DAVID HERNÁNDEZ
By: Danny P’Lopez, Al Ballesteros
Photos by: Noel Dhal & Sachary Smith
Age: 41
Height: 5’9”
Weight: 165
Birthplace: Phoenix, AZ
Zodiac sign: GEMINI
Social media: IG/X/Threads:
@Dhernandezmusic
I AM: I am a crazy kid who had the audacity to believe that he could live his dreams. I am Strong, determined, empathetic, and loyal. I am insecure, sensitive, filled with doubt yet optimistic. I am a son, a brother, an uncle, a nephew, a lover and a friend. I am everything yet nothing without the grace of a higher power and a loving family.
BACK GROUND: I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona to a single mother. My dad and my mom are my best friends. We come from humble beginnings. I went to college at Arizona State University, but dropped out to pursue music. I never fit in as a kid so I forged my own path. I signed a record deal at 22 years old. I lost my record deal at 23. I made the big decision to audition for American Idol which proved to be the right thing to do. I made the top 12 and then decided to stay in Los Angeles to pursue my dreams. That would prove to be the beginning of my journey in music. I would go on the road for the better part of 10 years while releasing albums and music videos.
HOBBIES: Making music. I love to work out and hike. I have this weird obsession with skincare and love going to the movies.
RELATIONSHIP: I’ve been with my partner for seven years. His name is Derek. He’s an incredible partner. Very supportive and understanding. He’s also a creative so he has co directed many of my music videos and played an integral part in my decision-making process in regards to my career.
GOALS: I would love to release more successful albums, and singles. One of my big dreams is to star in a feature film and television series. I started off acting and singing at the same time when I was seven years old in a musical theater production so taking it back to my roots is important. The biggest goal of all is to be happy with my life. I want to look back and say that I had fear but moved past it and I tried everything I said I would.
David Hernandez gained national attention as a Top 12 finalist on American Idol. Since then, his talents have been showcased on notable platforms like The Ellen Show, The Today Show, MTV’s TRL, and TV Guides’ Sexiest Stars. He even performed at the Inaugural Kick-Off Celebration ball for Barack Obama alongside renowned artists John Legend and Maroon 5.
David is releasing a re-imagined version of the title track from his first EP, I Am Who I Am. The new version has been shortened to “I AM,” but still tells the story of David’s earlier years, growing up in a broken home among family members struggling with substance abuse, all while being bullied in school for his differences.
“I was listening to that old record, going down the memory lane of my life and career, remembering that young kid who was scared yet somehow had the audacity to chase his dream on national TV,” David Hernandez reflects today.
“So much of what I sang about in my first album still rings true today,” David Hernandez continues from his Los Angeles home. “I’ve worked so hard to overcome the traumas of my childhood, and by the grace of God, I have managed to heal so much of my past pain, but I would be lying if I said that some days weren’t still a struggle. I think I will always be discovering who I am until my dying day. There’s a beauty in that.”
The music video, co-produced and directed by David Hernandez and Johny D. and shot in Burbank at Stage 35, echoes the sentiment of the song. It opens with David, the music star, about to perform on stage, greeted by applause and adulation from screaming fans while at the same time, facing an onslaught of criticism and homophobia from the media. The pressure is intense and an emotionally beaten David Hernandez wonders, “Who am I?”.
“I remember the initial excitement of stardom when I thought it was all cheering crowds and fancy clothes,” David says. “But pretty quickly, the doubts crept it along with the questions: Is this it? Is this me? Did I hit my goal? Have I realized my dreams? Why do I feel so empty?”
David also recently completed a successful 8-month residency in the Off-Broadway musical comedy Naked Boys Singing, for which he won the Broadway World Award for “Best Performer in a Musical.”
His latest album, Don’t @ Me, is available on all digital platforms. It includes the hit singles “Vices” and “When it Rains, it Pours”. The album’s title claps back at critics who publicly outed him for being gay and for being a former stripper. “They still don’t realize how much their words have scarred me,” David says today.