Nick Galieti sits down with David Archuleta and discusses what members can do for the #LightTheWorld 2017 Campaign through acts of service. David also shares experiences he has had in his career and as a missionary.

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(Bio courtesy of official website.) David Archuleta became a star when he was just 16. In 2008 more than 30 million television viewers fell in love with his angelic voice and their 44 million votes made him runner-up in Season 7 of “American Idol.”

Soon after, the young Utahan signed with Jive Records and his first single “Crush,” debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart the week of its release. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the track sold 166,000 downloads that first week in the U.S. and subsequently more than 1.92 million digital copies. Three months later, David’s self-titled album, “David Archuleta,” went gold, selling more than 750,000 copies in the U.S., and more than 900,000 worldwide. “It was so neat to see how positive fans were about ‘Crush,’” David said of the enthusiastic reception for his chart debut.

In 2012, David, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, put his singing career on hiatus so he could volunteer for a two-year stint as a full-time missionary in Santiago, Chile, at the La Misión Chile Rancagua. He’s described his experience of the mission as “a dream come true.” His decision to serve was influenced by his mother, who told him it was singer Donny Osmond who had helped get her interested in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“I never thought I would have the guts to talk to so many different people,” Archuleta says of his time in Chile, adding that, since he’s completed his mission there, he’s never been more confident of either his singing or speaking skills — in English or in Spanish. Pursuing a greater sense of purpose as he did on his mission, is nothing new to Archuleta who battled a bout of vocal cord paralysis when he was 13, while competing on CBS’s “Star Search.”

He chronicled the debilitating experience in his New York Times bestselling 2010 memoir, “Chords of Strength: A Memoir of Soul, Song, and the Power of Perseverance,” and the determination to overcome obstacles, such as the worrying illness, resonates in the overall message of the songs he wrote for his second album, “The Other Side of Down.” “Instead of acting like everything in life is so hard and confusing, look at it this way: The only way you can go from here is up,” he says. “It’s our decisions and how we handle things that matter, even when they get rough. If we keep holding on, looking at things positively and working hard, we can improve our lives, help ourselves, and even help the greater good.”

David returned from Chile in March 2014 eager to perform and record once again. Since his return he’s traveled to the Middle East to perform for U.S. troops, recorded the song “Glorious” for the recently released “Meet The Mormons” movie, and been busy writing songs for a release planned for 2016.

The post Episode 68: #LightTheWorld 2017 – David Archuleta appeared first on LDS Perspectives Podcast.