SALT LAKE CITY — David Archuleta is in agony but ready to live a more authentic life as a gay man.
Torn between his same-sex attractions and his faith’s teachings about them, one of Mormonism’s most celebrated pop musicians says if he doesn’t share his feelings, he will burst.
The 31-year-old Utahn needs to “let out some of the steam inside of me that’s building up,” Archuleta says in a recent raw and emotion-filled 51-minute stream of consciousness Instagram post, which has been viewed more than 300,000 times, with tens of thousands of “likes” and thousands of comments.
The “American Idol” runner-up and devout Latter-day Saint — who did not respond to requests for comment or an interview for this story — says he has had trouble preparing to go on tour this year, blocked by roiling inner battles.
It’s a long way from his celebrated Christmas stintas a guest soloist with The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.
“I can no longer…pretend like everything’s fine,” he says in the video.
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This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aim to inform readers across the state.
