David Archuleta's camp knows what works.
E! News has exclusively learned that the 17-year-old crooner is working on songs for his debut album with Rock Mafia Productions, the Santa Monica-based tune factory behind the Miley Cyrus hits "7 Things" and "See You Again."
A source tells us that Jeff Archuleta, the little one's infamous father-manager (dadager, perhaps?), recently met with Rock Mafia producers Antonina Armato and Tim James, who cowrote and coproduced eight of the tracks on Cyrus' latest album, Breakout. They have also worked with Mariah Carey, Vanessa Hudgens and Aly & AJ.
Father and son came away from the powwow convinced they should proceed "in that direction," our insider said. "They want a Miley touch to the album."
Well, Archuleta will certainly need a wealth of infectious pop to equal his Disney-driven forebear, especially now that his label has orchestrated a plan to have his freshman effort drop the same day as American Idol winner David Cook's debut, sometime in November.
Over the next two weeks, David A. will record at least two Rock Mafia-sanctioned songs that 19 Recordings and RCA Records are hoping could turn into hit singles, the source said.
"David knows he needs to have a big radio hit, and Miley's producers are the closest thing he can get to a guarantee."