David Archuleta understands some of his fans may be caught off-guard by his candid new autobiography, “Devout: Losing My Faith to Find Myself.” Still, the pop singer and “American Idol” veteran is hopeful those who go along for the ride will feel encouraged to “take back the trust that you put into things outside of you, and put that trust into yourself.”

“I got so good at completely dismissing my own feelings, my own thoughts, and it’s taken me some time to learn how to take that back,” Archuleta told HuffPost. “But it’s been amazing. It’s like starting over.”

“I feel like I do have a strength in storytelling ― being a performer has to do with that,” he added. “I wanted to be proud and be able to say: I wrote my story. I shared my story. It wasn’t in someone else’s words, it was in my own words.”

“Devout,” released last week, is a compelling chronicle of Archuleta’s evolution from musical theater-obsessed Mormon adolescent to “American Idol” Season 7 runner-up and recording artist to outspoken LGBTQ+ rights advocate.

The 304-page book zooms in on the many personal experiences that led Archuleta, now 35, to come to terms with his queer sexuality before addressing it publicly in 2021 and stepping away from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints about a year later.

That said, “Devout” goes beyond the confines of a typical celebrity memoir. As a child, Archuleta is driven to perform by his father, Jeff, who takes an interest in his son’s talents after a member of the family accuses him of molesting Archuleta’s sisters. (Archuleta writes that those claims were unfounded but that another family member is responsible for troubling acts of sexual abuse.)

After his “American Idol” stint catapults him to fame in 2008, Archuleta continues to grapple with self-doubt, even as Demi Lovato taps him as the opening act for her tour and he gets invited to industry events attended by Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift, among other professional highs. He also recounts a brief period of homelessness and having suicidal ideations.

Of course, “Devout” contains moments of levity and dry humor, too. Those who enjoyed Archuleta’s self-professed “flirty” era and playfully sexy 2025 song “Crème Brulée,” for instance, will undoubtedly giggle when he shares his early experiences on dating apps.

Before sitting down to write, Archuleta reached out to actor Jennette McCurdy, with whom he appeared on a 2009 episode of Nickelodeon’s “iCarly.” Fresh off the success of her revelatory 2022 memoir, “I’m Glad My Mom Died,” McCurdy encouraged her pal to dig deep.

“There are a lot of things in the book that I never got the chance to talk about or address before. I never felt I was allowed to,” Archuleta said. As to how his dad and his mom, Lupe, reacted upon learning of the book, he believes they’ve “come to peace with it,” but noted that neither of them had read it as of last month.

“They were just kind of like, ‘Why do you feel like it’s everybody else’s business, what our family went through?’” he said. “And for me, it was like, ‘Well, you pushed me to be in the public eye. I didn’t necessarily choose that, but it happened and you wanted it to happen.’ Your parents can mistreat you, and you don’t have to put up with it just because they’re family.”

Archuleta’s four siblings, however, had a different take. “They were like, ‘We’re so glad you’re talking about this, because it gives us an opportunity to have the hard conversations with our parents that they always wanted us to ignore.’ It’s created some awkward situations in my family, but I feel like we’re in a better place and we’ve worked through some hard things because of it.”

Those who purchase the “Devout” audiobook will be pleasantly surprised to learn Archuleta has recorded three songs ― “On Purpose,” “Old and Young,” and “Stay” ― which echo the memoir’s themes. The new tracks, he explained, represent “a step into the past” and serve as a coda of sorts.

“These songs are a moment in time when I decided to come out, and how hard it was to come to terms with that when you grow up with a certain mindset and belief system,” he said. “When you’re taught to be afraid of everything outside of your bubble, you don’t know where to start. So these songs are about that struggle.”

If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org for mental health support. Additionally, you can find local mental health and crisis resources at dontcallthepolice.com. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention.

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