From Idol to Indie Thriller

David Hernandez first won over America as a finalist on American Idol Season 7, his powerhouse vocals and raw emotionality setting him apart as one of the show’s standout talents. Now, the singer-songwriter is trading the stage for the screen in his feature film debut, Glamping, a dark psychological thriller that puts Hernandez’s dramatic range and artistic fearlessness on full display.

Filmed on location in Topanga Canyon, California, Glamping follows a seemingly carefree weekend getaway that spirals into terror when a masked killer crashes the trip of wannabe influencer Olivia and her friends in Big Bear. Directed by Niki Koss, the film dives deep into themes of ego, fear, and the fragile masks people wear to hide their true selves.

For Hernandez, who plays a pivotal role in the chilling story, the experience marks a bold new chapter in his creative evolution. “Performing has never been just about singing for me,” he says. “It’s about storytelling in every form. Film felt like a natural evolution of that.”

Despite Glamping being his first major feature film, Hernandez is hardly new to acting. His credits include fourteen vertical short films, a movie musical, and numerous theatrical productions—most recently earning a Broadway World Award for “Best Performer in a Musical” for his turn in the off-Broadway hit Naked Boys Singing. Still, stepping into a dark, psychologically complex character was a new kind of challenge.

“Honestly, performing has always been about telling the truth, whether I’m on stage with a mic or on camera covered in fake blood,” he says with a laugh. “Music lets me sing it out loud, but acting forces me to live it. Glamping pushed me into corners I hadn’t explored before: the quiet, ugly, psychological stuff you can’t hide behind a melody. You can’t ‘perform’ your way through that kind of pain… you just have to be it.”

Hernandez prepared for the role through intensive journaling, writing as his character to uncover layers of trauma and motivation. One late-night entry changed everything: He’s not crazy, he’s lonely.

“That sentence wrecked me,” he admits. “Suddenly, I stopped judging him and started feeling him. It turned the role from ‘look at this psycho’ to ‘look at this broken human who never learned how to love right.’”

Shooting in Topanga Canyon—known for hosting horror classics like Friday the 13th and Final Destination—only heightened the eerie authenticity. “It’s beautiful, haunting, spiritual, and creepy all at once,” Hernandez recalls. “There were nights where the fog rolled in and it felt like the forest was watching us. That atmosphere definitely bled into the work.”

He credits director Niki Koss for fostering a set where creative risks felt safe. “She really encouraged me to lean into the subtleties of less performance, more presence,” Hernandez says. “That kind of trust between actor and director makes all the difference.”

Translating the emotional rhythm of music into the stillness of film was another learning curve. “In music, emotion is loud. You belt it, you riff, you fill space,” he explains. “On camera, emotion hides in silence. It’s in a look, a breath, a twitch. Once I found that rhythm, it felt musical in a different way. You can play a whole song without saying a word.”

Ultimately, Hernandez hopes audiences walk away from Glamping with more than a few scares. “I’ve always believed no one wakes up wanting to be the villain,” he reflects. “People break, they bleed, they react. The monsters aren’t under our beds, they’re in us. If people can see even a flicker of humanity in the chaos, then I’ve done my job.”