Last week David Archuleta made a very last minute decision to cover Colbie Caillat’s song “Bubbly,” during his solo concert in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Thankfully video cameras were rolling for those of us that could not be there to experience it ‘live’. When the videos hit the Internet the next day, like so many other fans of David’s, I was thrilled! But it wasn’t just the beautiful way David sang the song that I loved, it was also the way he played to the audience. He was sweet, funny, humble, confident and apologetic. In those few moments he was on stage, he showed us his amazing talent and he was totally endearing.

There was one video from that evening that I really enjoyed. In my opinion it captured David at his best. In it, David starts off by greeting the audience, though it is an encore performance. He begins by chatting with the fans very casually. He is explaining that he was rehearsing a song before the show, when band member Kendra, asked him what he was singing and he told her. However, it was not the song she thought and that gave David an idea! Together, they decided to challenge themselves and try a new song they both liked. David made sure to let the audience know that it was all very unplanned, so if he messed up he wanted to apologize in advance. As David explains this to the crowd, he does his best not to let the audience know the song right away, as if he wants to surprise them. As I watched this video for the first time, I was thinking to myself…what an amazing performer! Not only is he going to try and sing something new that he has not had the time to really practice, but he is making sure to let his fans know that he will do his best with it and that it might not be perfect. He seems to want the fans to know this ahead of time, as if he is afraid of disappointing them in case he makes a few mistakes. He even invites them to sing along and help him with the words, if he needs it. I think it is really something the way he is so confident yet conscientious. He is a consummate performer.

Of course David went on to perform the song beautifully, leaving many fans speechless and wanting more. All I kept thinking was…wow he did it! He sang that song as if he had sang it a million times before. He performed it effortlessly, and with so much emotion, that I was left stunned by it. I have Colbie Caillat’s CD with “Bubbly” on it. It has always been a song that I liked very much, but David’s version was just incredible. Honestly, I like his version better than the original. He has the ability to take a song and make it his own, so easily. He does it so well, that when I hear the original song again, all I can think of is David’s version and how much I love the way he sings it more.

I looked up the word ‘bubbly’ in the dictionary. It is defined as; enthusiastic, vivacious, spirited, vibrant, joyous, gleeful and full of life. All these words describe David Archuleta, as well as the way he makes people feel when they are in his presence. So it was a perfect song choice, because when David Archuleta performs anything, he definitely leaves us feeling bubbly!

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“If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I’ll bet they’d live a lot differently.” - Bill Watterson After a long day of recording in the fast paced world of Los Angeles, all the while the foot hills of the San Gabriel mountains were ablaze and smoke billowing - David Archuleta tweeted:

It’s amazing to see the ocean and the stars in one glance. Beautiful!

The skies that night were remarkably clear despite what was going on so close by. I had to go outside and check with my own eyes - indeed I could see the stars twinkle as the sky was so clear. All day long I was lamenting over breathing in the smokey air. When night came, it did not even cross my mind to look up to marvel at the stars in the sky.

Stars and ocean…since humans first walked this earth they have been drawn to two things. The constant rhythm and beauty of the ocean and the glittering stars overhead. We watch in rapt silence as the waves dance in and out …if we are lucky we spot a falling star to make a wish upon.

There is a beautiful song that we can think of as we look to the same heaven that David sees. No matter where we are we can wish on the same bright stars and realize that we are all connected to each other and this beautiful planet. So as we face the stresses and worries of our daily lives, we can also go outside and look up….and marvel,dream and say a thankful prayer.

