“Fangirl Diaries: David Archuleta” (Part 1)

The guy who made me scream “I Love You!”

It was probably January this year when I wrote in my Fairy-designed Disney journal, “Pupunta si David Archuleta sa Pilipinas!” March came and the news broke out that he and David Cook are coming to Manila for a back-to-back concert. I found that out through one of my friend’s Plurks. I think the whole street heard my fangirl screams. My prediction just came true!

To be honest, I find it weird that I’m going crazy over an 18-year old wide-grinning, pearly white-sweating budding artist who has endeared millions of viewers of American Idol. Because before him I adored M2M, worshipped Mandy Moore, and dreamt to be like Michelle Branch (although that hasn’t faded out on me). They were my artist loves, and following the trend, they were all girls! Not that I’m lesbo (what the f?) – maybe my inner artist is – I just have this fascination for and high regard for females who sing and write songs. I’d give them a thousand rock emoticons on Plurk. And now someone in the name of David James Archuleta, fondly called as “Archie” by us fans, just broke the streak.

How I came to love Archie was through a friend of mine who convinced me to give a listen to his album because she said I won’t regret it. I immediately did because at that time I fell in love with “Crush”, his first single (and a Top 2 hit at that) – one of the most decent and refreshing pop songs I’ve heard in a while albeit the lyrics are a bit trite (it’s still cute and makes you feel young again).

The album instantly became the most played in my WMP. Everyday I was listening to it! Checking out the album details I found out that he co-wrote some of the songs and I was impressed. Then I began checking out his MySpace, YouTube, and fan sites. I slowly got pulled by the boy’s magnet.

It was his vLogs that drew me to a fondness for him. He has a contagious sunshine-y personality that you can’t help but smile. That reflects the atmosphere of his whole record. The vocals may be of an old soul but the vibe is fresh pop. It’s a combination of upbeat tunes and swooning ballads that would make you feel in love (whether you are or not), make you feel good, and make your day. Sunshine must be his middle name.

So you see, I’m not one of those hardcore fans who loved him since day one. I’m the delayed one, haha. Not that I did not like him in AI, it’s just that back then he seemed to me as “another cute boy who sings well”. But more so, I was into David Cook then. So it was love at Archie’s first album for me.

May came and the countdown began to the much-awaited, much-talked about, and much-saved for concert. That’s when Archie “got” me to do a lot of things. The busy fangirl week began!

1.    Archie got me into Twitter. I swear, he’s the primary reason I rode the Twitter bandwagon. I admire that he, inspite of his busy schedule, is able to reply to some of his fans responses to his tweets. I wish I’d be a lucky one someday. *crosses fingers* (Follow him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/DavidArchie. Haha, plugger me.)

2.    Archie made me sign up for a YouTube account. There, I uploaded my recorded videos (although they have poor quality because of compression, haha) for the virtual world to indulge. Now, as of my last visit, two of my uploaded videos have reached 2,000+ views mark. Wow! Talk about a fangirl spreading some love. Yihah! (As of this writing he has accepted my friend invite… Yii. Visit his Official YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/theofficialarchuleta.)

3.    Archie made me tune in to GMA 7 more often. I was always on the lookout for news and guestings. For a week I felt like a Kapuso. Haha.

4.    Archie reawakened the fangirl in me. When I was a younger fangirl, I used to collect songhits and magazines featuring my artist loves; photos, videos, and songs (in cassette tapes/CDs at that time!). I remember having tons of diskettes filled with photos and articles! Even forums did not escape my fangirl invasion. I made online and international buddies there, but unfortunately I lost contact with them. I wonder how they are doing now. Hmmm.

With Archie, I got kind of affiliated with his official fan club in the country, Archuleta Philippines. A big one at that! I haven’t signed up yet as an official member, but I’ve contributed some stuff like news and recorded interviews on Magic 89.9. It made me feel good, it’s like a fangirl’s sense of usefulness. Haha.

Speaking of Magic 89.9, which is the official radio station sponsor, they gave out tickets and access passes. Our phone must’ve gone in circles coz I kept on redialing the hotline and Magic’s Facebook page must’ve been dazed coz I kept on hitting the refresh button. Good thing my fingers did not get numb or something. But tough luck for me, I wasn’t able to win.

We all want the same thing, I thought to myself (I think I Plurked and Tweeted this with a big LOL), everyone was persevering and finger-crossing, and I guess for some, their efforts got paid off sooner and their wishes came true. The day of Archie’s guesting in Sis and Eat Bulaga I woke up later than usual coz I wasn’t feeling better the day before. Then I saw somewhere that people who lined up outside the GMA studios were allowed to enter and watch the show. They used a bigger venue (which is just right considering he is The David Archuleta). I would’ve really lined up! I was so prepared for that. The day I was not feeling well he had a meet & bye (LOL at the name) at Mall of Asia. And even if I was in perfect shape I wouldn’t be able to come either because of a prior commitment I couldn’t miss. I would’ve gone there if all the stars were aligned for it. I mean, what’s P150 worth of green bags for a diehard fan right? Some even shelled P12k for all we know.

In a way I kind of feel sad that I have no close and actual Archuventures to share. A series of opportunities here and there, which I wasn’t able to seize for different reasons. If there is something I’ve learned from the past week of non-stop Archuleta indulgence, it’s taking chances – even if the show’s staff told you they ran out of passes, try still to line up, coz they are a lot of fans like you out there who are willing to try. Together you form a fan coalition who will melt the heart and change the network’s management’s minds. Haha. Second, even when the security’s tight and in black in a hotel like EDSA Shangri-La, it wouldn’t kill you to try and chill at the lobby. Just make sure you drank coffee or anything that would keep you awake because the waiting can take hours. Or you can even try to charm hotel people and media men who might help you make the much-coveted encounter. Or maybe fellow fans with connections might tag you along, who knows if they want to share their blessings? You’ll never know until you try. I know this coz there were fans who did their best and they got lucky. It takes more than chanting “law of attraction”, “don’t lose hope”, and “never give up” to make an opportunity. Have to hear myself at the last sentence. Haha.

Our paths will cross next time, I’ve etched that in stone. Besides, there’s still the concert. That’s a whole lot different story! And that’s what I’ll be talking about in the next part of my “Fangirl Diaries: David Archuleta”.