Make room because David Archuleta is spreading his wings. During Wednesday night’s finale of the reality singing competition “The Masked Singer,” the beloved Macaw placed runner-up after Medusa, AKA British singer Bishop Briggs.

The feathered mascot turned out to be pop recording artist and “American Idol” alum David Archuleta! Archuleta spoke with editor Caitlynn McDaniel about his time on the show, coming out as queer, and how his journey inspired his new era of music. Though Archuleta continued to share his life through his music, internally, he was struggling with his identity.

He was raised a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “I just said, ‘I have to be honest with myself and I have to give myself a chance. He continued, “I was so devoted to my religion and my beliefs, and part of being devoted to my beliefs was kind of denying myself, denying my sexuality and who I was attracted to. I thought, you know, this is a problem that I just need to overcom