Idol Chatter & Voice Views

David Archuleta, runner-up on Season 7 of American Idol, has released his first album in four years.

And the song has a touching back story.

But those aren’t the only reasons “Postcards in the Sky” also became the title of David’s new album.

First, the story behind the song …

“Postcards in the Sky was a song that was written as we were talking about hard things that happen,” David told Idol Chatter. “One of the writers, Jeff Trott, had a niece that passed away when she was only 9 or 10 years old.

“At her funeral, in her honor, they released balloons with messages tied to it that were positive. I loved that imagery and wondered who those messages would reach. I imagined they could have reached the heavens, or landed by someone who was having a hard day.

“I wondered what would happen if we let out what was deep inside our hearts more often. Let out what we keep inside — whether to God, or to our friends, or to a stranger. How would it change us? Or change them? Thus Postcards in the Sky was written.”

And written partly by David.

In fact, he had a hand in writing all 16 tracks on the new album, which landed last Friday.

That hasn’t been the case with David’s past albums. On those projects, he was often asked to convey songs written by others.

On the new albums, the songs are his songs, his stories.

Hence, the album title.

“I felt all these songs were my Postcards in the Sky,” David said.

“I hope they reach other people and can impact them to be better. To search within them and connect to what’s deep inside and then share it themselves. I hope they find who they are, find they are connected to something bigger than them and newfound strength to keep moving forward.”

“Postcards in the Sky” — the album — has received a warm reception. David’s first full-length album since 2013, it cracked the Top 20 on iTunes pop chart on release day. A week later, it’s still in the Top 70 on that chart.

You can check out a snippet of the title track below. And check back this weekend for the rest of Idol Chatter’s interview with David.

Editor’s Note: David plays Club Cafe in Pittsburgh tonight and has a number of other upcoming tour dates that you can check out on his Facebook page.