David Archuleta Says He 'Tried Everything Not To Be Queer'

The "American Idol" alum discusses embracing his sexuality while leaving the Mormon church in an upcoming memoir, "Devout."

“American Idol” alum David Archuleta is getting ready to reveal more about himself and his struggle between his religious faith and his sexuality.

The 34-year-old singer told People in a recent interview that his upcoming memoir, “Devout,” features his reflections on the challenges he faced before and after coming out as queer.

“It’s about coming out of the closet, coming out of Mormonism and trying to teach people why coming out is not just a choice,” Archuleta told the publication in a story published Monday. “Because people from where I grew up thought, ‘Well, you made the choice to do that. Why would you do that?’ And it’s like, well, I tried everything not to be queer.”

Living through the experiences discussed in the book was hard enough, but putting them on the page was also difficult, albeit for different reasons.

“I’ve been through so much legal shit,” he said. “I wrote the book, I was done with it, and the legal department keeps saying, ‘You know what? This is too much. We need you to blend it out here and there,’ and I do, and they’re like, ‘We need a little more.’ I didn’t realize how controversial my life is.”