Somewhere Out There
written by James Horner, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil

Somewhere out there beneath the pale moonlight
Someone’s thinking of me and loving me tonight
Somewhere out there someone’s saying a prayer
That we’ll find one another in that big somewhere out there
And even though I know how very far apart we are
It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star
And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby
It helps to think we’re sleeping underneath the same big sky
Somewhere out there if love can see us through
Then we’ll be together somewhere out there
Out where dreams come true
And even though I know how very far apart we are
It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star
And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby
It helps to think we’re sleeping underneath the same big sky
Somewhere out there if love can see us through
Then we’ll be together somewhere out there
Out where dreams come true“love builds up the broken wall

and straightens the crooked path.
love keeps the stars in the firmament
and imposes rhythm on the ocean tides
each of us is created of it
and i suspect
each of us was created for it”
Maya AngelouOur ideals resemble the stars, which illuminate the night. No one will ever be able to touch them. But the men who, like the sailors on the ocean, take them for guides, will undoubtedly reach their goal. Carl Schurz

Here is wishing that our special shooting star reaches out and obtains his goal - undoubtedly he will!

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Providence, RI August 22, 2009

As we go through our busy days, it can be very easy to focus only on ourselves and the things that we have to do.  We may not stop to give much thought to what is going on with those around us.  It might seem that a busy performer like David Archuleta, who has a schedule filled with touring, recording, travel, and many other things, would have even more reasons than most of us to concentrate on only his own feelings and activities.  A couple of recent occurences, though, seem to show us that this is not the way that he approaches things.

On August 17, David had a solo concert in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  On the day of a performance, David has many things to keep him busy, usually including sound checks and meet and greets in addition to other preparations.  Besides this, on this occasion, he was just getting over a stretch of time in which he’d struggled with losing his voice and suffering from allergies, making it very difficult for him to do what he loves to do — sing for his audiences.  All of these things would seem to, on their own, be enough to take up all of David’s attention.  Yet, some time before the show was scheduled to begin, David posted the following update on Twitter:  “It’s rainin’ big time!! And there are people waiting outside! Ah! We’re going to try and get them sheltered! lol.”  Rather than thinking only of himself, David was concerned about the fact that the fans gathered outside to await the concert were caught in a heavy rain, and he wanted to try to help them out of that situation. His online message was short, but it provides us with a nice example of the consideration that David has for others, and it is certainly not the only instance that shows us David’s lack of self-centeredness.

A week earlier, on August 10, David was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for another solo performance. He had been having trouble with his voice for at least a few days, and on that Monday, he was supposed to completely rest his voice before the show in an attempt to save whatever voice he did have left for the concert that night. This meant that David would not be able to sing for or talk with the fans assembled for that afternoon’s VIP pre-show gathering at all, as he usually would. So, after David had signed autographs and posed for pictures, he and the fans waved goodbye to each other. Under the circumstances, it might seem that someone in David’s situation would have been preoccupied with concerns about his voice, wondering how he was going to make it through an hour and a quarter of singing later that evening, and glad to move on from the meet and greet to get some rest or try to get ready for the show. As David walked out of the room, however, he looked reluctant to leave. Minutes later, to the surprise of the group of fans, David returned. He said that he wanted to at least sing a verse of something for the group and proceeded to share a lovely portion of a spiritual song that was, I believe, new to at least most of his listeners. Then, he smiled and left the room again, apparently much more content with what had taken place. Despite all that must have been on his mind, it seems that David wanted to give something more to the fans that had come to see him, even though by doing so he might risk making things still more difficult for himself later by putting extra strain on his overworked voice. I was one of the people present at the pre-show event that day, and I really appreciated what David chose to do for us. It was disappointing that we did not have the chance to see and hear David, the amazing singer and musician, accompany himself on the keyboard while performing a couple of songs for us or David, the charming, fun, and amusing guy, chatting with and answering questions from the crowd. We did, however, still get to see, hear (just a little bit) and experience David, the caring, dedicated, unselfish, responsible young man of integrity, and that’s a pretty wonderful thing to witness in itself.

There is a (likely unfair) stereotype that labels celebrities as self-absorbed people who don’t really care about others. From all that we have seen, this description certainly does not fit David Archuleta, whose concern for other people is just one of his admirable qualities. Hopefully, we can all make an effort to look beyond ourselves and try to pay more attention to the needs and feelings of the people with whom we come in contact.

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