“American Idol” alum David Archuleta is getting ready to reveal more about himself and his struggle between his religious faith and his sexuality.
The 34-year-old singer told People in a recent interview that his upcoming memoir, “Devout,” features his reflections on the challenges he faced before and after coming out as queer.
“It’s about coming out of the closet, coming out of Mormonism and trying to teach people why coming out is not just a choice,” Archuleta told the publication in a story published Monday. “Because people from where I grew up thought, ‘Well, you made the choice to do that. Why would you do that?’ And it’s like, well, I tried everything not to be queer.”
Living through the experiences discussed in the book was hard enough, but putting them on the page was also difficult, albeit for different reasons.
“I’ve been through so much legal shit,” he said. “I wrote the book, I was done with it, and the legal department keeps saying, ‘You know what? This is too much. We need you to blend it out here and there,’ and I do, and they’re like, ‘We need a little more.’ I didn’t realize how controversial my life is.”
Still, Archuleta says he’s now “in a good place” with the memoir, and that he “can’t wait” for its release.
“I feel like it’s an important message,” he said. “Even if it’s some risky stuff to talk about, I think we need to talk about certain things. I’m ready to go on tour. I’m ready to talk about the topics, and if there’s anything that people don’t understand, I’m ready to combat that too.”
The singer said he has “reached out to most people” who are mentioned in the book, and that he wanted “to be respectful, even [with] family members I’ve had controversial dynamics with.”
Archuleta was the runner-up to “Idol’” winner David Cook in 2008 when he was 17, and had a No. 2 hit with his debut single, “Crush.”
He released eight albums before he announced he was “some form of bisexual” in 2021. A year later, he said he identified as queer.
Archuleta told “Good Morning America” in 2022 that coming out required him to “deconstruct everything,” including his Mormon faith.
As a result, he stepped away from the Church of Latter-day Saints, especially after having a conversation with a church leader where he didn’t exactly feel seen.
“I think three times in that conversation, he said: ‘Well, we just need to find you a good girl. Maybe you can find a good girl,’” Archuleta remembered. “And I’m like: ‘That’s not the solution.’”
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Archuleta’s book isn’t his only project in the works. On Feb. 7, he plans to release a cover of George Michael’s “Freedom,” in honor of the song’s 35th anniversary.