A more inspirational David Archuleta returns to Manila

MANILA, Philippines — It has been over five years since the Philippines heard from "American Idol" runner-up David Archuleta.

He first visited Manila back when he and the rest of the AI Season 7 alums were promoting their Asian tour. David then came back for a series of shows and later on landed in an acting gig. It was back in 2012 when Archuleta starred in TV5’s "Nandito Ako," with Jasmine Curtis-Smith and Eula Caballero—which further boosted his popularity in the Philippines.

Last month, Archuleta made an announcement through a video post uploaded on his official Facebook page that he will be having a one-night concert on October 20 at the Kia Theater in Quezon City.

In a press conference held last October 18 at Marco Polo Hotel in Ortigas, Archuleta expressed his excitement to finally be able to sing again for his Filipino fans.

“I’m so excited to be back and I can’t wait to see everyone on Friday and sing my new songs," he said.

It can be recalled that he left the Philippines to serve as a full-time missionary for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Chile. This sudden change prompted a long hiatus from his music career but that may have largely contributed for him to renew his inspiration in writing meaningful songs.

Postcards in the Sky

David's concert repertoire included line up from his past and present albums. After all, a concert without his hit songs like "Something ‘bout Love" and "Crush," which hit the charts at number two and has sold millions of downloads, is really pointless. This time around though, Archuleta wants to really highlight his new album, which he feels a lot of young people will be able to relate to.

When asked what his fans can expect from his new album, he said: “Truth is, I don’t really worry if my songs are hip or cool enough because I paid more attention to the meaning, like, what emotion does this create."

“Every time my producers would ask if we’re confident with the overall turn out such as having a catchy title, cool sound, or nice visuals for the album cover—I always ask, 'Is this quiet enough so people can hear the real message?' Of course, I still rely on the producers to make sure there’s balance in everything," he added.

When asked about the inspiration behind his new album titled "Postcards in the Sky," he shared: “Most of the songs in my new album is really all about making the right connection. I needed to remind myself why I was doing music in the first place. I was too caught up with pleasing everyone and in the process, I forgot why I like to sing. So this album is really all about what I discovered with myself during my long break from the music business." 

The new album features 16 fresh tracks, including "Numb," "Up All Night," and "Seasons," an inspirational song. Most of his 2017 songs have a gospel­-vibe on them.

Archuleta is no-doubt a talented singer. He has this calm and very mature sound that really allows him to connect to his listeners. And after his break, we can say that he has got better and ready to take on the stage once again.