David Archuleta shares how his mom inspired his new song, 'Hell Together'
"This song is dedicated to those who show unconditional love."
David Archuleta's new song, "Hell Together," was released Thursday and he's sharing what the song means to him.
In a video he posted on social media, Archuleta shared the moment he first told his friends Anthony Gargiula, Jonathan Tilkin and Lindsey Sterling, how "Hell Together" is dedicated to his mom.
"When I came out and also left my church and when that was made public I didn't hear from my mom for a few days," Archuleta says to his friends in a car in the video he shared. "I thought, oh no, she's probably so upset with me but then she sent me a message saying that she also was stepping away from the church."
"She's like, 'I don't wanna be somewhere where you don't feel welcome and if you're going to hell, then we're going to hell together,'" he continued. "So the song is based off of that and it's called 'Hell Together.'"
The singer then shared the song with his friends, who grew emotional after the first few lines of the song played: "Bow your head, don't be bold / You'll survive by doin' what you're told."
In the pre-chorus of the song, Archuleta sings, "All I want is to make you proud / If I would run, would I let you down?"
"It was so special playing this for my friends!" Archuleta wrote in the caption of the post. "And really moving to see that a personal story could be relatable to them too."
In 2022, the "American Idol" alum, who was raised in Utah as a devout member of the Mormon Church, opened up to ABC News about his decision to "step away" from the Mormon Church after coming out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community the year before.
"I can't keep putting myself in a palace where it's so conflicting where they say, 'We love you so much, but at the same time, you must change who you are,'" Archuleta said in an interview with People at the time.
Ahead of the release of "Hell Together," Archuleta took to Instagram to share a message about the song's meaning.
"The inspo for #HellTogether 🫶🏻," he began. "This song is dedicated to those who show unconditional love in a world where it's so easy to judge things we don't fully understand, like my mom did to me ♥️."
"Although I see Hell differently than what most people of faith may see it as… even now transitioning out of faith, it's not necessarily a concept I believe… because even if God existed, I think God would be a lot more loving and accepting of differences than we give credit, but at the time I understood the sentiment… and it meant the world to me," he continued. "I love you mom."
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