

Last month you joined Emilio and Gloria Estefan, Ricky Martin, Shakira and a host of Latin luminaries to take part in “Somos El Mundo,” the Spanish-Language version of “We Are the World.” How was that experience for you?

It was just amazing to be around so many Latin artists. I was a little nervous because I don’t have the greatest Spanish, but I was able to get by. And my mom idolizes Gloria Estefan, so I brought her with me, which was really special. Plus, I just love to be able to reach out, and I love when people come together for such a good cause. I feel such a love for people [in need] especially now, with all the things that have been happening, not just with Haiti.

Would you consider doing a Spanish album?

I really want to. I love those people. I love what they’re all about, the culture they’ve given to me in my life with my mom’s side of the family. … Latin people are so passionate about music and emotional and expressive that way.

Perez Hilton recently suggested that Gloria Estefan would be a good “Idol” judge. Would you agree?

I think she’d be a really good candidate. She has a lot of knowledge, she’s a songwriter and a performer, she’s been under those pressures and has accomplished a lot in her life. Plus, she’s a very nice, down-to-earth person. I think she’d be a really good candidate.

Any plans for you to appear on the show this year?

I’d love to. I really wanna go back, and I’ve been trying to watch this season as much as I can.

David was also in Hispanic Magazine’s 15 Young Icons Under 30!

Here’s an unreleased, leaked song from David called “She’s Not You”. It’s been getting some airplay!

Find more music like this on DavidIsOurHero.com – A David Archuleta Fansite

The lyrics, courtesy of @XtianHawk. I polished them up a bit. :)

See how she’s looking in my eyes
Any guy would kill for that
She’s a beautiful girl and she’s into me
But I’m too busy still lookin’ back
Now I’m walking her to the door
Tryin’ to kiss her good night
But something inside just don’t feel right

My friends tell me “C’mon, give it up”
So I’ve been tryin’ to move on
But my heart’s still caught and my head’s not clear
Of the pictures from before you were gone
And I never wanna hurt no one
Tryin’ to forget your name
But something inside just don’t feel the same

No, she’s not you
And I don’t know what to say
But I’ll say it anyway
No matter what I do
I can’t believe the lie
And I just can’t see it through
No, she’s not you

I woke up in the middle of the night
Started reachin’ for the phone
Had to take a breath and remind myself
That you said you needed time alone
Didn’t know what I wanted then
And I know I let you down
Baby, I know what I gotta do now, oh

She’s not you
And I don’t know what to say
But I’ll say it anyway
No matter what I do
I can’t believe the lie
And I just can’t see it through

She’s not you when she smiles
Not you when she wakes
Or you when she cries
Not you when she breaks
And I don’t want to hurt her
But I know that it’s true
She’s not you

Ohh, not you

No, she’s, she’s not you
I don’t know what to say
But I’ll say it anyway
No matter what I do
I can’t believe the lie
And I just can’t see it through
She’s not you, yeah

She’s not you
And I don’t know what to say
But I’ll say it anyway
No matter what I do
But I can’t believe the lie
And I just can’t see it through
No, she’s not you

“DAVID…LOOK WHAT YOU INSPIRED US TO DO!!!”

Last fall, a group of fans got together trying to come up with alternative gifts to give David for Christmas and his birthday! They wanted to come up with something that may have a lasting impression, and would show David the love that he always shows to his fans. Brainstorming began….

The seed was planted…it has grown, changed and has been nourished by many of David’s fans working together to make this happen. We want this to be a gift from ALL fans around the world. Therefore……….

~~~WE ARE PLEASED AND HONORED TO ANNOUNCE~~~

THE DAVID ARCHULETA MUSIC SCHOLARSHIP

David has done so much for his fans. We would like to honor him by showing our support for this wonderful cause ….gifting talented students with scholarships to encourage them to keep the music alive.

Each year the music scholarship(s) will be awarded to a senior student(s) from David’s home town high school: Murray High School, in Murray Utah. These will be given to those who have plans of furthering their education in Music.

Please join us and Help Give Back to David by gifting Murray High School Students!!!
by donating to:

‘THE DAVID ARCHULETA MUSIC SCHOLARSHIP’

Visit our web site at www.thedavidarchuletamusicscholarship.org. and check out our web page for all the details.

Your donation, large or small, will help fund higher education, keep music alive, and honor David…all at the same time.

You are all invited to participate.!!
All donors names, city and state, will be included in a journal that will be given to David.
(The donation amount WILL NOT BE INCLUDED)

Fans let’s all put our hearts together and show David some love!!!

WE ‘Can’t Let The Music Stop’!

DAVID’S FANS

You can download “Somos El Mundo” on iTunes now!

Click here to buy! :)

I’ll embed it here as soon as I can.

The full song after the break (more…)!

“Real” video coming soon.

Lyrics to the song from Fan Scene:

El día llegó The day has come
No hay momento que perder There’s not a moment to lose
Hay que buscar unir el mundo de una vez We must seek to unite the world once again
Tantos necesitan un nuevo amanecer So many need a new dawn
Hay que ayudar We must help
Tenemos el deber We have a duty

No hay que esperar Do not expect
Que sea el otro el que va actuar That it is the other who will act
Cuando el dolor a tu puerta pueda tocar When pain may knock at your door
Al estar unidos no hay nada que temer United we have nothing to fear
Para triunfar In order to triumph
Tenemos que entender We need to understand

Somos Amor, Somos el Mundo We are Love, We are the World
Somos la luz que alumbra con ardor, lo más oscuro We are the light that ardently brightens the most dark
Llenos de esperanza Filled with hope
Podemos rescatar We can rescue
La fe que nos puede salvar The faith that can save us
Juntos, tu y yo Together, you and me

De corazón From the heart
Que sepan que importantes son Let them know how important they are
Que su pesar sentimos todos también That we all feel regret as well
Y que no están solos And that they are not alone
Queremos ayudar We want to help
Con compasión, firmeza y hermandad With compassion, determination and brotherhood

Somos Amor, Somos el Mundo We are Love, We are the World
Somos la luz que alumbra con ardor, lo más oscuro We are the light that ardently brightens the most dark
Llenos de esperanza Filled with hope
Podemos rescatar We can rescue
La fe que nos puede salvar The faith that can save us
Juntos, tu y yo Together, you and me

Cuando alguna vez te canses de luchar Whenever you tire of fighting
Es que aquí estaré a tu lado sin dudar Is when I’ll be here by your side without hesitation
Te daré mi mano para juntos aprender I will give you my hand so that together we can learn
La manera de poder vencer The way to overcome

Sorry for not updating all weekend!

David’s Chords of Strength cover was released! The book will be out May 4th, you can pre-order at Amazon.

Also, FanBlast is officially 2 years old! :)

Jennifer Barry, a super dedicated David Archuleta fan, creator of the Crush MS poster, and FanBlast reader, has started selling “Prayer of the Children (POTC) Charity Posters” to benefit Plane to Haiti.

According to her blog post, all proceeds will go to Plane to Haiti.

Posters come in 8×12 (inches?) which are $ 7.50 per poster and 12×18 (inches?) and are $10.00 per poster!

If you want to read more about Plane to Haiti you can check out their site at planetohaiti.org.

Read and get more info on Jennifer’s posters at her blog post at DavidArchuletanetwork.ning.com.