It’s been almost 15 years since David Archuleta won over the hearts of millions as a contestant on American Idol. After scoring 44 million votes and placing second in the series’ 7th season, Archuleta has gone on to launch a wildly successful career as a multi-platinum recording artist with chart topping hits like “Crush.”
In 2021, after being in the spotlight since he was 16 years old, Archuleta made the courageous decision to come out publicly. Having been raised Mormon, this was an incredibly challenging journey for the singer.
After a brief hiatus following his 2021 vocal surgery, David Archuleta is back on stage! On May 17th, the long-awaited season 9 finale of The Masked Singer aired on Fox. It was revealed that the macaw who had been melting the hearts of fans all season with his epic performances and honest storytelling, had placed second and was none other than singing competition royalty, David Archuleta.
“Just like being the macaw has felt liberating, coming out felt liberating,” Archuleta stated after the big reveal. “It is scary, I grew up very religious, it was a huge part of my life. I believed that if I lived my life being queer, that I was going to be evil.”
Archuleta went on to say that he eventually reached a point where he felt like, “maybe it’s better if I’m not here.” The audience and judges’ hearts broke for the singer. He then offered a message of support for anyone who may be going through a similar battle.
“If anyone else has grown up feeling like they’re bad, just because of who they are attracted to and who they loved, I want you to know that it is worth taking the courage to show your true colors.” The crowd applauded his candidness and bravery. “You’re worth it, you matter, and it’s so beautiful.”
Archuleta then praised the season’s winner “Medusa” who was later revealed to be singer Bishop Briggs.
Judge Nicole Scherzinger called Archuleta a “gift from heaven” before he gave one last performance of One Direction’s “You Don’t Know You’re Beautiful.”
Archuleta spoke about his coming out journey on this GLAAD Media Award nominated segment of The Jennifer Hudson Show.
David recently announced that he will be releasing his brand new single, “Up” on June 2nd.
“This is about hitting what we feel is rock bottom in our lives and like there’s nowhere to go. You feel hopeless. The only thing to do from the bottom is get yourself off the ground and move up. It’s a song about finding the strength you didn’t know you had in you. And replacing any fear and hate with love. Especially self-love.” he says. “Up” is available for pre-order here!