Chords of Strength

by David Archuleta

  I don’t want to express myself creatively just for the sake of rubbing it in anyone’s face, or having flashy things that get the most people’s attention. I just want to be able to do well at what I love and feel good about, and to be respected for that.

  I’ve been asked, “What will it take for me to always be happy?” I know how I would answer it: I would turn the question around and say that you should be asking yourself, “What can I do to make others happy?” I think that is the main point I want to get across to people reading this book. To me, the secret to happiness is that it isn’t all about YOU. I am happy, but I try not to worry too much about things I want. If I just think about what I want, the type of feelings I get are not as fulfilling as the ones that come up when I am thinking about what I can do to help others feel happy. That way the flow isn’t interrupted, it keeps going through me and on to other people. When I just think of myself, it stops with me and never seems to completely satisfy that inner desire to feel completely happy. That, to me, is that true key to happiness.

  The other question I get a lot is, “Does music make me the happiest?” I would have to say that I have received a lot of joy and happiness from what I’ve been able to experience through music; it definitely means a lot to me. But happiness and music don’t always go perfectly hand in hand. There are definitely times where music can cause a lot of pain, especially when you’re already having a difficult time. Music is relatable, that’s where the power is. I guess that’s why spiritual music affects people the way it does. It’s familiar and really draws us in, even though we may not understand exactly why.

  So, looking forward, this takes me to another important question, which is, what are my dreams? I definitely have some that are music related and others that are not. I definitely have a dream of one day singing at the Olympics, an event that to me represents everything that I love about life in general: I like how it can bring millions or even possibly billions of people all over the world together. I love when people can share something like that in common and feel the joy that comes from such unity and oneness. I remember my first-ever concert was the closing ceremony of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, which featured performances from artists such as *NSYNC, Christina Aguilera, Harry Connick Jr., and Sting. The levels of joy and celebration in the air were amazing. These types of unique occasions are so loaded already, and I love how music has the power to accentuate the experience with that much more spirit.

  And as far as music goes, I look forward to being a part of it, whether it be as a writer, as a performer, or even as a listener. I really love songs that are about moving forward, about the power of progress and the ability to overcome; songs that really give people an idea, whether it’s a better understanding of something in their lives, or a better understanding of me as a person. I just love the idea of sharing ideas through music, and I’m especially drawn to songs that have purpose, an angle. For me, the best songs are about getting through chal lenges: your basic “triumph of the human spirit” type of stuff, which is a common theme in music (and in life) that inspires me tremendously. Incredible music has been written about broken hearts or lost love, but it’s so refreshing when you hear a song that has real depth of character.

  I know I’m expected to sing and write songs about romance—but I also know that I like to sing songs that go beyond romance and that have more universal messages. Of course, we all want to be able to relate to the songs that we hear, but I think it’s neat when those same songs are unique enough to stand on their own as different and distinct from what you might expect. Moving forward in my own musical development, this is the standard I’d like to set for myself.

  I think for me, the bottom line is that I want to sing songs that make you feel good, songs that remind you about your right to choose happiness and finding the will to do so. I’m attracted to music that gets you thinking, that gets your mind moving in a more positive direction, music that stirs the soul somehow. I really do see each song as an empty canvas, as a moment of opportunity. With that in mind, my goal is to always paint a complete picture with my music, a picture that glows with color and dimension. I’m looking for movement in the songs that I sing, so that you actually go through something when you hear it, kind of like a life experience.

  We never know what will be thrown at us, but it’s up to each of us as to how we deal with whatever does come.

  I’m sure that people have certain expectations of me, some because of the types of songs I performed when I was on American Idol; but I also know that I have my own expectations which may be different from what people have heard me perform in the past. To me, that means that my music should grow and change as I do, as part of a creative evolution that knows no limits. I want people to get a sense of what’s going on in my mind, but even more than that, I want them to know what my emotions look like. Thoughts are one thing—but as I see it, the true beauty of human communication lies in the power of emotions. I feel that it’s my job as an artist and a singer to communicate my perceptions through all the different colors of what I’m really like inside. So right now for me, music is the vehicle.

  People are not born amazing singers. When I was six years old, I wasn’t the best singer but I just may have been the most passionate! I loved it so much. When you have a passion for something and you work hard at it, that’s when you start growing. That’s when you start strengthening yourself as an artist.

  Today, I love being busy. Sure, it can get stressful, but when you finish a task on your to-do list, it’s always so gratifying. You think to yourself, “Man, I worked hard for this, and now I can say I did it.” I have also learned that deadlines are excellent tools for me. The pressure gives me more of an appreciation for what I’m doing and forces me to be effective and stay focused.

  But I don’t feel that ultimate happiness can be achieved by finishing something. I like to believe that every time a milestone is reached, it’s an open door for the next one to be tackled. I see my life as a progression of personal accomplishments that all tie together to show the truth. I love it when music makes a person say, “I get what that singer is feeling.” When that comes through, I feel like I’ve done my job. And it has to do with several elements, a fine balance of things: the melodic flow of the song, its structure, its lyrics and, of course, the sentiment of the song. When all of these things come together to create a sense of connectivity between my audience and myself, I feel totally complete. Now that I have gotten to this level, I know it’s my duty to work even harder to get to the next one, whatever that may be.

