David Archuleta Makes Case For Christmas In October

Christmas came early for David Archuleta fans. Earlier this month, the season-seven "American Idol" runner-up released

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Christmas From the Heart, which features 12 Christmas favorites as well as a new song Archuleta co-wrote, called "Melodies of Christmas."

The 18-year-old told MTV News that working on an original holiday tune came naturally. "It all happened so fast that I didn't really think about it!" he said. "I mean, that was the last song we worked on and recorded. And it was all pretty much a rush."

Recording at a breakneck pace that rivaled the fast turnaround of his self-titled debut last year, David still managed to sing in four different languages for the album. "I had never spoken French in my life until [singing 'Pat-A-Pan']," he said. The Latin in "Ave Maria" was more difficult to master, which is why Archuleta cited that track as the hardest to sing.

David also said "O Holy Night" was no picnic to record, either, though he delivered a pitch-perfect rendition to an MTV employee when he went caroling around the office just minutes after the interview wrapped. (He sang "O Holy Night" again when he spoke at a Women's Conference in Salt Lake City earlier this week.)

The first song he recorded for Christmas From the Heart was album opener "Joy to the World," and he concluded the sessions with the album-ending "Melodies of Christmas."

"It's kind of funny; you can hear how my voice was worn out by the end," Archuleta pointed out. "But it was fun. It was an enjoyable album to make."

And what about that early-October release date? "Well, that wasn't up to me," the rosey-cheeked singer laughed. "They usually come [out] around this time, anyway, right? Like Bob Dylan's Christmas in the Heart came out the same day, so I'm not alone!"

David Archuleta is getting ready to hit the road in support of his holiday album. The Christmas From the Heart tour kicks off in Salt Lake City on November 24.


This report is provided by MTV News