David “Delights”: an interview with David Archuleta

By Gregg Shapiro

Whether you are a fan of American Idol and a follower of the contestants who have been on the show, sometimes there is a story about one of the competitors that catches your attention. For many, especially LGBTQ people, David Archuleta is a perfect example. Only a teenager and still in high school when made the cut for season seven of the show, Archuleta finished in second place (to David Cook) in 2008. But his story was far from over. Raised in a Mormon household, he came out as queer in 2022 and, along with his mother, left the LDS Church. In August 2025, Archuleta released Earthly Delights, a marvelous six-song EP. He is following up the release with a multi-city tour during September and October. David graciously made time for an interview in early July.

Gregg Shapiro: We are speaking on July 1, the day after Pride Month 2025 ended. Did you do anything special to celebrate Pride?

David Archuleta: I performed at quite a few Pride events throughout the U.S., which was really great. I just came back from Oklahoma City Pride and St. Louis Pride. I performed at World Pride [in Washington D.C.] and Utah Pride, which is where I where I grew up, which is really special, as well, and Pittsburgh Pride. It has been a month of celebrating.

GS: Your new EP Earthly Delights will be released in August. About the EP you have said, “I’m in my indulgence mode when it comes to giving into my sensuality.” In what ways do you think the songs on this EP represent that?

DA: I think just the fact that I have written romantic songs, period, has been a big step for me. They reference more of a sensual side to life, [which is] something I always avoided. I look back, and I am like, “Oh my gosh, this is still pretty wholesome for probably most people’s standards, especially in pop music, when it comes into like romance and sexuality.” But for me, I think it was very hard because I always avoided that by a mile. To me, it feels like I am indulging. But maybe for a Momon, it is indulgence, because probably for most people, this is just love.

GS: The EP contains the songs “Crème Brulée” and “Dulce Amor” which begs the question, do you have a sweet tooth?

DA: I have definitely gained a sweet tooth. I love my chocolate chip cookies, I love crème brulée, I love ice cream with peanut butter on it. Molten lava cake is also really good. I may need to take a step away from the sweets because singing so much about sweet things and all that, I have gotten a little overwhelmed with the sweets.

GS: In “Dulce Amor” you sing, “You’re my favorite record/Joni Mitchell ‘Blue’/Wish I had a river/Had a case of you.” Are you a Joni Mitchell fan?

DA: Definitely, yes! Ever since junior high, I’ve been a fan. I even considered covering a Joni Mitchell song on American Idol. I was trying to do that, but it did not work out, so I picked a different song. But I have always loved Joni Mitchell. In the writing session I had during that song (“Dulce Amor”), one of the writers and the producer, we were in the studio, and they had a painting of Joni Mitchell. I said, “Why not just mention her in the song?” So, we did.

GS: You did not get to sing a Joni song on Idol, but have you ever covered a song of hers in concert?

DA: I have not. “Both Sides Now” is probably only one of two songs that I can play on guitar. It was the first song I learned on the guitar, and, unfortunately because I did not really keep it up, I have forgotten how to play it a bit. But I loved her enough that it inspired me to at least learn a song of hers on the guitar.

GS: The piano and vocal ballad “Home” is gorgeous. Is the message of the song addressed to anyone in particular?

DA: I wanted “Home” to feel like it could be romantic, but I also wanted it to feel like you could apply it to anybody. “Home” is about losing your identity and losing what you felt was your home base, then finding it somewhere else. Whether that is a person. Whether that is someone you fall in love with or someone who just makes you feel safe. I wanted it to describe a feeling anyone can feel, regardless of their sexuality. To be a nod to, when you are in a relationship, a same-sex relationship, a queer relationship, that a lot of the feelings that most people feel, when they feel love for someone, feel loved by someone. It is no different, whether it is a heterosexual or homosexual relationship. The sentiment is the same.

GS: As they say, love is love.

DA: Yes. I guess I wanted to go a little deeper into that so that people could say, “I get it. You feel the same thing that I feel.” Because a lot of people do not think that gay relationships are the same, that they are not based on the same principles or the same emotions of pure love. I have very much experienced that, and this is what it is. [The song is] for people who, whether they are gay and have that representation, to feel like this is a wholesome, pure love. Straight people could also listen to it, and those who wondered, after I came out, what I got myself into. It is my life and stuff. But also, look at what I get to enjoy. Which I did not really get to do until I came out, and it feels like home.

GS: You are embarking on a multi-city tour in September and October. How many months out of the year would you say that you are on the road?

DA: I would not say I am on the road very often. I have done these Pride shows and I do a few shows here and there throughout the year. I would not say I love to be on the road half of the year, 3/4 of the year. I did that during American Idol and the year after American Idol and it was a bit much for me. I try to pace myself and give myself a time frame and time limits on how often I am out. I like to have my own space, my own routine. It is hard to do that when you are constantly on the road. I do love to go out on the road, but just for a certain amount of time. Maybe two to three months out of the year, if that.

GS: As part of the tour, you’ll also be performing in Salt Lake City on September 19. What’s it like for you to do hometown shows?

DA: There is a sense of we have been through a lot of the same things. It is literally like neighbors and friends and family. But even if they are not direct family or neighbors, you have still grown up in the same culture, the same environment, the same kind of belief system. Particularly with people who grew up in the same religion as I did, as Latter-Day Saints. Whether or not they are still in it, you understand each other; why you think the way you do, why you believe what you do. Especially when you have left. I left the religion a few years ago, and to connect with people who have been through that and had to do with the same kind of discrimination, misunderstandings, and judgments. It is nice to connect with everybody. To see people who are still a part of it and say we still love you and support you. They have been through so much with you already, and so they are invested in staying by your side. I think that’s a really sweet thing. Before all of the national recognition, they have seen me grow up. It’s a special thing, and you get to have fun and celebrate.

GS: I live in Fort Lauderdale, and I know you are originally from Miami. In February 2024, you did a show in our beautiful, queer city of Wilton Manors. 

DA: I had such a great time in Wilton Manors. I grew up not very far from there, at least up until kindergarten. I was born in North Miami. We lived a little bit in Hialeah, but then a lot of time in Hollywood. It was definitely nostalgic to go back and to kind of return to my roots, where I had my first years of life. I would love to go back more often because I do love South Florida. I love the Cuban sandwiches and the mamey shakes. I still crave it. Those things that you experience when you are little, the introduction of sensory events, are just a part of you. I am grateful to have fans from there and I hope to go back.

David is performing on September 29 at House of Blues San Diego.