David Archuleta is giving fans an early glimpse at the video for his new song, “Faith in Me” — a dance-heavy clip that captures the spirit of classic ’80s movies like “Risky Business.” The video was directed by Kevin McHale (“Glee“) and Justin Thorne.
“You don’t always get to see what’s going on behind the scenes, especially what’s initially filmed to what actually becomes the final product,” Archuleta tells Variety. “It was so fun to let loose on this song. I feel it was a new kind of therapy for me to dance the way I do in my room at home into a video for everyone to see. It was symbolic.”
“Faith in Me” is the first taste of new music from David since having vocal cord surgery earlier this year. The central theme is about escaping and leaving all your worries behind and just going for a new adventure, as Archuleta does dancing through the streets and in the bleachers.
“It was so much fun to be able to make a little homage to ’80s movies that we loved growing up,” the directors tell Variety. “But going with that idea made it completely dependent on David’s willingness and ability to completely let go, dance and jump around in very public spaces and of course he nailed it. We had a great time making it together and he’s also just always the dream.”
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The song, Archuleta explains, is about not caring about what anyone thinks — letting go and taking off. The lyrics, “Who cares what anyone else will say? / No rules, no stops and only us / We don’t have to stay here / We don’t really have to take it slow/ Baby, you can put your faith in me,” reflect the continuing journey of the “American Idol” season 7 runner-up, who publicly came out as queer in 2021. Archuleta, a Mormon and a long-time member of The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints, said the song was re-worked to reflect where he is at the moment.
“We actually re-wrote the song to accommodate where I’m at now as we originally began writing it before I came out. In the end, the main objective was to just go forward with someone and not care what anyone thinks. The sentiment is more than a specific story.” Archuleta said.
Video directors McHale and Thorne stated, “We wanted to create an environment for David to perform freely. To evoke that emotional experience when you’re alone and excited and there’s no one watching. That definitely came out in his performance.”
Archuleta’s 2021 album, “Therapy Sessions,” featured an inside look into his internal struggle with himself – a battle he has experienced for most of his life.
“I was going through therapy and trying to apply the steps it took to escape the barriers I had created for myself,” he explains. “Whether it was fear, loss, dwelling on the past, or anxiety. There’s a constant battle going on because so much of my mind doesn’t want to budge. The songs are a sort of a back and forth within the inner dialogue I have with myself.”
“Music has always been healing for me,” Archuleta continues. “My mission with it is to heal, and then encourage to move forward after the healing takes place. I want people to find answers to their worries and doubts as they listen to ‘Therapy Sessions.’”
Archuleta is currently on his “The More The Merrier” Christmas tour performing songs from his two holiday releases,” “Christmas from the Heart” and “Winter in the Air”. He is also featured on pop-violinist Lindsey Stirling’s holiday album, “Snow Waltz.”
Earlier this year, Archuleta made his first major foray into professional musical theater starring as Joseph in the Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice musical, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”.
