On 20 October 2017, David Archuleta released a biographical album of sorts called Postcards in the Sky. Unlike any of his previously released albums, on this new album, David was able to find his voice in music and freely express his true feelings about the things that matter most to him. As a result, the album is about his personal “Postcards in the Sky” combined with the important message to everyone that it is alright to be yourself. In a recent interview about his new music on Idol Chatter, David said, “I wanted to have a project where I could just be who I am. This time, instead of being so caught up in trying to be the big shot, the hit master, the most popular artist out there, it’s about being myself.”

David began writing the song “I’m Ready,” the sixth track on the album, before he left on his two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Chile Concepción Mission. The song has a touching backstory. Try as he might, David could not quite figure out how to end the song, so he turned to his good friend, Annie Schmidt (daughter of Jon Schmidt of The Piano Guys), for feedback. Annie was able to help David think through concepts and ideas for the song, but sadly she passed away in 2016 as the result of a fall while hiking alone in Oregon and never had a chance to hear the finished product.

However, it is Annie’s voice that is heard at the end of the song on the album. David said, “I had a recording of her as she was helping me go through ideas, and that’s who you hear at the end of the song. I felt like this was the best way I could pay tribute to her and keep her legacy moving forward.”