Diversity Rules Magazine

4 Diversity Rules Magazine December 2018 David Hernandez gained national atten- tion with his powerful voice and affable per- sonality as an Ameri- can Idol finalist. He began acting and singing at age six, starring in musicals and performing with various theatre companies throughout Arizona. As a teenager David began writing original music and record- ing his material. A Phoenix na- tive, Hernandez recently moved to Hollywood where he is writ- ing new songs, working in the recording studio producing his newest music, and pursu- ing his passion for acting. He has already completed his first feature film as the lead in the movie Synthetic Truth. In addition to American Idol, David has showcased his talents on e Ellen Show, e Today Show, MTV's TRL, EX- TRA, Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, Teen Choice Awards, TV Guides' Sexiest Stars 2008, Idol Tonight, Idol Gives Back and FOX-TV. David just released his debut video (and single) for the song "Beautiful." e video was directed by Printz Board (producer of the Black Eyed Peas). David counts Stevie Wonder, Ne-yo, Donnie Hathaway, Alicia Keys, Luther Vandross, Michael Jackson and David Foster among his musical influences. David lives in Los Angeles, CA. JRK: Before we get into the interview, can you tell readers a bit about David Hernandez, your back- ground, where you are from and all that other good introductory stuff? DH: I was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ. I started singing when I was about 6 years old in musicals. I went to college for Broadcast Journalism but dropped out to sing on cruise ships in an acapella quartet. I signed to Universal when I was 22. I was Dropped and then auditioned for American Idol. e rest was history after that! I have been touring for the last 10 years. I just released my 2nd full length album. I love to write and produce my own music. JRK: You have just released a new stu- dio album entitled, "Kingdom: e Mixtape." Can you tell us about that? DH: I've been sitting on a lot of this music for years. I just decided that i was tired of waiting and I wanted to release it. ere's a lot of great material on the album that I wrote and produced. Why just let it sit on my laptop? It made no sense. When I put the music together it all sorta flowed and told a story. Even though some of the material was recorded 10 years ago, it was still relevant. JRK: One of your songs, "Break," is about a per- sonal struggle and overcoming that struggle. Can Keeping It Real A Chat With David Hernandez By Jim Koury, Editor/Publisher

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