This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2008, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Sixteen-year-old Murray High School student David Archuleta went from national singing sensation and winner of television's "Star Search" five years ago to a boy who couldn't chirp a note due to an underdeveloped vocal cord.

But despite that - maybe because of it - the teen with the big voice is roaring back on a different national stage: He's going to Hollywood for the newest season of "American Idol."

"I wouldn't be surprised if he's in the top 10," said David's vocal coach, Dean Kaelin. "David's going to do great."

Kaelin should know. The Salt Lake City-based coach worked with that other "American Idol" finalist from Utah, Carmen Rasmusen. He also taught John Praetor, a Brigham Young University student who made it to the final 24 in another season, and Kaelin was the vocal coach for SHeDAISY, the country group from Magna.

"['Idol' judges] like David for a number of reasons," he said. "This is a chance for 'American Idol' to capture the 'High School Musical' crowd. And he has great style. He's engaging."

David and his family are under contract with Fox and cannot speak to the news media while he's still in the competition.

David was just 12 when he won the Junior category of "Star Search," CBS' now-defunct talent show, taking home $100,000.

Then his voice, as with all boys that age, began to change. A doctor told him one of his two vocal cords was underdeveloped.

"One was sitting there and the other is doing all the work," explained Kaelin, David's vocal coach since "Star Search." "His one was staying on the side, and the other was coming all the way over to meet it, and that was putting a strain on it."

During an "Idol" audition in San Diego last summer, David explained to judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul that he stopped singing for a while because of the paralyzed vocal cord. But the teenager still impressed them.

"Now his voice has changed so the vocal cords have gotten thicker and more developed," Kaelin said. "But that's what gives his voice an interesting quality to it. It's why he has kind of an airy sound to his voice. In pop music, they're looking for interesting, different voices. This definitely was an obstacle he had to overcome. But for him, it's a blessing."

Now David and 163 others have to face the music again when they appear before the three judges in a Hollywood theater. The Hollywood auditions, which were pretaped, air Tuesday at 7 p.m. on KSTU Channel 13. Two dozen contestants will be chosen from that group, which then will be whittled to the final 10 or 12.

"It's a very emotional roller coaster the whole week, and they try to make it that way," said 28-year-old Shaun Barrowes of Spanish Fork, another Utahn who made it to Hollywood this season. "They'll give you little speeches throughout, and they'll always say things like, 'You're singing for your life.' "

"Then there's the waiting," he added. "Whenever you have 164 people who are going to be singing for three judges, you're waiting. The wait in and of itself is all the more nerve-racking."

Nigel Lythgoe, executive producer of "Idol" as well as Fox's other reality hit "So You Think You Can Dance," hopes to hold auditions for the singing show in Salt Lake City one day. (Auditions for the dance show were held here last week.) Smaller cities generate the most promising singers, he said.

"When we get 20,000 people in a crowd, that city can present the fewest talented people around," he said just before leaving for the Salt Lake "Dance" auditions. "We go to a [smaller] place like Charleston and you get a huge number. We've always likened it to pearl diving."

*To watch a clip of Utahn David Archuleta's audition for "American Idol," visit www.sltrib. com/tv.

* The Hollywood auditions will air Tuesday at 7 p.m. on KSTU Channel 13.