David Archuleta Defends Dad

"Idol" Runner-Up, 17, Calls Him "Great Guy," In Wake Of Stage-Father Flap

(CBS)  "American Idol" runner-up David Archuleta says his father is a "great guy" and keeps the 17-year-old crooner grounded -- as opposed to being the overbearing, classic stage dad numerous press reports have described him as.

Reports surfaced as the "Idol" competition was drawing to a close that producers had taken away Jeff Archuleta's backstage pass to get him out of their hair.

But, on The Early Show Thursday, David told co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez his father is "a great guy. And I really appreciate his support and all my family's support. You know, he's given great advice, but he's let me do my own thing. And it's been great to have him there, just reminding me to keep grounded and remember what's important."

David impressed millions of "Idol" fans with his powerhouse, yet velvet voice, and his sweet personality.

Asked by Rodriguez what it's like being out of the " 'Idol' bubble" and experiencing the "adoration" he's felt in the real world, the Murray, Utah native said it's been "pretty weird. We're petty shut off from the world in our little 'American Idol' area, but it's great to be out and finally starting to concentrate on your own career and stuff now."

Later, he added, "I'm excited to start working on my own album -- just so excited to see how that works, because that's what I've been wishing for."

When he was shown a clip of himself on The Early Show in 2003 as he entered the "Star Search" finals in which he'd ultimately be named best junior vocalist, a chuckling Archuleta said, "I've loved music for my whole life, pretty much. ... I still love to sing. I'm glad that I've made it this far. I had no idea I'd be standing here back then."

[siena231]

raflin1, check your tongue, there must be something weird growing on it.

[thebriman]

I just ordered a cool David Archuleta shirt from www.PantherTees.com. They said not to tell anyone, but here is a 10% discount code, pts10 (it is case sensitive, so copy and paste it). Enjoy!

[ccc071]

DSR57!!! HA HA HA HA OH MY GOD!!! If you are such a winner, why are you on this thread????

[dsr57]

HA HA HA HA OH MY GOD ! ! ! Are you guys Arguing over an American Idol contestant?!?!?!?!?!

LOSERS ! ! !

[briansgirl2]

jusdane - - - are you related to Simon Cowell??? You can''t think of anything nice to say, so you say just anything?? Glad you are not a professional critic!!! Archuletta is a very talented young man. I''ve watchd him grow over the years, and he keeps getting better and better. Gool luck to him, and hope he never listens to criticism by people like you.

[ccc071]

jusdane: No problem. Don''t listen. Go back to whatever genre/singer you like. As shown by all the other comments in this thread, David Archuleta has a tremendous fan base already. I am in that base. I will buy his CDs, even if it is music geared to a younger audience. I love his voice. That he is a wonderful young man makes me like him all the more. I listen to the his songs downloaded from iTunes everyday in my car. My daughter likes him too. So, my question is: Why are you on this thread?

[dukedodge]

jusdane must be tone deaf.

[goboywonder]

David Archuleta is such a rare jewel indeed in his amazing voice, his soulful passion that belie his young age, and his refreshing display of humility. But the world is so used to fake "knock-offs" and "cookie cutouts" until they simply "don''t get it".

[abejames1]

Anyone who doesn''t see this kid''s talent has to examine own musical sense. This kid sings way beyond his years. That''s why all the music professionals keep their eyes on him. He is the most pitch perfect singer ever on Idol delivering emotions with his own styling. He knows how to use his voice differently when hitting high notes either soft or belt-out. If you ever followed his post idol interviews, you would find how intelligent and knowledgeable he is about music.

[sanalane]

What a stupendous kid. ^_^ And for someone who was born with such a ginormous talent to have a wonderful personality like that just fascinates me.

His voice is amazing to listen to. Just imagine if he had both vocal chords functioning. Ha!

[kittykatty2]

jusdane...what on earth are you talking about? David Archuleta has a great stage presence, and as he was told on more than one occasion "...can sing the phone book" so he most certainly pulls off singing more than a few genres and what about his range? He''s not an opera singer for goodness sake. You need to reevaluate your Monday morning quarterbacking...maybe you should start out and practice at being the ballboy because you obviously are clueless when it comes to talent.

[jerry_in_va]

Limited range?? There really is nothing to "get". He has a fantastic voice, very powerful with a wonderful velvet smooth delivery. He''s 17 years old with plenty of time to develop a stage presence. He''s innocent and respectful, rare qualities in youth these days, and has an uninflated ego. The 2 Davids in the finale this season were excellent. Both struggled when attempting to sing outside their genre but both have the ability to learn and adapt. This was absolutely the best Idol season yet.

[jusdane]

I still don''t get it with this kid - very limited range, no stage presence, and unable to pull off singing most genres.