David Archuleta 2020 (Photo courtesy Cyrus Panganiban)
David Archuleta finds peace and strength amid crisis
RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
rich@dallasvoice.com
Singer David Archuleta brings his The More the Merrier tour to North Texas on Tuesday, Dec.20, at Arlington Music Hall. But the American Idol alum has admitted touring hasn’t been the easiest for him to do.
Archuleta, 31, has been very public in discussing his crisis of faith as he tries to reconcile that faith with his personal identity. In the summer of 2021, he came out on Instagram as a member of the LGBTQ community. This year, he’s released new music and has this tour.
But living authentically has been a challenge for the singer who stepped away from his Mormon background.
Before his show in North Texas, Archuleta discussed how he’s embraced his authentic self while navigating his faith and the trauma that came with it.
Dallas Voice: Congratulations on the new tour. How would you say it’s going? David Archuleta: It’s been good, but it has been challenging as well. I’m a talker in my shows, and I’ve been talking about my journey in terms of my sexuality. So it’s been hard to do these shows because it’s Christmas, but I have a hard time separating the spiritual side of it with my own life.
Just prior to this interview, it was reported that people walked out when you began talking about this at your Utah concert. I have to be real with people — just like I always have. And I explained why I’ve had a faith crisis. It’s made some people feel uncomfortable.
For so many, people equate those terms with a sex life, and I’m not even talking about that. This was a farm town that has never had a concert there before. So doing the show and then talking at the show, they felt like I was talking about inappropriate things.
You’ve been open about suicidal thoughts. How are you feeling now with all these challenges? I know this is how God created me. I love myself, and I still deserve to live my life. I was always taught being gay was evil and to change or to not be queer. If people are upset by my life, that’s not on me anymore.
When you came out last year, did you notice any particular LGBTQ presence at your shows? I think they have always come. Guys did relate to me even if I didn’t understand why at the time.
You’ve said you stepped away from your faith because of the messages about LGBTQ people. Do you still have a relationship with God? I have a relationship with what is known as “God.” I don’t know what to call it anymore. Religious people told me that God doesn’t accept what I’m doing according to them, but He made me. It creates conflict in your head. So I stopped praying if He could change me. I took a step back and now I describe it as a higher self or great creator.
Where do you feel you are now? When you have religious trauma, it takes a while to understand yourself. People have been patient with me but I do feel my mind is expanded now.
You’re coming back to the area almost a year after your appearance with the Turtle Creek Chorale. How was it to perform a show with a predominantly gay men’s chorus? It was so beautiful and done at this amazing church. When you’re with a lot of gay men who consider themselves as believers, it’s such a different picture than what people who are against LGBTQ people see. There was such beauty in that moment, and it was kind of this combination of my religious past with who I am today, and I could look at myself with different eyes.
So, are you happy? It’s taken me a while to love myself but I would say I feel happy.
For tickets, visit DavidArchuleta.com.