David Archuleta’s “Glorious” Missionary Work Finds Success
Contributed By Lisa Adachi Childs
“Glorious” by David Archuleta has been viewed over 1.2 million times on YouTube, while garnering over 270,000 downloads.
Article Highlights
- “Glorious” has been viewed over 1.2 million times on YouTube.
- The song can be downloaded for free on the Meet the Mormons Facebook page.
- Archuleta recorded the song while still a missionary in Chile.
“My mission president … called me and he said, ‘We have a special request from the Church. We don’t want to distract you from your work, but we think this is a good missionary opportunity.’” —David Archuleta, returned missionary and former American Idol contestant
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Since claiming fame in 2008 as the second place winner of American Idol, David Archuleta has captivated fans and audiences for years. “Glorious” is Archuleta’s first single upon his return from a full-time mission in Chile, and it has been acclaimed by members and nonmembers alike.
“Glorious,” produced exclusively for the Church-backed documentary Meet the Mormons, has been viewed over 1.2 million times on YouTube in just two weeks. The song has been downloaded over 270,000 times for free through the Meet the Mormons Facebook page.
The inspirational song, written by Stephanie Mabey, was originally used on the EFY 2012 CD. Filmmakers requested Archuleta record a faster version of the song for the documentary while he was still serving in Chile.
In a September 28 interview with FM 100.3 posted on YouTube, Archuleta explained: “My mission president … called me and he said, ‘We have a special request from the Church. We don’t want to distract you from your work, but we think this is a good missionary opportunity.’ So I actually went and recorded the song for the film as a missionary.”
While the film was originally commissioned for the Legacy Theater in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City, it quickly gained momentum and Church leaders decided to release it first in theaters nationwide.
As the film became a bigger project, Archuleta said he realized he would need to rerecord the song. “When I recorded it the first time, I had a Spanish accent and couldn’t pronounce the words very well. I was singing hymns all the time so my voice hadn’t gotten adjusted to pop.”
Fans will agree that he successfully adjusted, as people around the world continue to download and listen to the hit song. While “Glorious” is his first single since returning from his mission in March of 2014, it certainly isn’t the last. Archuleta revealed in his FM 100.3 interview that he is currently working on a project he expects to release in the coming year.
“Glorious” is available to download for free for a limited time on the Meet the Mormons Facebook page.
Meet the Mormons writer and director, Blair Treu, left, meets with David Archuleta, the LDS artist whose music is featured in the documentary. Brother Archuleta’s soundtrack was recorded while he was serving as an LDS missionary in Chile.
David Archuleta released “Glorious” as his first single in conjunction with the film Meet the Mormons after returning home in March of 2014 from his mission in Chile.
