American Idol star David Archuleta has opened up about his experience dating closeted men.
Back in 2021, the 34-year-old singer came out as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community in a lengthy Instagram post.
“I’ve been open to myself and my close family for some years now that I am not sure about my own sexuality,” he said.
“I came out in 2014 as gay to my family. But then I had similar feelings for both genders, so maybe a spectrum of bisexual.”
Since that fateful day, Archuleta has been an open book about his queer identity.
In a recent interview with Us Weekly, the beloved talent reflected on his life over the last four years, exclaiming that “so much has changed” since coming out.
“I feel like I’m back in like what people usually have in their teenage [or] college [years]. I feel like I’m having that in my 30s because I had my first sip of alcohol,” he explained to the news outlet.
“I’ve been in my transition from being Mormon all my life to now not being, and from being in the closet to not being anymore.”
Elsewhere in his interview, Archuleta opened up about his current plans to relocate from Nashville, Tennessee, to Los Angeles, California––revealing that his decision stemmed from his experience with closeted individuals.
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“So many people are afraid to show that they are queer there. I was trying to date somebody over there, and they’re just like, I can’t let any of my friends know,'” he explained.
“I’m like, ‘I just went through this, like I’m finally proud to be myself and out, like I don’t think I can do this.”
While the ‘Crush’ singer admitted that every queer person’s coming out journey is different, he explained to the news outlet that he doesn’t want to hide anymore.
“I need to be ok with being out. I can’t hide it anymore. I came out, and yeah, people know, even if I don’t know them,” he added.
Archuleta’s recent sit down with US Weekly comes a couple of months after he opened up about what he looks for in an ideal partner.
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“I think I need someone who’s able to match my energy because I come across as a very sweet and docile person – and I am in many ways – but I’m not also,” he explained on Logo’s Spill series with Johnny Sibilly.
“So, I need someone who is able to handle my fiery side that people don’t usually expect from me.”
When asked about the details of his “fiery side”, Archuleta revealed that it comes out in his relationships.
“Because, it’s like, I’m not ‘on’ anymore, and I can’t maintain it either,” he explained. “Even with my friendships, I can be ‘on,’ and then I can retreat when I exceed my limit. In a relationship, you can’t really do that. You have to be willing to show your good, bad, and ugly, feisty, and caring side.”
Check out Archuleta’s full Spill interview here.
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