United Kingdom, Feb. 12 -- David Archuleta felt "very sheltered" during his early days of fame.

The 34-year-old singer rose to prominence in finished as runner-up on 'American Idol' in 2008 but admitted that he often felt like a child at the time because of his religious upbringing.

He told People: "I was such a young boy. I feel like sometimes I was like an 11-year-old in my mind because I was so sheltered. I grew up Mormon and didn't really experience a lot of things. Everyone around me was like, 'Don't swear around David. He has innocent ears.'"

These days, the 'Crush' hitmaker has decided that he can be whoever he wants "tell [his] own story" in life.

He said: "I tried to be a good Mormon boy. Now I'm like, 'Oh, I can be whoever I...