Fans

Fans dub themselves “Arch Angels” or “Archies.” With his “cult-like appeal” nurtured by his work on American Idol, Archuleta has attracted a wide demographic of fans including teenage girls. Archuleta was labeled the front-runner after the first few weeks of performances by both the judges and the media because of his “pure, pop voice”, which helped him build a large fan base during the competition. Billboard magazine’s Fred Bronson notes “David fills a spot where there’s a void. He has innocence and humility.” Los Angeles Times’ Richard Rushfield noted that the “tween/teen girl hysteria” has only increased. Rushfield commented on some of the girls who were standing in the front of the audience: “An hour after the show, they were still shaking, sobbing and screeching about their encounter with the Chosen One [Archuleta].”