Two years ago today, on August 1, 2008, a fella we have come to admire named David Archuleta sat, a bundle of nerves, to hear the world premiere of his first song, Crush. Millions of New Yorkers (and thousands of fans glued to their computers) heard David on the radio for the very first time, and his official career as a recording artist began at the ripe old age of seventeen

At a loss for words, David said his hope was simply that fans “like it, that they enjoy listening to it.”

Little did he know that Crush would premiere at #2 on the Hot 100 and go double platinum, and that his album would go gold. And little did he know that this date marked the beginning of an era in which David would make an indelible impact on an industry. Already today, after just two years (not a long time, but what must feel like several lifetimes of experience to him), David has come to meet success, validation, and greater confidence and maturity. He has grown quite a bit since that day in 2008, but looking back at this moment we still see the same humble, generous guy we’ve grown to love.

So it’s time to re-watch an oldie but goodie and reflect on how far David has come. Were you a fan when this happened? And where were you?

-Ronald