David Archuleta has been on quite the journey since he came out in 2021 and his new single ‘Up’, released today sees him making peace with himself.
Rising to fame on ‘American Idol’ in 2008 where he came second to David Cook, Archuleta went on to have a successful recording career. His self-titled debut album, released in 2008, was certified Gold and it spawned the Billboard Hot 100 number 2 hit ‘Crush’. Subsequent releases didn’t achieve the same commercial success but Archuleta has built himself a solid fanbase as he’s kept releasing music.
Archuleta’s coming out in 2021 set him on a difficult path where he had to balance his sexuality with his religious beliefs after being brought up as a Mormon. In 2022 the singer-songwriter made the decision to step away from religion, something that was difficult for him but he realised that trying to reconcile what his religion was teaching him and how he felt in regards to his sexuality weren’t compatible.
On ‘Up’, co-written by Archuleta with Jeremy Thurber and Taylor Sparks, Archuleta deals with hitting rock bottom and rising from the ashes to build himself up stronger than he was before. On his official website he talks about the track saying:
“This song is about hitting what we feel is rock bottom in our lives and like there’s nowhere to go. You feel hopeless. The only thing to do from the bottom is get yourself off the ground and move UP. It’s a song about finding the strength you didn’t know you had in you. And replacing any fear and hate with love. Especially self love.”
Driven by an acoustic guitar, the song finds Archuleta being incredibly honest as he sings about feeling like he wanted to give up as he battled with his internal conflict. As he leads into the chorus, things take a positive turn as he defiantly vows to push on and rise out of this difficult time. The lyrics are powerful and I’m sure they’ll be helpful to those who follow Archuleta and are themselves struggling with their sexuality.
‘Up’ arrives following Archuleta’s recent stint on ‘The Masked Singer’ in the US where he came second to Bishop Briggs. On the basis of this song, it could very well be time for Archuleta to return to the charts and it’s time he’s celebrated for the remarkable artist that he is.
‘Up’ is available to stream and download now.
