New David Vlog! And My Rxn

Hello everyone! It's Rinnie here. Okay, I know I'm kind of copying David haha, but I'm so thrilled he posted a new vlog!!! Really missed them. So I feel like posting my reaction here (more like rambling). But take a look at the vlog first if you haven't had the chance yet:

It's refreshing to know that there are still people who do not crave the showbiz spotlight; I love how he mentioned that going back to LA recently scared him haha! I'm so glad that he finally knows what he wants and has a direction, which recently happened to me too. I really can't say how happy I am that he's being firm and determined about where he wants to take his music, an attitude I truly admire and hope I can have regarding my own decisions in life. I am sure the projects, upon completion, will be the most genuine and "David" products, not something corrupted by media and "business". So glad he's doing what he wants! To be honest, I don't really care what he does, because I know he will make great decisions. One day people will appreciate what they are missing out on! I can't wait for a chance to see him perform live in the future, since I haven't had the opportunity yet. Anyways, I really appreciate him making vlogs despite not liking to (just shows how much he appreciates us fans!)...and also reading our comments and finding out that we would like his hair to be longer, but hey David, no pressure ;)

Ciao! ~Rinnie

David Archuleta: Called to Serve (video)

Hello everyone! It's been a while. I've been very busy, but after watching this special done by KSL, I decided to procrastinate on my college life a little and write down this little blurb.

I was one of those people feeling conflicted when Mr. David Archuleta announced his decision to embark on a 2-year LDS mission. I was used to living on news, music, and other special snippets from my favorite singer and celebrity of all time and yet, I know how much he had always wanted to go on a mission and how much it would mean to him. All I could do was, like most other fans, show mental support, hope that this experience will be rewarding to him, and anticipate the arrival of #DA2014 (his return). So imagine my fangirling when he officially announced his return on March 24, 2014 (thank goodness I was on spring break!).

I've been hearing that he was going to talk about his mission in a special done by KSL that will be aired today, but I really didn't know what to expect. Will I understand where he's coming from? Will I get what this experience meant to him? Or will I be left confused because I'm a Buddhist?

However, all I can say after watching this is that this was an incredibly brave and inspirational decision. 2 years went by so fast! Even though I am not religious in any way and, to be honest, am one of those people who avoids LDS missionaries upon seeing them on campus, it's incredible to see the lives that can be changed and how a missionary's life can be influenced by a mission. The compassion and care people have for one another is universal, no matter how it is shown. So is the way people feel upon receiving that compassion, care, and support from others. I think now, I do understand partly why missionaries of any religion do what they do and how the people who were converted must have felt knowing there are people out there who care.

I guess this is kind of an epiphany haha! That video really touched me and inspired me to become braver. I, like him, am a person who cannot talk very well; I don't always know what to say or how to articulate what I want to say, so sometimes I just end up saying nothing at all. But others can feel your sincerity, and that's what I will aim for in addition to trying to improve my talking skills.

Hope to hear new music soon, after plenty of well-deserved R&R with his family and friends of course xD

Click here for the 4-part 30 minute special on Elder Archuleta

Thanks for reading!!

p.s. I think all missionaries are extremely brave and are taking huge risk, it's just that most aren't famous so we don't really hear their stories. Let's give them all a round of applause!! *claps*

~Rinnie

David Archuleta Performs in Santiago, Chile!

Uh…Elder Archuleta right now, since he’s still on his mission for the Mormon Church. Recently, between December 10^th and 14^th I think (actually, likely throughout the whole month of December), he was invited to perform at multiple shows at the local church for their annual Christmas Devotional. Looks like he also performed elsewhere for different events! This has been an incredibly busy quarter for me and, to be honest, I have not logged on to twitter or fan sites in some time, so sorry about any misinformation, haha! Ah, life of a college junior. Anyways, here are some of the YouTube videos of Elder Archuleta’s performances that reminded me of how it felt to fangirl! Enjoy!

