David Archuleta is exploring the dating scene.

The 34-year-old pop singer wrote through his romantic experiences since coming out as queer in 2021 for his new Earthly Delights EP, out now. Now, he’s opening up about what it’s like dating as someone easily recognizable from his American Idol days and beyond.

“When you’re a public figure, I think when you’re used to being seen and recognized and watched, you always have this barrier,” Archuleta tells PEOPLE. “I mean, they’ve known you for 17 years and you’re just meeting them for the first time.”

However, he doesn’t walk into a room thinking everyone will know who he is. “I’m recognizable enough that I might get recognized, but I’m also not relevant enough that everyone’s going to know who I am,” says Archuleta.

“I used to be like, ‘I’m in the entertainment industry.’ And now I’ve learned how to just have confidence and be like, ‘You know what? I’m a singer. I do music,'” explains the “Crème Brulée” performer, who left the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints one year after coming out.

“I used to be really be uncomfortable with who I was. I didn’t know what to think of myself. And so when people knew who I was, I’m like, ‘What does that mean? What do they think of me?'” adds Archuleta. “Now I’m comfortable in my own skin.”

One of the songs on Earthly Delights, “Can I Call You,” tells a story about the musician spotting someone “in a crowded room” and wanting to chat. “You don’t know if you’ll get rejected, but I don’t know, sometimes it’s worth it,” he says of the experience. “Sometimes you need a shot or two to have a little bit more courage for shy like me to go up and talk to somebody. But I found it’s nice.”

Since realizing his sexuality, Archuleta’s dating pool has grown. “For the most part, I date men, but I consider myself queer, so I’m still open to meeting girls. I still do, if it feels right,” he says.

Archuleta admits discussing his identity can feel “tricky” at times due to the nuance of being open to dating more than one gender.

“When you’re in a group that’s already misunderstood, and they fought so hard to be seen and visible and understood themselves, and then you’re more nuanced within that minority group, sometimes when you talk about the nuance, people can feel like you’re discrediting their experience or invalidating them,” he details. “I’m not trying to do that.”

But while he’s open to meeting different types of partners, Archuleta says, “I feel like with guys, it’s easier because to be honest, I think guys are just culturally and also just hormonally more forward.”

For the American Idol alum, going to gay bars sometimes means he’ll hear his 2008 single “Crush” upon walking into the room. “Restaurants have done that too, actually,” he says, noting that the experience used to feel “really weird.”

“It was exciting the first few times, and then after a while I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t run away from this,'” adds Archuleta of hearing the No. 2 Billboard Hot 100 hit. “But now I’ve learned that it’s more relaxed now. It’s not as crazy as it was right after Idol for me.”

When it comes to the ongoings of his dating life, Archuleta remains tight-lipped. “I don’t usually disclose where I’m at in my relationships,” he says coyly. “I’m very much in my lover boy flirty era, and it’s a very fun time for me.”