David Archuleta reveals ‘American Idol’ wanted him 'to be the teenage heartthrob'
‘American Idol’ contestant David Archuleta had a difficult journey to fully embracing his queer identity. As a Catholic boy with traditional parents, he maintained his good boy image for the longest time and at the cost of his identity. ‘American Idol’ further established his image as the boy-next-door, which he admittedly was not. In an interview with The Daily Beast’s Obsessed, the singer elaborated on his long and hard journey to self-acceptance. He recalled that during his time on the singing competition, the producers pushed him to create an image for his fan base. “They wanted me to be the teenage heartthrob,” he told the outlet.
Archuleta admitted that he never wanted that title but tried his best to play pretend. He also grew up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose traditional beliefs famously condemn homosexuality. The pop star admitted that his sexual identity weighed heavily on him, so he kept hiding behind his mask. However, as time went by, he couldn’t hide his true feelings, and that prompted a shift of perspective. “I realized that just because you fall in love with someone of the same sex doesn’t mean you’re suddenly some disgusting, evil, vile creature,” he told the outlet.
After turning 30, Archuleta decided to come out as gay, which was hard to accept for people around him, including his mother. “My mom couldn’t accept my sexuality,” he revealed. The ‘Hell Together’ singer revealed that his mother cared about what their Catholic community thought, which made it hard for her to accept. “I was always known as the good boy. I adapted a lot of my behavior and how I acted to be the good boy my mom wanted me to be,” he added. He admitted that the thought of his mother being upset over his life was scary, but eventually he learned to let go of the baggage and care less.
He’s stopped seeking acceptance from others and started to believe in himself more. “It’s not about your parents accepting you. It’s about you accepting yourself and finding that love for you,” Archuleta added. He decided to be honest with himself against his mother’s wishes, and she ultimately came around and left the church with him. The singer also opened up about the change of attitude he witnessed after coming out as a homosexual. He would get a lot of queries about his dating life from his fans and the Church members while he was still closeted.
“People literally come up to me in the grocery store asking if I’m dating anybody. The Mormon thing to do is ask, ‘Who are you going to marry?’” he recalled. However, it took a 360-degree turn after he embraced his true sexuality. “When I said I was going to start dating guys, suddenly, all the Mormons were like ‘Why don’t you just keep that to yourself?’” he added. Nevertheless, Archuleta became one of the biggest ‘American Idol’ success stories through his incredible music discography. He was part of the show’s 7th season and was placed 5th while fellow finalist David Cook lifted the trophy.
