New pop album coming next year?? Someone hold me….

Love, love, LOOOOOOVE this interview!

Spoiler alert: A candid shot of me when I got to the end and read that David’s releasing a new pop album in 2019:

Here are some other highlights:

ML: I’ve never been [to Nashville], but I’ve heard similar sentiments about it. It’s one of those places that feels like home even though it may be far from it.

DA: Yes, it’s so that! People just talk to you in the grocery store even if people know who you are. The city understands artists, because it’s what so many people in this town do. They don’t look at you like you’re some sort of foreign alien. Everyone knows at least someone in the music industry here. So, it’s just nice to be able to strike up a conversation with a cute, old, southern woman who’ll invite you over for dinner if you ever want a good home-cooked meal. [Edit: DUDE, how about a cute, ol’ Canadian woman who doesn’t really cook but knows people who do?!?]

…

DA: One of my favorite places I’ve been to as a tourist when I had some downtime, was a place in Croatia called the Plitvice Lakes. I feel like images don’t do it justice because you go there and even though it was rainy, the water was so blue and clear. They built this walkway that goes all across the lakes and even up some waterfalls. There are so many waterfalls, like little ones. You feel like you’re in Narnia or seeing the elves of Rivendell. It’s just a beautiful place. [Edit: Narnia. 😍]

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DA: It does, because it’s amazing to see all the different cultures. Being on American Idol, for example, I never thought I’d be going to Southeast Asia to perform so much in countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. They’re all huge fans of singing competitions and just pop music in general. What’s the background of your name by the way? [Edit: You guyyyyyyyys, I’m crying at how much he cares about people and wants to know more about them.]

ML: My name is Persian, but I’m originally from India. My great grandparents were from there, but my parents were born and raised in Tanzania, East Africa. Then, my sisters and I were born here in the US. That helps explain why, for me, anything that has to do anything with culture is so exciting. That’s truly the best part about traveling. You can see and experience these cultures. It shows how connected we actually are versus how different we are.

DA: It’s amazing! Language is so different everywhere it goes. It can affect the behaviors and the cultures of the people. I did go to Southern India one time to Chennai, actually. Something that stuck out to me was when we were there for this organization called Rising Star Outreach that built schools there for kids from leprosy colonies. On one of the days we had off, we walked around the village and they had these dome homes. A guy that I had never seen before was just there with his wife and his mom. Even though we were strangers he was like, “Come eat with us.” And, they invited us for dinner. We didn’t have time to, but I was just like, “Wow, this is amazing.” I had no idea how to speak with him with words, but it made for an even cooler interaction. They wanted to connect with us too. Wanting us to have dinner with them was really sweet. [Edit: People around the world want to feed The Archuleta and I approve of this message!!!]

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DA: Yes, it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do. Some of the first songs I’ve ever learned were Spanish ones, but I didn’t know how to talk to the people. When I learned Spanish and came back home, I was able to talk to my grandpa. He’s like a book on the shelf that you always saw growing up, but never picked up to read. I didn’t speak Spanish and he doesn’t speak English.

So, when I got back, I got to hear all his stories. He actually worked for the newspaper and wrote articles. He told me about how he worked in the [United Kingdom] and Vietnam. I had never realized how much traveling he did as a reporter for the national newspaper in Honduras. To hear him talk about his childhood and hear about how my mom grew up, it was just amazing. I was so glad that I could connect with him. [Edit: “He’s like a book on the shelf that you always saw growing up, but never picked up to read.” I CAN’T. CANNOT. C.A.N.N.O.T.]

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DA: [about travel broadening your perspective] … you see different ways to live and you can still continue finding joy, happiness and peace. But, it also helps you realize how similar everyone is because everyone still has those day-to-day struggles of feeling loved, feeling like you have a sense of purpose. You could be friends with all kinds of people from different countries even if they’re living completely different lifestyles than you are. It’s a really beautiful experience. [Edit: What a beautiful soul he is.]

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ML: …Lastly, you’ll be hitting the road for a month-long tour at the end of November to promote the album. What else do the next couple of months have in store for you?

DA: I’ll be working on my next pop record. I’m already working on pop music for my next record to be released in 2019.

Me: