Mention the name David Archuleta and there are probably not that many people who would not know who you are talking about. He has performed in many stages worldwide and has captured the attention and hearts of audiences no matter where he goes. Most recently, he released a 16-track album called Postcards in the Sky on Friday, 20 October 2017, which is virtually his story put to song. It is also an album, according to Deseret News, that “encourages listeners to express the thoughts and feelings inside them.”
In his most recent interviews, he has shared how serving a full-time two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Chile Concepción Mission has had a major impact on his music career and life decisions going forward. He has also expressed that he believes that serving a mission was the best decision that he has made thus far.
On Monday, 20 November 2017, at 7:30 pm MDT, David will once again perform on stage at Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City, Utah. This will be the first time since making the announcement in December 2011, at one of his Christmas concerts, that he had decided to leave his music career behind and serve a two-year mission. He told Deseret News, “I think it’s really cool to go back to the place where I had first let everyone know that I was making that move. I’m excited about it.” The concert marks the end of his fall tour to promote his album Postcards in the Sky. He continued, “Like the album says, the struggle was to feel like you could speak up and be heard, and Utah has always given me that opportunity to speak up and be heard, so it means a lot.”
In an up close and personal interview, Deseret News spoke more with David about how his LDS mission to Chile has influenced his musical career since returning home in 2014.
Deseret News made mention that Postcards in the Sky is David’s first album since returning from his mission. He responded, “. . .. it’s very much a message album, kind of like, ‘This is what I have to say, finally.’. . .. I’ve worked hard to know how to live a good life, what I find brings light into my life, and I’m going to trust in what I’ve learned and I’m going to move with that. … I’m going to keep doing my best to do good, keep close to God and lift people up.” He continued:
It’s very much an album of saying, “Let out your postcards; throw them into the world,” whatever you have inside of you, the postcards within yourself, the messages, the thoughts, the feelings in your heart, your concerns. Maybe it’s you’ve gone through abuse, maybe you deal with depression or you’re suicidal, or maybe you miss someone that you love, or maybe you’re looking for God and you don’t know how to find that relationship with him. It’s about letting out those feelings, letting your voice be heard. And as you let it out, it’s amazing how healing it is to just let it out, to speak up and know that it’s OK to speak up and use your voice because it matters. … It’s not a Christian album, but basically, the goal was to let people find that light within themselves that connects them to God and calls them home.
He admitted to Deseret News that when he was a part of American Idol, he found himself getting caught up in the trap of believing that success is measured by how much money a person makes, making a profit, being recognized for your accomplishments, and having power. He further stated that when he went on his mission, his entire focus changed. He didn’t have all the noise and distractions from the attention he was getting. As a missionary he was able to focus more on giving and serving. He told Deseret News, “I started finding what really made me happy by helping other people find happiness, by bringing them to God, teaching them about Jesus Christ and His gospel and inviting them to come live it, to change so that they could find happiness themselves, so that they can release themselves from grief, from sorrow, pain, guilt, shame and start fresh — start new, start again. …”
David will be performing with Madilyn Paige, a contestant on season six of The Voice, during his show on 20 November 2017 at Abravanel Hall. She sang a duet with David on the album called “Seasons.” Deseret News asked him how he felt about performing with her. David paid compliment to Madilyn by describing her as a girl of faith who strives to be a good role model and a positive person. She doesn’t feel that she needs to compromise her beliefs or morals to gain a large audience. He said, “I really love what Madilyn stands for. She’s a very talented girl, and she’s using that talent for that same thing: to inspire people, to lift them up, to encourage them, and I like that.”
