David Archuleta

• Genre: Pop

About

If you're a fan of American Idol, you know him as the other David (or possibly the David who should've won). But David Archuleta has been making fans out of talent contest audiences since he was 10 years old, performing in, for instance, the Utah Talent Competition, a Jenny Jones talent showcase and Star Search (where he won Junior Vocal Champion). So by the time he auditioned for Idol in San Diego at the ripe old age of 16, the Utah native (and devout Mormon) was already a seasoned entertainer. Archuleta's skill and professionalism at such a young age could be chalked up at least in part to his talented parents: Lupe Maire, a Honduran-born salsa singer, and Jeff, a jazz trumpeter (who, incidentally, made waves for his stage dad tendencies on Idol). Despite his experience and his legions of adoring fans, however, Archuleta was named runner-up to Idol's seventh winner, rocker David Cook. Undaunted, the young tenor released his debut single "Crush," which rapidly climbed the charts in summer 2008.

- Rachel Devitt