David Archuleta on Writing in Nashville

From USA Today

David Archuleta knows he’s not the world’s most eloquent guy. He’s hoping writing songs can help him with that.

“My mind has, like, this chronic brain cramp,” says the 18-year-old singer, noted for the deer-in-the-headlights expression he got on American Idol whenever he had to speak instead of sing. “I’m never good with words. I’m never good at explaining things. So to write songs and tell stories and have a structured song has always been difficult for me, but it’s something I know I need to work on.”

David co-wrote two songs for his 2008 debut album (A Little Too Not Over You and Don’t Let Go), as well as a handful of the bonus tracks. He also co-wrote Melodies of Christmas, the lone original on his new Christmas From The Heart set.

While his fans were snatching up copies of Christmas From the Heart, David was already hard at work on his next album. David spent most of last week in Nashville, where singer-songwriter Joy Williams, a co-writer of Waiting for Yesterday, helped him put together songwriting sessions. During his Nashville stay, David also worked with singer-songwriter Matt Wertz, Mat Kearney producer Robert Marvin and producer/songwriter/novelist Matt Bronleewe.

But Joy was at the center of the week. “She really pays attention to what I have to say, what’s going on in my mind,” David says. “She wants to make sure that what’s coming out of me is really what I want to talk about, what I feel, what I connect with. That’s been really cool.

“The other writers here, too, they really take note of that. Instead of saying, ‘We need to write a hit! Smash! That’s not good enough! It’s not catchy enough!’ they’re like, ‘Let’s just write and see what comes out.’ They really care about what I like and what makes me feel good.

“It’s cool getting to talk about things I want to talk about. I feel like it’s me talking in these songs, and that’s what I really like about them. Even though I talk weird and stuff, I guess that’s what makes me the way I am. There’s more of my personality in these songs.”

David’s reluctant to talk about the songs he finished during his Music City stay — “You don’t know what will happen” — but he says, “Lately, I’ve been thinking about keeping on going forward in life, keep on doing your best.

“I don’t like to pretend with myself. I like to be real. I like to be firm with myself and honest with myself. Like, ‘David, you’re kind of weird sometimes, you’re kind of clumsy sometimes, but you keep going forward.’ Those kinds of things. I’m not really talking myself down or saying I’m a nobody, I’m a loser. But I’m saying I’m kind of weird, I guess, I’m still going to keep working hard in this life. I’m still trying to do my best, and I’m happy with that. Even though it gets hard sometimes. It gets frustrating. Everybody gets frustrated in life, but there’s still a lot of good to be looking at.

“I want my music to make people feel good. I want people to be able to connect with me and my music. You know, it’s just figuring out how to do that the best way — because I’m not good with words, but I think I’m learning to do that more and more, as I get more involved with writing.”

David and his Nashville collaborators typically finished one or two songs each day, not only getting them written but recording high-quality demos as well.

“We usually write the song, then record it by the end of the day,” David says. “That takes a lot of work, because usually I spend a few hours just recording the song. When I’ve written before, I’ve usually taken a few days to write a song, so being able to do it in a day, for me, is really good.

“It’s cool to see that we have a song that we started today, and now we have a song finished. And we still have time to go out.”

David had plenty of time to go out in Nashville, taking in a Grand Ole Opry show and attending Keith Urban’s star-studded All for the Hall benefit concert for the Country Music Hall of Fame, as well as shows by Kings of Leon and Mat Kearney.

David says he prefers Nashville’s relaxed pace to Los Angeles.

“L.A.’s not my favorite place, but you get to keep busy there,” he says. “You use your time well, but it feels like a job. I feel like I’m at work when I’m in L.A., no matter where I am.”

Nashville, on the other hand, “It’s so laid-back. When you go eat somewhere, everyone’s there, no matter where you go. Everyone eats out here, everyone hangs, and everyone’s friends. But everyone’s in the music business, too, and everyone’s into music. It’s crazy to see how much is going on here, even though it feels like a neighborhood.

“I wouldn’t mind living here. I seriously wouldn’t. People always go, ‘Is there anywhere you’d like to move to?’ and I always say, ‘I’m happy in Utah, thanks.’ But if I had to, I would probably move here.”

David compares the songwriting sessions to the P90X workout regimen he recently began. “I feel like I’m exercising my mind every day while I’m here,” he says. “I’m not this ripped person. I’m not this songwriter bodybuilder with my brain. But I’m getting there. I’m getting it worked, and I’m starting to get my mind going. It’s really neat to be able to do that.”

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