I wrote my story: David Archuleta talks about leaving faith and finding himself

David Archuleta understands that some of his fans may be surprised by his candid new autobiography, “Devout: Losing My Faith to Find Myself.” Still, the pop singer and “American Idol” veteran is hopeful that those who join him will feel encouraged to “take back the trust that you put in things outside of yourself and put that trust in yourself.”

“I became very good at completely dismissing my own feelings and my own thoughts, and it took me a while to learn how to get them back,” Archuleta told News. “But it’s been amazing. It’s like starting over.”

“I feel like I have a strong point in telling stories; 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 with someone else’s words, but with my own words.”

“Devout,” released last week, is a compelling chronicle of Archuleta’s evolution from a Mormon teenager obsessed with musical theater to “American Idol” season seven finalist and recording artist to an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.

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The 304-page book focuses on the many personal experiences that led Archuleta, now 35, to come to terms with his queer sexuality before publicly addressing it in 2021 and walking away from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints about a year later.

That said, “Devout” pushes the boundaries of the typical celebrity memoir. As a child, Archuleta is driven into acting by his father, Jeff, who becomes interested in his son’s talents after a family member accuses him of sexually abusing Archuleta’s sisters. (Archuleta writes that those claims were unfounded but that another family member is responsible for disturbing acts of sexual abuse.)

After his time on “American Idol” catapulted him to fame in 2008, Archuleta continues to deal with doubts, even when Demi Lovato chooses him as the opening act for her tour and he is invited to industry events attended by Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift, among other professional heights. He also recounts a brief period of homelessness and suicidal ideation.

Of course, “Devout” also contains moments of levity and dry humor. Those who enjoyed Archuleta’s self-proclaimed “flirty” era and the fun, sexy 2025 song “Crème Brulée,” for example, will no doubt laugh when she shares her first experiences on dating apps.

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Before sitting down to write, Archuleta contacted actress Jennette McCurdy, with whom he appeared in a 2009 episode of Nickelodeon’s “iCarly.” Fresh off the success of her revealing 2022 memoir, “I’m Glad My Mom Died,” McCurdy encouraged her friend to dig deeper.

“There are a lot of things in the book that I never had the opportunity to talk about or address before. I never felt like I was allowed to,” Archuleta said. As for how his father and mother, Lupe, reacted when they found out about the book, he believes that “they have come to terms with it,” but noted that neither of them had read it until last month.

“They were like, ‘Why do you feel like what our family went through is everyone else’s business?’” she said. “And for me, it was like, ‘Well, you pushed me into 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.”

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Archuleta’s four brothers, however, had a different opinion. “They said, ‘We’re so glad you’re talking about this, because it gives us a chance to have difficult 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 gotten through some tough things because of it.”

Those who purchase the “Devout” audiobook will be pleasantly surprised to learn that Archuleta has recorded three songs – “On Purpose,” “Old and Young” and “Stay” – that echo the themes of the memoir. The new songs, he explained, represent “a step towards the past” and serve as a kind of coda.

“These songs are a moment where I decided to come out, and how hard it was to accept that when you grow up with a certain mindset and belief system,” he said. “When you’re taught to be afraid of everything outside your bubble, you don’t know where to start. That’s why these songs are about that struggle.”