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Since his second-place finish in American Idol Season 7’s intensely-contested battle of the Davids, eighteen-year-old David Archuleta hasn’t wasted any time making his mark on the pop music landscape. His self-titled debut record, released in 2008, was certified Gold, and both the album and its first single, “Crush,” reached number two on the Billboard charts.

After spending months touring both on his own, as well as with British band McFly and Disney star Demi Lovato, the Utah-based Archuleta continued to build on his successes this year with a new holiday album, “Christmas From The Heart.” The record was released in October, and features holiday classics as well as an original tune that he co-wrote himself.

Recently, I had the pleasure of chatting with Archuleta about his plans for the holidays and his next album during a break on his current tour. Although he reveals that he’s not a Christmas shopper, his sweet nature and abundant enthusiasm for everything he does will no doubt leave fans in the holiday spirit.

You’re on the road right now supporting your Christmas album. How’s the tour going?
It’s going great. It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve been really enjoying performing in the different cities. Although it’s starting to get cold — every day, I’m moving more East.

It must be rewarding to have the opportunity to perform music with so much history behind it — these are songs audiences have known their whole lives.
Yeah! That’s what’s crazy. I mean, even people who aren’t familiar with your arrangements are still familiar with the songs themselves. They have a history with them. That’s what’s so great about holiday music. Everyone enjoys it and has memories from those songs.

I know that during one of your hometown shows, you actually brought your mom in as a special duet partner on “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
Yeah, I did. That was so much fun —I really enjoyed it. I was hoping to get her to come out to more shows, but she didn’t have time because she was keeping busy with the rest of my brothers and sisters. But it was great to be able to have her come up and to share a stage with her.

You’ve got a pretty busy tour schedule for the next few weeks. Are you worried about having enough time to get your Christmas shopping done?
Oh, I’ve never been a Christmas shopper. No one in my family really is. For me, it’s more about spending time with people. One of the best things about holidays is just being able to relax, not have to do a whole lot, and just be with my family, whether it’s watching tv or a movie, playing video games, going out to eat, or even just talking. It’s great, especially since I’m not with them as much as I used to be.

What do you like to do on the tour bus to pass the time? Any favorite movies or tv shows you like to watch?
You know, I don’t really watch tv. I guess when I’m on the bus I watch more than I normally would, because everyone else is there watching it. There’s not a whole lot else you can do and not much space to move around. The other day, they were watching The Office — I think that show’s so funny. We also watch a lot of The Food Network on my bus.

I wanted to ask about the plans for your next album. I know that in recent weeks you’ve been working with songwriters in Nashville and New York. It sounds like the writing sessions so far have been really positive, and that you’re enjoying the freedom of having a looser deadline with this album, is that right?
Yeah. It’s really nice, because you’re not worried that, “Oh, this song isn’t good enough, and it needs to be a smash hit, and we need to finish it by the end of the day.” It’s just, “Ok, let’s see what we can do, let’s see what we can come up with, let’s see if you connect with the song. ” And that’s what I want to do more of. The goal for me is to show more of my personality in the songs, and say, “Hey, this is who I am, this is what I like to talk about, and this is what’s on my mind.” I mean, it’s not like I have this specific thing that I want to do, and that I already know what the album’s going to sound like, and what songs are going to be on it. It’s pretty unpredictable, and I’m still learning. But I’ve been enjoying just taking things a lot easier this time around.

You’ve hinted that the next album might include different styles of music. I know that Latin music was a big part of your background growing up. Is there a chance that some of the new material might have a bit of a Latin influence?
I haven’t thought about that really. I think the album’s still going to be pop, but with more of my personality instead of someone else’s personality. I don’t know how much of my own material will make it on the album, because in the end, they’re concerned about the best songs being on there. I’m just trying my best to see if any of the songs I write end up being among those best songs. I’m hoping for that, because I feel like the more of me that’s on the album, the more honest it is, and the more people can relate to it, because people can feel that connection with you and your songs. So, I’m just hoping for the best in the writing process.

With a new album will come new music videos. How is the experience of making videos for you? Do you feel comfortable with and enjoy the acting part of the work, or are you still getting used to the process?
I really enjoy it. I was nervous at first because I felt I wasn’t an actor, but then you just get into the whole scene and the song, and you don’t really think about it too much. If you overthink it, it shows. It’s really fun shooting all the scenes and interacting with the other people in the video, and it’s cool to see the end product. It’s all professional-looking… it’s like, “Whoa… crazy!”

I understand that you’re working on an autobiography, is that right?
Yeah, it’s kind of like a memoir. It’s about things I’ve gone through in my life, the experiences that I’ve had, and what I’ve learned from them. Just sharing those with people and saying, “Hey, this is what I’ve gone through, and this is what I got out of it.” Hopefully other people can get something out of it… whoever’s willing to listen to what I have to say, I guess.

In thinking about the book, and considering how much you’ve already accomplished at such a young age, I have to ask — if you weren’t in music, what do you think you would be doing?
Oh, man. I’d probably still be wondering how I could do music, because that’s just what I’ve always felt so close and connected to. There’s really nothing else I’ve wanted to do other than music. I feel really blessed and fortunate, and just grateful for the opportunity. You never know how long things can last, but I’ll just keep on working hard and doing my best.

Is there a holiday/New Year’s message that you’d like to leave with your fans?
I hope that they have a happy holiday, and that they enjoy their times with the people they care about — their friends and their family. And I hope that the New Year will be a great one for them.