David Archuleta's memoir 'Devout' chronicles his journey from a musical theater-obsessed Mormon adolescent to a recording artist coming to terms with his queer sexuality. The book delves into personal experiences, family reactions, and the challenges of self-discovery, while also incorporating new songs that reflect the memoir's themes.
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” veteran is hopeful those who go along for the ride will feel encouraged to “take back the trust that you put into things outside of you, and put that trust into yourself.” “I got so good at completely dismissing my own feelings, my own thoughts, and it’s taken me some time to learn how to take that back,” Archuleta told HuffPost. “But it’s been amazing. It’s like starting over.”“I feel like I do have a strength in storytelling ― being a performer has to do with that,” he added. “I wanted to be proud and be able to say: I wrote my story. I shared my story. It wasn’t in someone else’s words, it was in my own words.” “Devout,” released last week, is a compelling chronicle of Archuleta’s evolution from musical theater-obsessed Mormon adolescent to “American Idol” Season 7 runner-up and recording artist toThe 304-page book zooms in on the many personal experiences that led Archuleta, now 35, to come to terms with his queer sexualityThat said, “Devout” goes beyond the confines of a typical celebrity memoir. As a child, Archuleta is driven to perform by his father, Jeff, who takes an interest in his son’s talents after a member of the family accuses him of molesting Archuleta’s sisters. "When you're taught to be afraid of everything outside of your bubble, you don't know where to start," said Archuleta, who stepped away from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints not long after coming out as queer., with whom he appeared on a 2009 episode of Nickelodeon’s “iCarly.” Fresh off the success of her revelatory 2022 memoir, ““There are a lot of things in the book that I never got the chance to talk about or address before. I never felt I was allowed to,” Archuleta said. As to how his dad and his mom, Lupe, reacted upon learning of the book, he believes they’ve “come to peace with it,” but noted that neither of them had read it as of last month. “They were just kind of like, ‘Why do you feel like it’s everybody else’s business, what our family went through?’” he said. “And for me, it was like, ‘Well, you pushed me to be in the public eye. I didn’t necessarily choose that, but it happened and you wanted it to happen.’ Your parents can mistreat you, and you don’t have to put up with it just because they’re family.” Archuleta, right, with his father, Jeff, in 2008. The book has"created some awkward situations in my family, but I feel like we're in a better place and we've worked through some hard things because of it," Archuleta said.Archuleta’s four siblings, however, had a different take. “They were like, ‘We’re so glad you’re talking about this, because it gives us an opportunity to have the hard conversations with our parents that they always wanted us to ignore.’ It’s created some awkward situations in my family, but I feel like we’re in a better place and we’ve worked through some hard things because of it.” Those who purchase the “Devout” audiobook will be pleasantly surprised to learn Archuleta has recorded three songs ― “On Purpose,” “Old and Young,” and “Stay” ― which echo the memoir’s themes. The new tracks, he explained, represent “a step into the past” and serve as a coda of sorts. “These songs are a moment in time when I decided to come out, and how hard it was to come to terms with that when you grow up with a certain mindset and belief system,” he said. “When you’re taught to be afraid of everything outside of your bubble, you don’t know where to start. So these songs are about that struggle.”Ben Platt Is Kicking Off His 'Gay Americana' Era With A Concert ResidencyRealness delivered to your inbox By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our
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