David Archuleta Shares Why ‘American Idol’ Was a ‘Miserable Experience’ for Him

American Idol Season 7 runner-up David Archuleta recently got candid about his experience on the show in an interview with People. The singer revealed the personal struggles he was dealing with at the time, calling it a “miserable experience.”

David Archuleta Discusses American Idol Experience

“Every week, I was like, ‘I don’t deserve to be here. I feel so unworthy, I feel ashamed. I feel like people don’t really know who I am,'” David Archuleta told People about his time competing on American Idol at age 17.

Archuleta added that he wondered who fans were “falling in love with,” sharing, “I was like, ‘I can’t show you who I am entirely, ’cause if I did, you would all be disappointed in me.” At the time, he thought there was “something wrong with me that I still need to fix.”

In 2021, Archuleta came out as a member of the LGBTQ community and later left the Mormon church. The singer has been open about his experience coming to terms with his sexuality. He told People that American Idol was a “miserable experience” for him, because he was receiving exposure at a time when he “wanted to hide so bad.”

“It’s nice to look back and be like, I got through that in my very imperfect way of doing it, but I made it through it,” Archuleta said. “I found a way to feel better about myself, and even if I wasn’t able to accept it at the time, I can look back 16, 17 years later and say I worked my ass off.”

SEE ALSO: ‘AMERICAN IDOL’ RUNNER-UP DAVID ARCHULETA TO RELEASE MEMOIR

Archuleta Discusses His New Memoir

David Archuleta’s new memoir Devout will be released on February 17. He told People that his friend Jennette McCurdy, who was also raised Mormon, introduced him to the team she worked with on her own memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died.

“My goal with the book is to help people who grew up with the same mentality that I did to be more understanding, and say, ‘Wait a second, we should reconsider this,'” Archuleta shared.

Archuleta shared that the book has “hit home” for people who aren’t even gay and weren’t raised in a religious environment, but who “understand difficult family dynamics.” The singer shared that the book touches on controversial topics such as “sexual abuse allegations.”

The 35-year-old said he wants to help people “work through their stuff,” adding, “I feel like I’m in a good enough place where I’ve worked through all this — through sexuality, through religion, through family trauma.”