  I think that the only way to be truly happy and satisfied with your life is to keep working and improving, because we are never perfect, and the only thing that really makes us feel accomplished in our lives is to keep growing and to progress. I think that’s the best feeling. As for myself, I know there is still so much I need to learn.

  Looking toward the future, I know I can’t kid myself about my personal challenges. For example, one of my goals is to continue learning as much as I possibly can about songwriting. Though it’s one of the scariest things for me, it’s necessary for my shaping as an artist. Not to mention that without songwriters there would be no songs to sing! As a performer of songs, I feel I should understand the process from the beginning—to participate in the process. Songwriting is the new dimension for me, the next level. I’ve been able to feel good about songs I’ve been a part of writing in the past, whether on my own or ones I’ve been able to write with other great songwriters, but I just feel I have so much farther to go. I can really appreciate the idea that being able to create something is incredibly satisfying. You can look at it and say, “Wow, this is something I helped create. It came to life. It’s from my soul.”

  Even though I am not wholly comfortable with this (yet), to get it, I’m going to do what I have always done in my relationship with music: I’m going to listen and learn. I have been listening practically since birth; and the learning has always come naturally as I was ex
posed to the musical library that basically has been such a big part of my life. The songs have became a part of me, so now I hope that I will be able to evolve into understanding it so well that I can also participate in its creation.

  I’ve done it before so I feel I have the potential, so now I just need to improve my skill set—and that comes with experience, exposure and education. The old me would have probably been completely freaked out by the idea of having to master songwriting, which is totally different from just writing a song. Now I see it as a new horizon for me—I see it as potential growth. I’m being given the chance to take my love for music further, and to begin thinking about how I can define myself as an artist. What mark do I want to leave? What is my message? What do I stand for? What is my sound? These are huge questions, and the answers will color and shape my future as a singer, writer and interpreter.

  I’ve learned that cowriting is a great way to get the creative juices cooking. As you throw ideas around with someone, you begin to tune into the different frequencies that are open to you, and each person seems to have their own set of frequencies, so it’s always a unique experience to write with different combinations of writers. Sometimes, there is just one other person, and sometimes we have four or five people. It may sound like a lot, and occasionally there can be conflicts of opinion, but other times, something just clicks and things come out better or in a completely different direction than you could have ever expected. You forget about judging yourself because you’re involved in a musical discussion with someone else in the room. Writing with other people is great because anything collaborative is great; it is multidimensional, rich and textured. I’ve been spending the past few months doing a lot of writing with different types of writers and producer—some in Hollywood, New York, and Nashville, and each one with a different angle on music and direction. So I’m never sure exactly what to expect. It’s been an amazing experience so far, and I’m very happy with the type of music we’ve been able to come up with. It is very inspiring! When you’re in a room with a gifted songwriter, you stop floundering in self-doubt—instead, you step up and perform because you are charged by their energy. It really is contagious. You just have to make yourself open to it.

  Another personal goal is to learn how to play guitar better so I can use it both for writing as well as actually accompany myself when I perform. As a singer, your voice is your instrument, and even though I play some piano, I’m approaching guitar playing with the mind-set that even though I already know how to play something, I want to also have another palette to draw from musically. I can kind of compare it to the idea of learning a new language, just like I speak a little piano and I hope to be able to speak guitar soon.

  And speaking of new languages, another cool way to expand my musical vocabulary is to actually sing in different languages. After all, I learned my first few words in Spanish as a kid and enjoyed singing songs from a French musical in a Cockney accent when I was six; and both my parents speak fluent Spanish so I’ve always been exposed to that. In fact, on my Christmas album that came out in late 2009, I was able to sing in four different languages: English, Spanish, French and Latin. I know English and a fair amount of Spanish, but playing with words in French and Latin was a totally different challenge. It felt so good to be able to reach out to people all over the world, and to dive into those cultures momentarily through their languages. The world is so large yet so small.

  TOP 5 ARTISTS

  ▶ Natalie Cole because she has this unique quality to her voice that’s amazingly soothing and smooth. Maybe I love her because it is a voice that I have always been able to relate to and crosses a wide range of styles. When my aunt Char gave me her greatest hits CD one Christmas, I was obsessed and listened to it over and over. I could feel her feelings in the songs.

  ▶ Eva Cassidy because I don’t think there is anyone who I’ve ever heard sing with more sensitivity and emotion than she does. You can feel her heart when she sings. The way I sang “Imagine” was very much inspired by the way she sings. I also included her version of “Fields of Gold” during my 2009 Winter Tour, which although it was written by Sting, it is her version that is magical to me, ever since I first heard it during the 2002 Winter Olympics.

  ▶ Michael Jackson because his songs are so catchy and he was such a gifted performer. It was always a show, and always so much fun to watch. He was truly THE greatest entertainer! There’s a reason why everyone loved him and why he influenced so many people.

  ▶ Natasha Beddingfield because she dares to be herself. She’s not afraid to show her personality in her songs. She has some SERIOUS chops!

