David Archuleta recalls ‘American Idol’ and coming out in memoir, ‘Devout’
It’s the day after Super Bowl LX, and like a lot of people who watched Bad Bunny’s halftime show, David Archuleta can’t get the lyrics to the hit “DtMF” out of his head.
As the former “American Idol” star bounded up to the patio at Tam O’Shanter, the cozy Scottish restaurant off Los Feliz Blvd. in Los Angeles, the Miami-born singer-songwriter was still buzzing from the performance, ecstatic to see Latin representation on a stage as massive as a Super Bowl halftime show.
Archuleta has his own reasons to be happy: His new book, “Devout: Losing My Faith to Find Myself,” hits bookstores on Feb. 17.
“I feel so great about it,” he said, glancing down at a hardcover copy on the table in front of him. “Ultimately, I hope this story helps people break out of the systems that are holding them back.”
While this isn’t his first book, it very much feels like it, he insists.
Back in 2010, he put out “Chords of Strength: A Memoir of Soul, Song and the Power of Perseverance.” This book came less than two years after a 17-year-old Archuleta was named runner-up on Season 7 of the wildly popular reality singing competition, “American Idol.” He was 16 when he auditioned, and he captured the hearts of viewers at home with his innocent appearance and commitment to his faith as a devout follower of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“I was supposed to be seen as this wholesome boy, clean-cut and safe,” the now 35-year-old said. “But I was afraid of the world, but for different reasons than people thought. That book, to me, was a continuation of having to make everything superficial – and it all was.”
Archuleta says that his father, with whom he has a complicated relationship, made sure the book reinforced the squeaky-clean image he’d maintained on the show.
“That was not my life. But it was the way they wanted me to be perceived, like I’d made it and I’m so happy – but I wasn’t happy. I just had to act like I was,” he says. “Even when I got signed to a record label, I was showing them songs I had written, and they were like ‘This music is too mature,’ but that was what came out of me – that was real, that was how I felt.”
Naturally, he received a lot of attention after appearing on the reality show, which included a record deal that led to his self-titled debut album and hit single “Crush.” He put out several more albums, but he says he felt uncomfortable and unworthy in the spotlight. In 2021, Archuleta publicly came out as queer via a post on social media, and a year later, he officially left The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Neither of those decisions came easily.
In “Devout,” Archuleta details the excruciating mental gymnastics he endured throughout his life when it came to his sexuality and his faith. The book begins with an interaction with a fan in an airport in 2022. The fan was also of Mormon faith, grappling with his sexuality and having suicidal thoughts.
Archuleta could relate. As he writes in the book: “I contemplated whether it would be better to admit to myself that I was gay or end my life.”
This is just one of many reasons why he wrote, “Devout,” he said, and he hopes that once it’s out in the world, it can open a dialogue with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“I’d love to have that conversation and say ‘Hey, I know there is a way to include queer people in the church and allow them to still be in their same-sex relationships in the church, and I would like to show you how,’” he said. “They just haven’t thought enough about it to think that just maybe there’s room.”
He doesn’t shy away from talking about numerous sensitive issues. One of five children, he says his family underwent an immense amount of turmoil after relocating from Florida to Utah. Despite the low points vividly detailed throughout the chapters, the book is inspiring as well as heart-wrenching.
If you’re left wondering how he’s feeling now, look no further than songs he released just last year like “Crème Brulée,” a playfully upbeat pop song Archuleta said was inspired a bit by Sabrina Carpenter, and “Can I Call You,” a sultry, sexy ballad in which he confesses “my heart is on the line.”
He’s more confident these days, especially about the songs he’s written that will be released in the coming weeks. “Old and Young” is about navigating life after you’ve left everything you know to start over; “On Purpose” explores being a little messy and not having everything all figured out; “Stay” is dedicated to those that may be feeling hopeless in the moment.
Archuleta will be discussing the book and the songs during an in-store event at Barnes & Noble at The Grove in Los Angeles on Feb. 25. The ticketed signing and discussion will be moderated by Imagine Dragons’ frontman Dan Reynolds, another famous musician who parted ways with the Mormon church.
“Dan and I met at church here in Hollywood,” Archuleta said. While Archuleta was on his two-year mission in Chile from 2012 to 2014, Imagine Dragons became a huge success. “When I left, Dan was like ‘Oh, we just got signed’ and I was so excited for him. Then I was gone – with no social media and I knew nothing. I was in a cab and the song ‘It’s Time’ came on and I yelled, ‘That’s my friend!’ It was amazing. I had no idea. I came home, and they were one of the biggest rock bands in the world.”
In all, the experience of writing the book was therapeutic. He’s happy that one of his former “American Idol” judges, singer-songwriter and choreographer Paula Abdul, wanted to write the foreword of the book and that she remains a supportive figure in his life.
“Paula understood what it was like to be a performer and something that was never spoken but was always understood was that she also knew what it was like to be exploited,” he said. “She knew what it was like to be an artist that was taken advantage of, and she had so much compassion for us. That was never performative. She’s an amazing person – she’s an icon. Paula didn’t care about the performative aspect of it all; she cares about the human connection, and I relate to her a lot in that.”
Revisiting his childhood for the book also bonded his siblings a little tighter, he shared. And as he watched his teenage self on episodes of “American Idol” to jumpstart some memories from that period of his life, he took a softer approach.
“I look back and cringe because I didn’t like myself then – I hated who I was,” he said. “But even though it was cringe, I had a lot more compassion for myself.”
David Archuleta Discusses and Signs “Devout”
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 25
Where: Barnes & Noble at The Grove, 189 The Grove Drive, Suite K 30, Los Angeles
Tickets: $35.42 at barnesandnoble.com