David Archuleta is no stranger to Filipinos. Back in 2012, he signed a contract with TV5 to shoot the prime-time mini series ‘Nandito Ako,’ which ran from February to March 2012.
The mini series even had David speaking in Tagalog. Archuleta then released Forevermore- an album which contains covers of classic Filipino songs, which came out in March of the same year.
With a new lease in life after leaving his former church, Archuleta is discovering his own queer identity, which we can hear in his new music through his new EP, Earthly Delights, which was released last August. Archuleta is making his way back to the Philippines with a scheduled concert on November 21. He is set to perform at the Mall of Asia Arena with Vanessa Carlton and English boy band Blue for the Playback Musical Festival.
Dressed in a green plaid shirt with an aquamarine pendant on, David sat down for an online roundtable with media from the Philippines to talk about his new EP, Earthly Delights, which also released a Deluxe edition (with two new songs and acoustic and remix versions from the original release) and is now available to stream on digital platforms.
For Earthly Delights, what was the creative direction that you took for the EP, and was there a particular theme that you had in mind when curating the songs that made it in the EP?
The goal was just to experience life, the sensory experience of life. I think that I’ve lived my life up until recently, very like in my head, like in my thoughts. David raises his index finger to his forehead as he says this.
Rather than feeling things, I was thinking it through like: Okay, these are the rules, this is what you follow, this is what you’re supposed to do. This is not what you’re supposed to do. And rather than say, ‘Well, what do you think? Or how do you feel about it, David?’ I always replaced it with: ‘Well, this is what it’s supposed to be, this is how I’m supposed to think.’ And now I ask myself: ‘Well, what do I feel? Like how does it feel to touch someone’s skin?’
I love food. That’s why I wrote ‘Crème brûlée’ (the album’s lead single) -it’s a metaphor of the sweetness that I could now experience and feel with dating and human relationships and interactions, and the sensuality of connecting with other people.
It’s like getting to experience the sensual part of life, something that is so new to me, but exciting.
What was it like working on this EP as compared to your previous releases?
For my first album, it was like-I felt like I was a deer in the headlights. Like what was happening? This is all new, but this is exciting. I wasn’t really telling much of my story; I was just living in the moment.
The second album (The Other Side of Down) was very in my head (he places the tips of both his index fingers on his forehead) -like introspective, I don’t know where I’m going, I’m kind of lost, kind of confused, but I’m still going to do my best to keep moving forward and figure things out. Postcards in the Sky (6th studio release, which came out in 2017) was more reflective; I had just gone on my two-year mission (in Chile). Therapy Sessions (8th studio album, which was released in 2020) -I don’t understand what’s going on. I need to take a break to figure out why I’m so distraught and messy and disorganized and hopeless.
And Earthly Delights is kind of like, well, I’ve come to embrace and accept myself, and it’s still not perfect, but I’m okay with the messiness of life, and making mistakes, and it feels so good, it’s like finally sitting in that, sensuality and my sexuality. And also, just being confident and comfortable in my own body. So I’m very excited for the music that’s to follow because I’m working on (new music), and I had a writing session yesterday, and it’s kind of fun to feel empowered.
In the song ‘Can I Call You?’ there are lyrics that go ‘it’s more than a crush.’ Is this a nod to your song ‘Crush,’ and was this something that you intentionally included in the song as a treat for long-time fans?
‘You got it!’ David said, laughing. ‘Yeah- for me it was like the next chapter of ‘Crush’ coz you’re like: I don’t know if this is real, are we just friends? Like we keep getting these feelings, and can I call you? It’s like-I’m going for it now. (The song is saying) I want to build something with you, and it’s not always easy, especially when you’re traveling on the road, or you’re not near the person, coz of traveling. For me, it’s like- it’s the sweetness, but it’s also done in a sexy way, a smooth way. I feel that that song captures the most overall of how David looks inside, coz it’s not trying too hard, it feels effortless and smooth, and it has a good groove to it, there’s a sexiness to it, but also a sweetness to the song as well.
Having had the opportunity to speak to David twice, I can tell that he is in a good place now, he is having fun discovering and enjoying his own sexuality and identity, and you can hear it in his new music. Songwriters and singers like David Archuleta write and sing songs about a lot of things, but when it is their own stories and feelings, it really resonates, and yes, this also includes giving in to indulgences you have long denied yourself, and in those indulgences emerge an infectious confidence you may not have known was there all along.