- 2 months ago
The artist who captured America's heart as a 17-year-old on American Idol has grown into a multiple platinum-selling musician on a profound journey of self-discovery. Now fully embracing his authentic self, David Archuleta recently released the EP Earthly Delights (Deluxe Edition) , which includes two brand-new tracks.Following his nationwide Earthly Delights tour, the singer is bringing holiday cheer with a Christmas EP arriving in November, and exclusive live shows in New York and Los Angeles this December. He recently stopped by for a chat to discuss his latest projects and his personal evolution. This is a LifeMinute with David Archuleta.
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00:00Hi, I'm David Archuleta, and you're watching Life Minute TV.
00:13The artist who captured America's heart as a 17-year-old on American Idol has grown into a
00:19multiple platinum-selling musician on a profound journey of self-discovery. Now fully embracing his
00:25authentic self, David Archuleta recently released the EP Earthly Delights Deluxe Edition, which
00:32includes two brand new tracks. Following his nationwide tour, the singer is bringing holiday
00:38cheer with a Christmas EP out in November and exclusive live shows in New York and Los Angeles
00:45this December. He recently stopped by for a chat to discuss his latest projects and his personal
00:51evolution. This is a Life Minute with David Archuleta. Earthly Delights, yeah. The new
00:58tracks on Earthly Delights, I feel like they're more playful. I started with it being more flirtatious
01:04but ended up just being more romantic lover boy. I realized I'm a lover boy at heart, more than a
01:10flirt even. And they are more like kind of sultry and sensual, but I feel like they're also wholesome
01:21in a way because they're, yeah, it's like romantic. It's not just like, well, I'm gonna have fun with
01:27you. Like, it's more like, hey, how you doing? Like, it's great getting to know you and what we're
01:31building together. So it's like a lover boy era for me.
01:44I would describe the sound as pop, but a lot of it's dreamy pop mixed with a little bit of attitude as well.
01:52The inspiration, I really just was like, you know, I have been pretty reserved and shy my whole life.
02:01And I thought if I ever like felt like, yeah, like I've got this, I was embarrassed to even like
02:10touch that area of myself and to feel that kind of confidence. I thought it was like too cocky
02:17too full of myself. But I was like, you know what? What if I just like embraced who I am and loved
02:23myself? Still shy at times, but there are times where I feel myself and just let it out. And this
02:29was what came out. Like, I feel more comfortable in my skin and my body and that confidence. And it
02:36just feels nice. I'm like, oh, it's, it's nice to give yourself some credit sometimes and just own it.
02:41Yeah. It's been a journey to get here, but it's been like a lot of honesty, like therapy
02:47has been great. A lot of conversations, a lot of reflection time and just life transitions.
02:54I grew up religious and I grew up not understanding my sexuality. Like I knew that I was different from
03:00a little kid. Like, you know, boys like girls, girls like boys. I'm like, oh, I'm like,
03:05I don't fit in that, just that one fit all category. But what am I like? You don't really
03:12understand it and you don't get taught. So you're just kind of left keeping it to yourself. And
03:16then you get older and you grow up and become an adult. And you, you come to a point where you have
03:20to come to terms and face yourself. And it's really terrifying and scary. But then you're like, but
03:25what if I'm okay the way I am? Finally came to a point in my thirties, just not too long ago,
03:32where I was like, what if I just accept myself and learn to love myself as is. And I thought
03:40I was doing the right thing by despising who I was. And then I realized what if I taught
03:47myself self-love and it was a process. Like I said, therapy was really helpful in conversations
03:53and letting myself make like trial and error, make mistakes, fumble here and there, and then
03:59figure my own footing and realize, okay, I can stand here as I fully am authentically.
04:06And it feels amazing. And it's still a journey. It's still a process, but I feel like Earthly Delights
04:12was indulging in the things of the world that I thought I never, I had to stay away from like a,
04:20what is that pole that they sing in the Grinch? You know, 30 and a half foot pole. Like I thought
04:26that's what I needed to do is, but when you let yourself just experience life and human connection,
04:32it's just like, ah, and I, thus the Earthly Delights, there's that sultry look on the EP right there.
04:41I am on the Earthly Delights tour. I have a stop here in New York city. I'm really excited. And I
04:52have dancers, like I'm not a professional dancer, but to be able to involve choreography into the show
04:59and the experience you give to people. And it's like a tool you utilize to bring people along on
05:04the journey and just have fun. I feel like it's, it's hotter to do like, because there's movement.
05:10And when you move, you just are naturally more in touch with your body. And I think,
05:15I mean, that's what sensuality and sexuality does too. It's like being in touch with your body.