  ▶ Stevie Wonder because you can feel his happiness when he sings, and you can see in his expressions how much he truly enjoys it. The runs and riffs that he does are always so clean that it always makes me think, Man, I want to sing like that. I want to enjoy singing the way he does.

  As it is, getting this far along on my path has already helped me in so many ways. I am freer, less inhibited, less afraid, more comfortable. I have more energy as a person, so my performances are more energetic. I’ve learned to let loose a bit and have more fun onstage. I never imagined that I could feel so relaxed in front of so many people, and now that I perform all the time, I realize how far I have come in terms of conquering my shyness. I have become more comfortable as a communicator. I am a little better at looking at and listening to footage of myself and I’m way more relaxed in front of cameras. I even agreed to try out a little acting by being myself on iCarly and Hannah Montana! That was something I never imagined was going to be in my cards. But the universe works in mysterious ways, and our job is to trust it no matter the crazy and unforeseeable twists and turns.

  I don’t know if I’ll ever completely come to terms with the idea of being a “pop star.” First of all, to me, I’m not even in the same league as what I consider to be a pop star. I just want people to know that I am truly happy to be here, whatever “here” means! When I first heard someone refer to me that way, I was put off, thinking that it carried such negative connotations. But now, I have redefined what I think a pop star really is—and through this new perspective, I have more respect for the whole thing. A pop star is someone who works hard to communicate and share their talent with other people, and someone who is committed to improving and excelling at what they do. It is someone who consistently uses their God-given talent to work hard and progress.

  Sometimes you never know where the inspiration or feeling will come from

  To get people to respect your music: I think that’s really the goal. In general, the artists that I respect the most are the ones who cannot just sing songs in many different styles, but whose personality ties their body of work together. There is nothing more interesting than diversity and range; but to me, it’s just that much cooler when within all that range there’s the common denominator of the artist’s unique personality and character.

  I think Beyoncé is an example of “the ultimate pop star” and, of course, the king himself, Michael Jackson. I was performing at a show in New Jersey when I found out about his death. At first, I thought someone was making some kind of cruel joke. I thought it was an Internet rumor or there would be some other explanation that would account for this totally unbelievable piece of news. Michael was definitely always one of my major influences (“Man in the Mirror” is one of my favorite songs), and I think his love for music showed. You could see it when you watched him or listened to him; and you could always see his love of people. His spirit was sweet and sunny. I think he really understood what music could do for people. He communicated through his music and you could feel his love for people through it more than anything.

  As I said, I strongly believe that fame brings with it the opportunity to help other people. You can use your name for the purpose of doing good, as opposed to just being tabloid material all the time. You can actually make a difference. I feel that all celebrities should take this responsibility seriously and take advantage
of their position to spread positive messages. I hold this as a top priority as I move further along in my career; whatever “status” I have will be as much for others as it is for myself, because fame is nothing without generosity and kindness. I have been able to rally behind several great charities and it has been so rewarding to see how much my fans have also gotten involved. I’m amazed at the service and donations they have contributed to these causes like Rising Star Outreach, Make-a-Wish, MS Society, Do Something.org, Stand UP for Cancer, Invisible Children, and the Haiti Disaster Relief efforts. I want to recognize the commitment and personal sacrifices that all the various fan sites make to respect and support me and the causes we are involved with. It makes me so proud to have fans who show through their enthusiasm and actions that they really want to give. It is the greatest way they can show their support of me, and I hope they all know how much I appreciate what they do. I was so honored to be a participant in the Haiti Telethon in Hollywood and then to be a part of the “We Are the World” (“Somos el Mundo”) in Spanish in Miami, and to see all these performers who were willing to give of their time and status to help those in need. If I’m going to sacrifice my privacy to be in the public eye, let it be for a good cause such as these. Let any sense of fame that comes to me matter for these kinds of reasons.

  Another part of my future without question is school. I don’t want to be off the hook just because I had some amazing opportunities as a young person. Instead, I want to maximize those opportunities by committing myself to my development as a person. Education is definitely part of that agenda, and despite the crazy road trip that has become my life, I’m determined to find the balance somehow. I’ve been trying to do some schoolwork online, but it is really difficult when you are recording, rehearsing, and touring all at the same time. My intention is to work on finding this balance because I hope to go to college someday. I love the idea of studying philosophy, which has always been a subject that really interests me. Classes like that get your brain working and engage you to start thinking about the mysteries of life. Besides, I’m young, and while the singing thing is going wonderfully right now, you never know where life is going to take you. I want to be prepared for anything, and I definitely don’t want to be one-dimensional. There are moments when I have the feeling that this has all been too much, too soon. Moments when I think to myself, Am I really ready? I don’t kid myself about how young I am, and the fact that a life in entertainment is fast-paced, public and a lot of times stressful. Sometimes I ask myself if I really have what it takes. But in those moments, I remind myself that it’s all about putting my trust in God. He wouldn’t have given me this chance if I were not able to handle it despite how unready I really felt. He was the one who motivated me to audition in the first place and I don’t think He would have allowed me to get this far if I wasn’t capable of the challenges that surround it.