From Devout Mormon to Proud Gay Man: David Archuleta to Release Memoir

American Idol alum David Archuleta is ready to open up about his struggle between religious faith and his sexuality. His upcoming memoir Devout, allowed him to reflect on the challenges he faced before and after coming out.

“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 said. “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.”

But opening up wasn't easy. Not only because it exposed long hidden scars, but he had a legal team effectively censoring him.

“I’ve been through so much legal shit,” he explained. “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.”

He added: “I feel like it’s an important message. 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.”

A talented singer, Archuleta was only 17 when he came in second on Idol. It gave him his only major hit single, “Crush”; it made it up to the number two spot in the charts.

But he's been a busy musical boy since. He's released eight albums before he finally decided to come out.

He also left the Church of Latter-day Saints, finding a Church leader intolerant and clueless.

“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 said. “And I’m like: ‘That’s not the solution.’”

To his amazement, and relief, his mother left the church with him.

Devout comes out in June.