David Archuleta was born in Miami, Florida and grew up in Sandy, Utah.
Archuleta is a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or Mormons. So devout is he that despite a blossoming and promising music career, he decided to put it all aside for two years and take up his evangelical duties and spend two years as a missionary for his church. When he announced to his fans that he would be out of commission for two years, he said, teary-eyed and blustery:
It's not because someone told me I was supposed to do it and not because I no longer want to do music anymore. It's because it's what I feel I need to do next in my life.[1]
In March of 2012, Archuleta left for Chile to begin his stint.[2] He left his fans with this message:
Just wanted to thank all of you for the support you have giving me for the last 4 years. Will see you all in 2 years.[3]
It is certainly a testament to his faith that he would risk losing record company interest and (probably) millions of dollars to convert South Americans to Mormonism. However, someone is managing and updating Archuleta's Twitter feed, indicating the music business' willingness to keep him in mind.[4]
Non-political involvement
Archuleta didn't seem too political before he left on a mission, but he did encounter President Obama during a performance at the White House,[5] an experience he described as "totally awesome."[6]
One could reasonably assume that he would have been a Mitt Romney supporter during the 2012 election, given their common religion. But as it turned out, less Mormons voted for Romney in 2012 than they did for Bush in 2004,[7] indicating members of that religion's unwillingness to vote purely based on religion.
Perhaps when he returns from Chile, we'll see a newly-politicized Archuleta.
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