First, a video of him rehearsing “Oh ven, oh ven Emmanuel”

“Oh ven, oh ven Emmanuel” 12/10
 

“Noche Divina” (Spanish version of O Holy Night)
 

“Los pastores a belén” on 12/14
 

“The Prayer” with Rebecca Lopez 12/14
 

“María sabías que” (Spanish version of Mary Did You Know)
 

“El tamborilero” (Spanish version of “Little Drummer Boy”)

"What Child is This" (Spanish version) with Luis Layseca

"Mi burrito sabanero" with Luis Layseca

"His Hands" (Spanish version)

P.S. Can't believe he'll be back in just a few months! Feel free to point out any mistakes and I will edit/add things :)

Happy Holidays!
~Rinnie

David Archuleta's "No Matter How Far" new album 3/26!

Hello everyone! Sorry about the seeming lateness of this post, but I have been very busy with classes this quarter! Let's cut to the chase.

David Archuleta, Archie, Elder Archuleta, that guy from American Idol season 7, however you know him, has a brand new album of original songs that came out on March 26, 2013!! Yes, he is still on a mission, but being the wonderful person that he is, he has planned more surprises than us fans can ever hope for before his departure. When Kari, his manager, announced this through his official twitter on January 31st, I was having a quick lunch and hurrying off to prepare for a presentation for English class when I received the tweet. Let me tell you, it was very difficult to hold in the spazzing and my nervousness regarding the presentation until class was over. According to David's official website, the album will include songs previously unreleased (officially in the U.S. I think) and NEW RECORDED MATERIAL!!! *SPAZZZZ* ASKJKDFJHEGK;LJFGH.

Anyways, the single off the new album is "Don't Run Away", which became available on iTunes and Amazon on February 12. You can listen to the whole song on the SoundCloud player below: 


Tracklist:

1. Nothing Else Better To Do
2. Everything And More
3. Don’t Run Away
4. Tell Me
5. Love Don’t Hate
6. Wait
7. Heart Falls Out (only song new to me*)
8. Notice Me
9. I’ll Never Go
10. Forevermore

*track 1 was a Japanese bonus track for The Other Side of Down (2010).
*tracks 2, 5, 6, 8 were previously released in The Other Side of Down: Asian Tour Edition.
*track 3 was leaked around November 2012 and is the current single.
*tracks 4, 9, 10 are covers of OPM songs previously released in Forevermore and Forevermore: Expanded Edition in the Philippines.


You can purchase this amazing album online here:
Amazon
kmart
Sears
Target
WOW HD (free shipping!)

~In Store (& online)
Barnes & Noble
Best Buy
Deseret Book
Walmart

~Digital Versions:
Amazon MP3
iTunes

Still haven't decided to purchase or not? Here are some album reviews:
AllMusic
Bearing News
The Guide
The Salt Lake Tribune
The Setonian

If you cannot afford the album or the single, please do not download illegally! Contact all the lovely Archies on twitter and fan sites and they'll do their best to help you out! The album will be released under Entertainment One.

This post will be updated as more information becomes available. Thanks for looking!

~Rinnie

David Archuleta's 22nd birthday &...9 months!

Edited by me, original photo credit to naree

HAPPY 22ND BIRTHDAY TO THE ONE AND ONLY DAVID ARCHULETA! Wow! It doesn't seem that long ago when I first saw him on American Idol...only 17 years old then! It's amazing to witness how much he has accomplished since then: 5 studio albums (not including the Asian Tour Edition of The Other Side of Down), 1 live album with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, 6 tours, a memoir, a leading role on a Filipino soap opera, and many more!
This morning, my mom, upon seeing the nice weather, said to me "you wanted to go to the Thai food place right? We can walk over today for lunch!" and I replied "okay!" then, realizing how perfect this is, I said "oh yeah, it's David's birthday!!" My mom goes on to say "should we celebrate by ordering more dishes? Are you paying?" haha! Here's to hoping he has a great day, year, and many more joyful birthdays to come!

p.s. Today also marks 9 months since David left on his mission. 15 months to go!

~Rinnie

1 year ago...David Archuleta's My Kind of Christmas Tour kicked off!

Hello everyone! Since today marks 1 year after the first show of the My Kind of Christmas Tour, I decided to write a post about my experience, an experience of this tour from a fan who, very sadly, could not make a show.