05:20And so choreography and dancing can feel sexual. And sometimes people are like, it makes them
05:26uncomfortable. It's like, whoa, wait, these are feelings I've always had to block off and not feel.
05:30But it's like, no, it's like move it, be in touch with yourself. It's part of being human.
05:35It's refreshing. It's so people can come to the show, they can dance or they could just listen.
05:41I usually like to make people jump though, you know, every now and then and rock out with me
05:46and dance along. I think it's the Latino in me as well. I just love to move to music and to rhythm.
05:52Any pre-show rituals? I'm trying to be better about stretching, especially now with dancing.
05:57I, choreography. I'm not like full on dancing. Like, I mean, there's some moments where I am
06:02actually dancing a lot, but that's important. Drinking water, vocal rest when you're like in
06:08the middle of tour towards the end of tour, because your voice gets worn out from singing every night.
06:13So that's important. Not talking too much on the phone. You can't laugh too much either,
06:17because laughing really wears your voice out if you're laughing too much. Simple things like that.
06:21I'll drink like an herbal tea and even just like breathe in the steam just to keep my vocal chords
06:28moisturized.
06:37I didn't really look at myself as being a gifted singer growing up. I just knew that I loved it.
06:43There was like a connection. It pulled me in. It was like a magnet.
06:47My parents are both musicians. My mom sings. My dad plays trumpet.
06:51And they were in a salsa band together. I just felt like I had purpose. I had meaning when
06:58I was connecting to music, whether it was singing to it or listening to it or dancing to it.
07:03It just made me feel alive. I don't know. For a moment, you just don't even question why you're here.
07:09You just get it. And you're like, life. This helps me realize I'm here and breathing and just
07:16feeling fulfilled and connected to the world around me. Some influences growing up, I would say
07:24Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Cindy Lauper. I just saw her in concert for the first time.
07:30Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder. I watched the We Are The World video and I was like,
07:36who are these amazing people? And so Stevie Wonder and Cindy Lauper were in there.
07:42And I became obsessed with both of them. Selena. Selena Quintanilla. She was a huge inspiration
07:49as well, as well as musicals. My dad showed me Les Miserables and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor
07:54Dreamcoat. And I think when I watched Les Miserables, that was the first time where I was just like
07:59music performing. I was watching people on stage because it was like the PBS special. I was like,
08:03what is going on? Why do these notes and chords strike me in such a way that it's just doing
08:10things to me? I was like six years old and I just was completely enveloped into it. I just felt like
08:18I was one of the characters when I would watch and I would pretend I would like put a blanket around me
08:22and pretend I was one of the Parisians characters in the musical.
08:34Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat was one of the first albums that my dad showed me. It was the
08:39one right after Les Miserables that he showed to me. And I started learning songs from it as like a
08:43six, seven year old. And so for it to be my first musical that I was in was really fun. I performed
08:50at, they call it Broadway in the Canyon. It's in Southern Utah, Tuacon, and it's a beautiful,
08:56marvelous production. Like a lot of the performers are based here in New York and they fly them out
09:01to be a part of the Tuacon production. It wasn't too demanding of a role because
09:07Joseph, his range is in my range and Andrew Lloyd Webber doesn't really have you acting. It's like
09:15singing pretty much the entire time. So that made it easier for me, but it was just really a fun time.
09:21It's fun to work with a cast where it's not just all focused on you. You're working as a team,
09:29you know, and as a family together to, to tell the story to the audience. And I think that's really
09:35fun. It makes it more lighthearted that way. First up from Sandy, Utah, meet David Archuleta.
09:44I did Star Search when I was 12 years old. I was in the kids division. I went up like with some of
09:52my friends. I mean like Tori Kelly was also on there, my friend Joel L. James. And so I've, I've known
09:58Tori just ever since then and now she's killing it. It's just amazing that she just got off of
10:04doing the European tour with Ed Sheeran, his, his European tour. I'm just like, wow, look at us,
10:09like look how far we've come. And it's weird how it's like a small world because the majority of
10:13people on earth like music. So to be able to like cross paths like that and then like here we are
10:20again because she was on, Tori was on American Idol and now we're both performers and it's just wild.
10:26American Idol I did when I was 16. I think seeing the reaction of people on American Idol and seeing
10:46that they were continuously voting for me forward and invested in my journey and in my growth and in
10:52the songs that I was choosing to sing and that they wanted to see me succeed. I think that's when
10:58I started realizing, okay, maybe I have a skill in this and an ability because there have been,
11:03like I see there have been like over a hundred thousand people who've auditioned for just my season
11:09that I was on. So to be one of the few who make it forward, I was like, okay, I must have something that
11:16connects with people. And I still was like, there's still singers who are technically better than me
11:21and have more charisma who don't have as many nerves as I do when I go on stage. But there's
11:29something that people connect to with me. And I felt like that gave me confidence in what I did.
