David Archuleta Chooses Freedom Over Approval And Some Fans Flinch
We know David Archuleta as the fresh-faced kid from American Idol. The one with the angelic voice and a squeaky-clean Mormon persona who had a hit with Crush. For years, we thought we knew him. It turns out, his story was far more complicated than that carefully presented image.
With his new Earthly Delights EP and a national tour, Archuleta is shedding his old skin and finally living his truth, fully and without apology.
Embracing freedom through movement.
Archuleta officially came out in 2021, but accepting his identity has been a gradual process. He admits that for a long time, even after coming out, he held onto religious practices that were at odds with his own reality.
“I would start every writing session with a prayer,” he shared with Paper magazine. He explained it was a way to feel safe from what he then considered worldly temptations. Now, those same temptations are what he is celebrating.
His current stage performance is a full-body expression of this personal liberation. He is letting go of the fears that once contained him. “I’m learning how to get more in touch with my body, to move it, feel it,” he says. The choreography and shirtless dancing are clear signs of his newfound comfort. It is a significant shift for a man who spent years hiding. “I was so used to subconsciously hiding myself, my shoulders hunched, not wanting to be touched or touch other people,” he admits.
Finding pleasure in earthly delights…
The name of his tour, Earthly Delights, is a direct reference to his personal changes. It is a nod to the famous Hieronymus Bosch painting that depicted Heaven, Earth and Hell. For Archuleta, it reflects his own internal shift between the sacred and the secular, faith and desire. “Now it’s about embracing the things I once thought I had to protect myself from,” he explains.
This embrace extends beyond the stage. What does his post-show routine look like now? “We’ll usually go out and dance after the show,” Archuleta says, noting that hitting local gay clubs has become a regular ritual for him and his dancers. The one-time conservative Mormon teenager is now openly enjoying a life he was taught to fear.
The cost of leaving the faith.
This change did not happen without consequences. Archuleta has been open about the difficulties of reconciling his faith and his sexuality. “I came out in 2021 but was still Mormon,” he says. “There are gay Mormons… I tried to do that too, but… I was always trying to protect myself from the temptations I thought were evil.”
Leaving the Mormon faith has had a tangible impact, particularly when performing in Utah, a state with a large Mormon population. “It’s the lowest attendance I’ve ever had there,” he reflects on the loss of that part of his community. Despite the pain, he remains resolute in his decision. “But I’m not interested in living for approval anymore.” He is actively rejecting the shame that was once tied to his identity.
Taking control of the narrative.
For someone whose early career was heavily managed by his father and the American Idol machine, this self-reclamation is huge. “I’m in charge of my own life now,” he states clearly. “No American Idol machinery, no stage parents.” He even recalls a moment from his past when the control became too much. “I had to send him home from tour, even though he was technically my manager,” he says of his father.
Now, David Archuleta is the one making the decisions. This professional independence has allowed him to fully accept himself personally. When he steps on stage today, he is not just performing songs. He is telling the world who he is, and he is no longer asking for permission.