*flashes back to 1 year ago*

I live in Seattle, and did not make the "Idol" tour show in Tacoma or the David/Demi tour show in Seattle because I was out of the country both times (Philippines and Taiwan respectively, summer vacation!). Determined to make a show, I got my hopes up that he might come here, since he hasn't been here in so long. When the tour dates came out, I was crushed. The closest shows from me were in Idaho, and the cities were 12-hour drives away, trips that I could not afford. A friend of mine goes to college in L.A. and lives less than 20 minutes away from the Anaheim venue and reasonably close to the L.A. venue, but I also could not afford to fly down and visit her to go to the shows together. Maybe I had a feeling that this would be his last tour in a long time, I don't know, but having waited almost 4 years to attend a David concert was just getting a little too long. It especially hurt to hear people talking about this being their 10th David concert, or complaining that they couldn't make a show this time, having already seem him more than twice.

However, many amazing ninja fans delivered! On the night of each show, I eagerly scrolled through my twitter feed for live updates of the show, for funny occurrences and for songs sung during VIP. The next morning, I would comb YouTube for the best quality video I could find of each performance. Eventually I would have favorites (such as This Christmas, Sleigh Ride, Fa La La La La, Climb Every Mountain) and focus on watching those performances from all the different shows.

I remember on the night of the Salt Lake City show, there was a cellcast/screencast. I was so excited to be watching a show live, and the quality was actually pretty darn great considering! David sounded absolutely amazing, but when he got very choked up talking about his family at one point, I realized that something must be up, since he sounded like he was saying goodbye. Sure enough, David said that he had an important announcement to make later in the show. Sitting at the edge of my seat with bated breath, I listened as he announced that he has decided to go on a full-time mission. I immediately started clapping and getting all excited for him...before I realized what that meant for the fans.

*back to the present*

But David has given us so much! I couldn't have asked for more and could never thank me enough. "Good things come to those who wait" right? I can wait 2 more years to tell David how much of an inspiration he is to me and to attend a show of his. Those of my friends unaware of my experiences are surprised that I have never seen him perform live, and think that I'm probably satisfied living off the YouTube performances. That kind of stings. I mean, come on, seeing your favorite singer in concert is not always easy! I know I'm just rambling now and have stopped making sense so I'll stop now. Thanks for reading!

~Rinnie

Happy 4th Birthday to David Archuleta's debut album!

Wow! Can't believe it's been 4 years since the release of David Archuleta's self-titled debut album! How does it feel to have a 4-year-old child, David? ;)
It doesn't feel that long ago to me, to be honest. Seems just like last week (yesterday's too recent)...

I remember on the morning of 11/11/2008, my mom and I went to Target with a family friend. I immediately darted toward the CD section and found a row of David's face on the shelf and grabbed a copy...not before I've checked for scratches and cracks on the case like I had OCD or something though. The family friend asked about the CD and David and my mom explained. He then said that he should probably get a copy for his daughters too, but you know what my mom said? She said that we can just burn a copy for them! I was so mad but couldn't show it while he was there! Later, I told my mom that I wanted his album to do well and sell more, so she should have let him buy it haha! However, that's not yet the end of my David adventures for that day.
After I got home, I immediately went on YouTube trying to listen to all the iTunes and Walmart bonus tracks. I was getting increasingly anxious as I couldn't find a couple of the songs, which was so dumb of me since the album just came out. Anyways, after that, I put the album into the CD slot of our super old stereo system, and it kept spitting out the CD! I had to keep pressing the close button every time, but the 50 times it spat out the CD sure gave me enough time to read David's 3,000-word liner notes! The player eventually accepted the CD, thank goodness! I remember thinking "Barriers" was weird, but it has grown to be one of my favorites. I really wished I could have bought the iTunes copy with bonus tracks, but I was just a poor high school sophomore LOL! It sure was an eventful day and I was so glad that I didn't have school because of Veteran's Day.

My favorite track on the album: A Little Too Not Over You
My favorite bonus tracks: Waiting For Yesterday, Works For Me, Somebody Out There

The album (released under 19 Entertainment/Jive Records) has since been certified gold by RIAA (as of January 2009) and the lead single, "Crush," has since sold over 2 million copies (yay double-platinum!).

p.s. when I went back to Taiwan the next summer, I made sure to look for it! I liked their cover better because he was smiling, but taking off the outer case, the actual CD still has the same cover lol. My brother asked if I was going to buy it, but I said no because that was the only copy and I wanted someone to have a chance to discover his music too :)

~Rinnie