Maybe I’ve been out of the loop because I choose NOT to visit unfriendly sites. So I don’t know about all the negativity out there about David. I’m not so naive though, to think everyone loves David…and there will always be his detractors. David will prevail and have a long career long after those detractors careers…writers, reporters, other artists, etc. bite the dust. David will have a long-lasting career. Listen once again…it’s HIS DESTINY…maybe not tomorrow, maybe not next week, or next year…maybe slow & steady!

I’m sure by the time I post this, other more prolific posts will emerge before mine and may not agree with me….this is why we are at home here…we can agree to disagree, but one thing we all agree on is our love and devotion to David. We all want him to be safe and happy wherever his journey takes him…we just want to be there for him.

If the hate and “backlash” is so intense as to put pressure on a label to cut him loose, then, it’s not his “destiny,” as silverfoxe likes to say, to be in the pop music scene, and he should look elsewhere to make his music. I’ve already determined that, if the music industry is so blind as to not recognize when they’ve got so much promise in someone like David, then the industry deserves to be in the sinking hole it currently finds itself in. Their big problem has always been in creating lousy products and not giving the buying public something it wants to invest their hard-earned money on.

As I’ve said in other posts, “Crush” is a nice and catchy enough song, but it’s beneath David’s talents, and the label could try a little harder. Obviously, the Arch Angels are working harder at promoting David than they seem to be. If the wisdom is that a new artist must have an “uphill climb,” then sure, I can see that backlash will come, if David is seen as having an unfair advantage by starting at the top, rather than climbing there.

HOWEVER, if someone has already been catapulted to the top of the mountain, the ambitious and visionary thing to do is launch him to the moon! Set your goals higher, you know? Sadly, a mediocre industry -- such as our current music scene -- doesn’t even know how to aim that high anymore. May David get the longevity to show them the way.

My theory is that AI/19E has every intention of using both Davids to sell certain brands of American Idol (David Archuleta, who will be used to sell the formulaic pop that people have come to expect from Idol and David Cook, who will be the bridge they’re looking to cross over into musical credibility -- the bottom line is David at 17 is simply too young for anyone to take him seriously for the same kind of credibility, which is why it’s great that David is grounded enough to see this and to hope that, while they use his cuteness and talent, he in turn can use them as an open door into the music business).

In the end, I tend to agree with what rascal said a while back: David is young enough to outgrow AI and the current teen image that he has right now. He will grow up, and he definitely has the intelligence to produce music that grows with him.

I, too, worry that David’s fans have too many high expectations along with the expectation that everything should happen NOW. I’ve been in disbelief that the people who run a large David site recently encouraged adults to lie and say they were teenagers just to be able to vote for David to win an award over more established singers. Would David really like to know that his win was partially due to dishonesty by his fans? What if the media had found out and/or considered it worthy of public note?

Although it was nice for David that his single was #1 for a week on iTunes, it has, as was predicted, led to backlash. With the constant push on the above mentioned site to “buy, buy, buy” to get David’s single to #1, it made an inviting target. Because most people are only willing to buy one copy, that led to the almost inevitable sales drop and the inevitable smirking by the haters. And recently that same web site was desperately pleading for fans to buy one more copy to try to increase its sales.

At least in the short term, David may have been badly served by the decision to release Crush as his first single. Maybe it was good in that it proved he could do “contemporary” music, but, predictably, it led to press about his album such as mentioned above by jackryan4DA in #83: “Archie’s is sure to overflow with breathy paeans to young love like his current hit, “Crush.” Cook, who’s working with renowned rock-dude producer Rob Cavallo toward that Green Day-meets-Our Lady Peace sound, can count on mall shoppers popping in to Best Buy.”

As is so common, the reviewer assumed that David can do no better than he’s already done, while Cook is seen as the one with the real promise of originality. I know, there’ll be no undoing the damage done to David’s reputation by this AI season. . . not for years. . . not until David is older, more assertive, and is able to do the “message music” that he wants to do.