11:34It's like if, even if I don't feel like the best singer, I can feel confident up there knowing that
11:40I'm going to connect with people. And that doesn't have to be a perfect performance. I can create
11:47special moments in the song. I could pick a song that is makes me feel things. And if it's, if I
11:53don't remember every word, if I don't sing every note correctly, that's not what matters. And I think
11:58that's maybe what I feel is the gift I have is the ability to connect with people and music is an outlet to
12:05do that. It's nerve wracking stepping in front of the, especially like Simon Cowell, because he was
12:11known for tearing people down, like breaking their spirits and, and shattering their hopes and dreams.
12:20And in one sentence, you know, I was always on his good side. He liked me and I was like, okay,
12:28maybe he feels bad for me. I don't know. This is how I took it. But looking back, I'm like,
12:33maybe he just genuinely enjoyed what I had to offer. And I think we see him now on America's
12:38God Talent and other shows that he's a judge. He's softened up a lot more. I think he cares
12:44a lot more about the story and the journey of someone, the surprises. He loves those rather than
12:50are you perfectly good at what you do or not? So it's crazy how, you know, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson,
12:57I still keep more in touch with Paula because she's just so sweet and she was a performer. So we just
13:01related to her more. She invited me to go see Blake Lewis, who was the runner up on the season before
13:08me. She invited me to go see his show and Elliot Yamin also performed. We did some TikToks together.
13:15So we did some dances and I did a tribute to her at the Queer D's.
13:30I got to sing a medley of her songs and did choreography to it. And it was just fun to see
13:35her there watching and like singing and moving along to her songs, like her legacy and to
13:42to honor her in that way was really special. For my season, I saw Brooke White. She was fifth place
13:48during my season. We had lunch and caught up. We were listening to music we'd both been writing
13:54and reminiscing. I saw Jordan Sparks recently. She has a podcast that's called What's Your Spark?
14:00And I was her first guest, which was really fun. And again, just reminiscing and talking about our
14:06journeys and the ups and downs of the American Idol experience, especially we were both around the
14:11like the same age. We were both 16 and then 17 by the time it ended. So we just had a lot of parallels.
14:18We both grew up very conservative as well and then brought into this world where it's like you're,
14:24you see so many other ways of living life and experiencing things. And it's just like,
14:30how do you process all this? But we found our footing as we've gotten older and she has a beautiful
14:35family now and is killing it.
14:51I've done anything differently. I think I would have just have tried to have more fun. I think I took
14:56it too seriously and it really sucked the joy out of the experience for me as it continued into it.
15:03Because at first I didn't have expectations. I was like, I'm going to sing songs I like.
15:08And then when the pressure of the competition started weighing in, I was like, oh, I've got to do
15:13well because a lot of people are voting for me and counting on me and there's pressure. And there's
15:18a lot of pressure from everybody, media, and they wanted it to be competitive. And I was just like,
15:23as the competition went on up to the finale, I'm like, this just isn't fun anymore because of all the
15:28pressure and all the hype and expectations and attention. And the time, it was time consuming.
15:37There was, it was draining. There was so much going on. You're singing, but you're also making
15:41appearances and interviews and photo shoots. And they were having to shoot commercials every week
15:46on top of that and having to shop, decide what outfits we were going to wear. And so we'd have to
15:52shop for that on top of everything. And then you just feel the energy of the hype. And that is
16:00exhausting. So I was like, I just want a break. I just want to like hide for a moment. If I just
16:06didn't take it as seriously and just enjoyed it and pick songs that were fun rather than,
16:10is this a good enough competition song? Am I showcasing my voice enough? It would have made it
16:14a more pleasant experience. I wouldn't be like looking back on it, like all like taking me back to the
16:19scared kid every time I think about it. Going through that as I did, I'm here today. I'm
16:25performing, releasing new music, and I've grown so much regardless. When we had Mariah Carey week,
16:33she encouraged me to use my falsetto, which was something I was really afraid to. I was 17.
16:38So like my voice was still sort of changing and I didn't really know how to use my high notes. And so
16:44when she pushed me to use my falsetto, I was like, can I really do that? Like,
16:49I don't really have a strong falsetto, but I'm like, let's do it. If Mariah Carey challenges you
16:54to do something, I would say go for it. That's like, you would, that would have been a huge regret
16:59if I was like, Oh, I'm too afraid to like, no, you just got to go for it. And it worked like it turned
17:05out great. And now I use my, I mean, I started using my falsetto a lot more after, after that.
