David Archuleta will always be associated with American Idol; he was the runner-up on the seventh season of the show in 2008 when he was just an innocent 18-year-old from Utah. Following his popularity and success on the show, his best-known song (at least until recently), Crush, was released as the first single from his self-titled debut album, which debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. He went on to release eight studio albums, including two holiday albums, and released his latest EP, Earthly Delights, in August this year.
David has also been on a personal journey since his American Idol days. In an interview in November 2022, he described himself as queer, a reality that he found difficult to reconcile with his spirituality and his relationship with the Latter Day Saints Church, which he described as “complicated”. He then left the church the following year which led him to write and record Hell Together and the line "If you're going to Hell, we're all going to Hell with you" reflects his mother's declaration of support for him (she too left the church in solidarity with her son). Indeed, since officially coming out, David has embraced his sexuality and identity through his music (and music videos) and has performed at several Pride festivals around the country (with his shirts getting noticeably more cropped at each one!).
I have been obsessed with the lead single from Earthly Delights, Crème Brulée, a track that is as catchy as it is flirty, blending its sugary sweetness with Latin flavor in the form of Spanish lyrics. David has said of the song: “'Crème Brulée' shows off my flirty side, really for the first time. It took a long time to get comfortable enough to release a song like this, and it's been great feeling comfortable, confident and sexy in my own skin”. The rest of the EP is a…well, delight…with a mix of genres and styles that showcase different sides of him as an artist and as a queer person.
He brought the Earthly Delights Tour, in support of the EP, to Gramercy Theater in NYC - and he did not disappoint! Not only does he have the vocals, he also has some sensual moves which really got the audience hyped up. Besides showcasing a selection of songs from his catalogue, he performed a couple of covers including Pink Pony Club and George Michael’s Freedom!‘90. It was clear that he was having the time of his life - his authentic life filled with a newfound confidence and celebration of his queer identity. Olivia Khiel from Artist Atlast Group agrees: “Watching Archuleta perform all these years later is seeing a massively talented singer take the stage with the weight of the past lifted from his shoulders. He sang and danced with a lighthearted energy that spread to the whole room”.
The complete setlist was as follows:
Dulce Amor
Give You The World
A Little Too Not Over You
OK, All Right
Touch My Hand
Crème Brulée
Fade To Black
Can I Call You
Hell Together
Pink Pony Club (Chappell Roan cover)
back to friends (sombr cover)
Home
Lucky
Faith In Me
I'm Yours
Afraid To Love / Something 'Bout Love
Freedom! '90 (George Michael cover)
Encore:
Crush
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