More than anything, I wish that David had not done AI. Maybe his youth will allow him the time to separate himself from the show, but the negative labels will continue in the press at least as long as the show survives. I hope above all else that if, in the short term, the teens and tweens who show so little musical appreciation that they like the Jonas brothers’ music as much as David’s have to be catered to with Crush, it’s in the cause of allowing David the opportunity to continue his career long enough to become independent of AI and to find new fans who have never watched AI (or at least season 7) and thus have not had their view of David contaminated by that show and the press surrounding it.

Finally, I’m an American who has been watching Canadian Idol for the first time online, and one of the final two makes me think of what David’s voice and performing abilities may be in 5-6 years time and of how unfair it’s been all through AI and the tour for him to be compared to much older performers. I’m just hoping that in CI the right guy wins next week.

I also believe that his Faith has a lot to do with how he handles and approaches his current situation. I am not an LDS member so please feel free to correct me on this but I understand that the LDS Church encourages its gifted members to share their talent and put such talent to good use. Mietra, one of his close friends echoes this in an LDS article, “David understands that he has a talent and that his voice affects people. He’s not arrogant about it. He is as humble and thankful to those who help him as you saw on the show. That’s how he really is.”

Lastly, I just need to listen and watch David’s interaction with the fans and how he performs, night after night and it leaves me no doubt that there is joy where he is at.

Fidgeting in interviews and being animated in others in not uncommon with teenagers. And I totally 1000% get the dichotomy of David as a masterclass artist and David as the shy kid from Murray. I am in Marketing and when required, I can present, talk and even sell ice to thousands of Eskimos, so to speak. You would never believe that I am basically, deep down, a shy person. And am already an adult! How much more for a 17-year old?

But David has a strong foundation — the love & support of his family, the acceptance of his community, the adoration of his fans and an innate strength which comes from his heart, soul and will.

Me? I just wish him to be safe and happy.

That he has made so many people reflect and rethink their own life’s journey, and gave them the courage to do what they most likely were meant to do….(fulfilling one’s destiny)…like you Freo & classical music, or
someone else, writing, painting, composing, anything that you had a passion for but were too afraid, or your life took a different path, whatever the reason, if David knew he is responsible for giving you the courage to say, “Yes, I can”, I think he would be very honored. The best tribute you can give him is to follow your dream because he’s following his.

I love hearing things like that, Freo. Thank you.

I can’t begin to be as eloguent as everyone on here, but I want you to know how many hours of pleasure I get reading what you all write -- thank you! You express what I feel in my heart AND it is reassuring to know I am not alone in my ODD!

I often wonder what my husband and my son (who is almost twice as old as David) would think if they could see all the David videos, interviews, pictures, music, etc. that I have saved on my computer. Of course, maybe they do understand more than I realize -- my son helped me set up an itunes account and my husband gave me an MP4 player for my birthday:)

Well, tomorrow is the day -- I cannot wait!!!!

Thanks again to everyone!

I recommend re-watching that recent fan tribute video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfM_0g4sqRk

I actually had an unexpected, good cry after watching it. I think I really needed that. I felt sadness about the tour ending, but also the video moved me so much because it reminded me of all the fans I’ve met online these past few months, my emotional highs and lows of following David on the show, my joy in going to two concerts and hanging by the buses, how David has gotten me back into music in general and thinking again about pursuing my dream of studying classical piano. The past eight months have been quite a journey, and I can’t wait to see what next is in store.

David definitely loves singing, no matter how, he is going to sing. Of course, may not be a grand debut like AI (I still have no conclusion coming from AI is good or not), but no doubt in me, he is going to take music career as his top priority.

When the first time I read the blog, read the word “contented”, I smiled. It reminded me the happiness I had from the last few fans videos or radio interviews. Because I found David is now feeling very comfortable/relaxed with his fans, we are no more strangers, and he could express more himself than before.

I am pretty relaxed after I learnt David performs perfect in a music-related interviews, because it really matters to attract new fans.

As per entertainment’s interviews, David shouldn’t think too much to give an answer, not because the questions are stupid, what they ask are what non-fans care, and what non-fans need, sometimes, are just a second of humor. Considering David’s character, I prefer he is awful to kind of interviews.