17:11I wrote a memoir, it's called Devout and it's about the American Idol experience, but just
17:19growing up from childhood, growing up Mormon and in kind of like that Utah bubble. Cause I grew up in
17:26Utah after being born in Miami, but I wasn't exposed to a lot. And then you're, I go on to this national
17:32TV show, American Idol and have everybody watching me. And I was still trying to figure myself out and
17:38didn't really know who I was, but at the same time was trying to be likable and get everyone's
17:43approval. So I was just like, what do you guys want me to be? I'll be whatever you want. Just accept
17:47me. I took a break from music to be a missionary for two years, a Mormon missionary. And then I came
17:53back and I tried to follow like the Mormon plan of get married, have kids. And as I tried that a few
18:00times and it didn't work, that's when I realized, I think I have to come to terms with my sexuality
18:04and be honest with myself. Cause how can I be, give my life to someone and accept them if I can't
18:11even accept myself. And so I talk about that and the years it took of a process to finally accept
18:20myself and to come out and take another shot at just living life and being a musician and doing that
18:28in front of everybody. You know, I hope it helps people who go through any types of life transitions,
18:34whether it's religion, sexuality, jobs, family related ones. Transitions can be difficult to
18:44navigate, but I hope that I can show that despite how heavy it can get, you can find your way through
18:51and find like, I did it. And the liberation you feel when you're willing to make the changes that
18:57are needed in your life, instead of just getting stuck in the same cycle over and over again.
19:03What got me out of it? I think it was finding a way to interpret my spirituality in a way that
19:07helped me find that I belong. That even if I don't fit what I'm, everyone is saying you need to be to
19:14be happy. And if you don't, you're you'll fail or you won't be happy. You'll be miserable. I had to
19:20be willing to challenge that quota and say, yeah, what if I need to look and live differently than the
19:27people around me? And that's scary. It's terrifying because it's like you stick out and get people's
19:32disapproval or even get hate from people misunderstanding you and fearing you. I was just like, I don't want
19:37people to fear me and be repulsed by, by me because of what they don't understand. But I had to take the
19:43chance to be disapproved by people and even be rejected. And I'm like, I don't want to be rejected.
19:49That's such a terrifying feeling as a human being to be rejected, especially from your people and your,
19:54your community and your, your tribe, you know, but I realized you can start again, which is terrifying.
20:01Like, oh my gosh, I have to start over. But then it's like, I get to start over. For me, it was like
20:06being born again, like having another chance at life is what it felt like. So it is scary, but I would say
20:13it's really worth it. And it's just, it's so invigorating if, if you allow yourself to do it.
20:19I don't affiliate myself with any like organized religion or belief system because I feel like
20:26there are so many biases depending on which one you happen to associate with. And I feel like it can
20:32cause you to feel like it's like us and then there's them. And I think it, it's easy to isolate
20:38yourself from other perspectives of life and being a human being. And sometimes having two
20:44set of beliefs, whether they're like religious or political, or like just geographical, you know,
20:51religion can connect you to your community within that community, within that bubble. But once you
20:58leave that bubble, you start fearing other people who aren't like you, or you think they're wrong.
21:04And it's like, well, what, maybe they just have a different perspective by not being associated
21:09with anything. I can hop around. I can look through the lens of many people. I can say, you know,
21:16I value that I value this as well, because it's like, we're all human, regardless of the language you
21:22speak or the color of your skin or your sex or your gender, you know, it's, we're all humans. And we all
21:30experience things slightly different because no one, no two people are the same. Even if you're both
21:35in the same religion, like there's so, such nuance to each individual that I want to be able to enjoy
21:41every perspective and value that in the end, we are all just a part of life. And that's what makes
21:51it beautiful. What I love about music and being an entertainer, being in the arts is you're able to
21:56sometimes surpass any boundaries that people may have or any walls and transcend it. And music is
22:03a way of connecting to anybody, regardless of your language or what your personal beliefs may be in any
22:11sort. You can take a moment and just take the guards down and just let everyone connect. Let
22:16everyone just channel in to a song, to melody, to lyric, to rhythm. And everyone's together for just,
22:24you know, even if it's for one song for four minutes, you know, or three minutes, two minutes,
22:28however long the song is, or six minutes, if you're like Led Zeppelin or something, but, um,
22:33Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. I think it's like a moment where everyone realizes we're all human
22:40and you forget anything else that may feel like it's, you have to stick with your own team and us
22:46versus them. It's just like, we're all here. And that's, let's just soak that in.
