David Archuleta Is Getting 'Naughty' in New Music After Coming Out: 'Not the Same Sweet Little Teenage Boy' (Exclusive)

David Archuleta has come a long way from American Idol.

The 34-year-old pop star is opening up about entering a more mature era of music with his latest single "Crème Brulée," which sees him getting comfortable in his sexuality with cheeky lyrics about a steamy rendezvous.

"It seems like people weren't quite expecting it, which makes me happy in a good way," Archuleta tells PEOPLE of the song at the Human Rights Campaign's 2025 dinner honoring Ashley Park, Hannah Einbinder and Janelle Monáe at Fairmont Century Plaza on March 22.

"It's getting people talking, and that's what I wanted. I wanted it to show, 'Hey, I'm not the same sweet little teenage boy that you always saw me as,'" says the musician, who rose to fame on American Idol in 2008. "Sometimes I think people forget that I'm in my 30s. I'm older now. I'm more mature."

Released last week alongside a dance-heavy music video, the chorus of "Crème Brulée" features the lyrics, "Oh no, there goes all of your clothes / Speaking words you don't know / Yo te vuelvo loco, loco / Oh no, you want me in slo-mo / Snap me like a photo / Yo te vuelvo loco, loco / I can't help that you don't wanna wait / Okay, now you've had a taste of crème brulée."

Archuleta says he's fine with fans describing this moment in his career as a "dirty era," teasing more to come in that vein. "I feel like there are a little more innuendos in the songs I'm writing. Not just 'Crème Brulée,' but the songs to come after," he says. "I don't feel like it's all-over raunchy necessarily, but I feel like it's a little naughty. Naughty but nice. Sweet, but savory, is what I say."

Over the past few years, the "Crush" artist has gone through some major life changes. He came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in 2021 and subsequently stepped away from the Mormon church.

Today, Archuleta feels comfortable in his identity — and tells PEOPLE his mom Lupe Marie Mayorga is "proud" of him and "so excited" about "Crème Brulée" after initially struggling when he came out.

"I was checking in with her this morning and she was just feeling a little under the weather, but she's so excited about the new song. She's just proud of me and it's fun to see her," he says.

"Maybe a couple years ago she would've been like, 'How could you sing about that kind of stuff? You should know better being Mormon,'" reflects Archuleta. "Now, she's like, 'Hey, I'm so glad that you're coming into your own, and you're figuring yourself out.'"