In other news, looks like most folks are #teamkelly all the way in this latest Kelly Clarkson v. Clive Davis rivalry. Whatever you may think of Kelly Clarkson, a big fan or not, I’ve always loved the way she comes out swinging! She’s a tough cookie, and one fine day, when American Idol is off the air, I know she will really “spill the tea” on what was going on behind-the-scenes of Idol. Kelly pretty much has said as much without saying so – the way she has come after Clive Davis.
Since there is still an Idol Gag Order for all former and current contestants, we’ll have to wait a while longer before they start talking real talk on that show.
Imagine it was just one year ago that David Archuleta announced to the world that he would go on a full time two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Who could imagine the full on meltdown of his fanbase? There are still folks who were regulars at Soul David, folks who have virtually disappeared from the community. And then there’s this blog, one that I was so sure I would discontinue, once David said he would be gone for two years. And yet, here I am today, still, keeping on while we still can.
And sure, I miss David, and cling to the brief glimpses we might get of him – whether through shared videos or missionary blogs or what have you. In other words, nothing much that’s different from when David was HERE as opposed to OVER THERE. Except the news and bits and pieces of performances and reports aren’t as frequent as they used to be.
Consider it the new normal.
But I think, with David’s missionary absence, we really get to see who we are as a fan community. Yes, David is the center of it, but I believe we’ve been able to craft something special with each other – made possible through our Internet connection.
I don’t mind keeping this place fresh and filled with new blog posts. Even if David seems more peripheral than central, as he used to be, we forged our bonds because of him.
All I know is: it’s been a year, and some of us are still here, still loving David, still longing for new music (as hoped by many in the latest poll), still appreciative of the few gems his team has been able to provide.
Regardless of whether David can make a successful return to music after two years, he has proven that he’s still supported by a fanbase that will shore him up once the serious work of promotion and management kicks in.
Just like fans will gobble up Sade’s new album after a nine-year absence, I’m confident fans and non-fans alike will show the same love when he returns. It’s hard to know if that musical return will be straight pop or adult contemporary/inspirational or perhaps a new direction in old-soul R&B. Who knows?
But, the greatness of the Voice can’t be denied, and that we’re still here (even in smaller numbers) ready for the #2014 return, I think we and David will be fine.
Last year, the fan community exploded, as if the end of the world was upon us. Well, the earth renewed, as did the Archuniverse, and I imagine it will continue to reinvent itself.
This picture of gifts for “Elder Archuleta” was posted on David’s twitter account. If you had to guess the type of fans by the gifts they send, what adjective would you use?
Here’s a photo of letters for David, posted on his Twitter account. Funny, but as much as I have missed him, I hadn’t thought to send a letter (maybe b/c I’m busy blogging about him). Have any of you sent David letters since he’s been away?
Speaking of David’s Twitter, I’ve been missing his tweets. He had a wonderful knack of not telling us anything really important but insightful all the same! He was sooooo good about keeping things innocuous and protecting his privacy even as he sought to keep himself in touch with fans. He had a way of randomly responding to his followers (and then slaying a horde of them in the process!) without dissolving into anything crass or offensive.
Okay, so there was that one exception when certain fans were offended at some tweets that implied he was uncomfortable about attending an event at a gay club. (‘Member that scandal?)
But more or less, David kept things pretty low-key and pretty tame.
I miss him all the more in light of other high-profile celebrities posting various meltdowns and the like on Twitter. First, Chris Brown’s vulgar tirade, in which he didn’t have sense to ignore or block someone calling him a “worthless piece of s____,” and then Nicki Minaj, who has been showing the world that her skin is seriously too thin!
I used to like my celebrities when they were no where near a TweetDeck. But then, I guess I’m measuring them against a Twitter pro like David!
Thanks for participating in my most recent polls. In the midst of some good news (New Edition of Forevermore – Yay!), we learned a few things about who we are as David’s fans (at least as David’s fans who hang out here at SD).
1. Nearly 60% of you voted for President Obama (compared to nearly 40% who voted for Romney).
2. There were no clear divisions between Obama and Romney voters in terms of what performances we valued most from David during his time on Idol. The consensus was that “Imagine” was his all-time best performance, with “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” coming in second.
3. There was a definite division between Obama and Romney voters in terms of what we valued most about David after considering his vocal talent. It appears that 60% of Obama voters valued David’s personality while 30% valued his ethics/values/morals. However, the reverse was true for Romney voters who valued David’s ethics/values/morals at nearly 70% while only 25% valued his personality.
Hmmmmm, just what is the correlation there? Thoughts?
Overall, David has enough fans across the racial/ethnic spectrum, even though white fans constitute the majority at 70%, while male fans only constitute 10% of the fanbase (again, at least here on Soul David). I can testify that this certainly appears to be the case when I have shown up to his live performances.
Surely, David’s fan community has room to grow.
Fascinating to see who’s still here and who’s still supporting David!
Who We Are
Soul David is a fan blog that celebrates the soul music dimensions and other aspects of David Archuleta's artistry.
A Few House Rules
The subject of this blog is David Archuleta. No topic is off limits, but always be respectful of both David and each other. Any comments containing personal attacks WILL be deleted.
…As his voice rang through the room, accompanied by only a keyboardist–and, at one point, a cappella – dozens of faces lit up with wonder. A singer was giving away music, and a news organization was hosting a concert… The Forbes building has been quite an eventful place of late. Had you walked into the lobby yesterday afternoon, for instance, you might have […]