23:01When inspires me creatively, I would say life inspires me, the journey, the stories, the interactions,
23:08the frustrations, the relationships you have, the losses, the breakups, the, like anything that makes
23:15you feel something. You can put that feeling into music. And I love that. That's so cool about music.
23:21You just, even before like I can form my thoughts and my ideas or sentences to describe how I'm feeling,
23:28melodies come. And I'm like, this is how I feel. And you show it to them and people feel it. It's like,
23:34it's a language that they understand, even though you don't have the words to form
23:38all the details and specifics. And I think that's just the coolest thing. And it makes me excited to
23:45go into a writing room or studio to create something from scratch. And I'm like, wow,
23:50this came from my emotions. Even if you think these are ugly feelings, like, oh, this is messy. This is
23:55embarrassing. And like, oh, and you put it into music, but it's like so relieving to put in there.
24:01When you are raw and vulnerable in your music, people connect to it. And it's like, this was such
24:08a messy part of my life, but people relate. Everyone has messiness in their lives. And so to
24:15give people that space to explore it and to just own it is really refreshing.
24:24I listen to a lot of EDM music because I really like EDM music dancing. I like going to the festivals
24:29and the raves. It's like another place of connection that I feel where again, like that,
24:35everyone just escapes, whether they're nurses or singers or technicians, they just come and they
24:42just move to the rhythm. And everyone's just tuned in to the same frequency for a night. And I think
24:50it's the coolest. I mean, I love Chris Lake, John Summit. I like Om Nom and Audemob. Those are all DJs.
24:56For singers, I've been listening to Sabrina Carpenter's new album. I've been listening to
25:02Thames. I like 90s music. I mean, I listened to Biggie. I listened to Lauryn Hill. There's so many
25:11people that I want to collab with, but I don't really collab much. I'm trying to. I'm trying to for
25:15this. I'm doing a Christmas EP. I'm trying to collab with some of my friends. The Christmas EP is coming
25:22out later this year. I'm excited for it. I'll be doing a few shows, even at Joe's Pub here in New
25:28York. Maybe we'll see one of my dream collabs on this EP. That would be fun. But you know,
25:34there's some great people like Sabrina Carpenter would be fun. Chapel Rhone would be so fun to do
25:39a collab with. I mean, I guess one that I'm known for doing was the collaboration I did when I was a
25:46teenager in on Hannah Montana with Miley Cyrus.
25:58I sang on her third album that they released and third season. I want to know you. That was pretty
26:04fun. And people still come to me. You know, I was just on one episode, but people come up to me and
26:08say, were you that? Were you that guy on Hannah Montana? Which is fun. But that was a fun collab.
26:12What do I like to do for fun? I mean, I like to go to the gym. It's nice. I like to go on walks.
26:21I like to go and try new food at place, food spots, restaurants. I love Yelp. Okay, what are the
26:26restaurants? What are people saying? What are the reviews? What are the pictures of the food? Oh,
26:31I just, food makes me so happy. My favorite comfort food? I mean, oh, there's so many good ones. I love
26:38cereal. I love grilled cheese sandwiches. I like peanut butter jelly sandwiches. I like tacos. Yeah,
26:45those are some good ones. French toast is good too. My personal style. I feel like it's pretty casual,
26:53but like sometimes I like to go more all out, but I like to keep it more minimal. Like I like a t-shirt
26:59and like a necklace. I like a tank top too. It just feels more freeing, like, ah, like breathable. I think I
27:06dress for comfort more than anything. I'm a lazy dresser-upper if it's not an event. I'm not really
27:12good with following any like skincare routines. After the gym, I do like to go to the steam room or the
27:18sauna. And I feel like that's a part of my skincare. I do try to wash my face, but I just usually forget.
27:25I'm not really good at it, but just water, like hot water. I like to use hot water on my face.
27:31You know, I would like to still travel more. I would like to go to Antarctica. That's the only continent
27:38I haven't been to yet. So that would be fun. See some penguins.
27:44Best piece of life advice I could give is just to be willing to discover who you are authentically,
27:54like the authentic you and be willing to mess up, make mistakes as Miss Frizzle would say on the
28:02Magic School Bus. Let yourself be imperfectly you. And as you do that, life will be so much more
28:09refreshing. It'll be so much more fun. Give yourself a little bit of adventure, whether it's trying a new
28:16place to eat or trying to make something in the kitchen or to talk to somebody new or to
28:22try a new class or to write a song or paint a picture. Just give yourself opportunity to live
28:29your life and giving yourself new experiences. I feel it makes life all the more fulfilling.
28:37To hear more of this interview, visit our podcast Life Minute TV on iTunes and all streaming podcast
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