Almost 15 years to the day that he came in second to David Cook on American Idol, David Archuleta was revealed as “The Macaw” on The Masked Singer, coming in second to winner Bishop “Medusa” Briggs. And David’s O.K. with that.
“I wasn’t expecting to make the finale and it didn’t feel like I deserved it, but I just wanted to have fun,” David told Billboard. “And the reason I’m here must be to continue sharing my journey with people, and hopefully it will lift people up. I’m happy that I made it to the finale of another competition.”
As The Macaw, David thrilled the panel with his takes on Ed Sheeran’s “Photograph,” Elton John‘s “Your Song” and Eric Carmen‘s “All By Myself.” And David, who came out a few years ago, said his costume reflected how he feels inside.
“I’m so used to caging myself, and restricting myself, because I was so afraid of what would happen if I didn’t do that,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “So now it’s like okay, here I am. I’m a bird now…outside of this cage.”
“It’s a great starting place for me to move forward and just let my wings loose with my music,” he added.
David’s new music includes his new single “Up,” which comes out June 2 and is available for preorder.
“This is me saying, I’m accepting myself as I am, as a queer person, and letting myself be seen, every aspect of myself…and not being so afraid…of what people will say if people find out,” David said of the song.
“Now it’s just moving up, and I’m gonna have fun,” he adds. “There’s no need to hide anything anymore — just have a good time.”
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