[artist id="3080429"]David Archuleta[/artist] has high hopes for his new CD, The Other Side of Down. It's not to launch another successful radio smash, à la "Crush" in 2008. It's not to sell another gold record. Although, let's face it, those achievements would be nice to repeat.

Instead, Archuleta hopes The Other Side of Down will help people through the dark times of life by admitting that, yup, even the adorable, giggly, happy-go-lucky "American Idol" runner-up gets supremely bummed out sometimes.

"No one goes through life just smooth sailing, coasting," Archuleta told MTV News. "Everyone has those rough patches, and so I don't want to ignore them and act like everything's hunky-dory, but I do feel like ... there's always something to be happy and grateful about no matter what you're going through."

That's not to say Archuleta's album is filled with mopey, "woe is me" ballads. In fact, anytime the pop star found his songwriting going to a dark place, he switched gears. "I wanted to look at it from a different perspective," Archuleta said. "It's like, 'Yes, I do feel a little confused and it can be a little frustrating, but things will be OK.' I want people to know that you don't have to stay in that place, and I feel like sometimes people get stuck there so much. I wanted to get people out of there with this album."

His "don't give up" attitude is reflected all over The Other Side of Down, from the self-questioning "Who I Am" to the choir-enhanced "Things Are Gonna Get Better." Even Archie's infectious single "Elevator" has the 19-year-old taking a dream about a girl as an opportunity to wax poetically about the ups and downs of growing pains. It's a message all the more eerily prescient given the recent onslaught of teen suicides.

"I've been getting a couple letters about bullying and stuff," the soft-spoken singer said. "It's interesting how that issue's come up again. But I think that's why it's important to surround yourself with good friends too. I think they can really help you get that support, and they don't always have to be the most popular kids. ... You just need good people who have a good heart and care about you. That's what matters."

The Other Side of Down arrived in stores Tuesday (October 5).

Are you looking forward to hearing a different side of Archuleta? Let us know in the comments!