American Idol alum David Archuleta  has a message for his fans: “I’m not dead.”

The season seven runner-up, who recently returned from a mission in Chile with his church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, posted a new vlog on YouTube to discuss his new path in the music business.

“I’m still here,” he said. “I’m still alive [and not being] lazy sitting around my house.”

Archuleta, 23, said he is “working” and writing new music, but he is going to be in control of  his own future and not beholden to “higher-ups” as he was in the past. “The mission helped me not be so self-conscious,” he said.

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He added that after two years of charity work, the shallowness of the Los Angeles lifestyle disturbed him.

“It freaked me out,” he said. “ To come back to the entertainment world where it’s all about you and how important you are, and letting everybody know that.”

Archuleta said he found “amazing, talented people” in his  home state of Utah, and teased an upcoming trip where he will be working on new music with the musicians he described as "hidden gems."

He concluded that he will not share the music just yet, as he wants it “to be right,” but welcomes feedback via Twitter and his new Instagram page.

Watch Archuleta's vlog below:

Twitter: @MicheleAmabile, @Idol_Worship