Story originally published in The Apple Leaf Oct. 31, 2012.
What does Scotty McCreery know about Wenatchee? Well, he’s “heard good things,” and he “expects good fans.” Get ready, Wenatchee, because Scotty “loves you this big.”
McCreery, American Idol season 10 winner, and 19 year old Garner, NC native, has two songs that most people know. “I Love You This Big” and “The Trouble With Girls.” Recently, McCreery won the Academy of Country Music Awards award for Best New Artist. He also won CMT Music Awards USA Breakthrough Video of the Year.
During a phone interview Oct. 23, the American Idol winner was in Philadelphia. When he’s not performing a show, he’s busy taking classes at North Carolina State University. On Mondays and Wednesdays, Scotty is learning communications. While usually being the focus of the interview, McCreery explained that he is excited to see the other side of it for once.
On show day, McCreery said his crew is loading in the set, he’s rehearsing, and sometimes stopping by the local radio station for an interview. “[I] love the road life,” said McCreery.
Fans watching American Idol do nothing more than tune in and vote once a week. McCreery said that when he wasn’t performing on American Idol, he was filming commercials and making appearances. When asked if that kept him busy enough, he said, “Oh my goodness, yea!”
McCreery auditioned for American Idol before his junior year of high school. Little did he know, he’d be on the radio and touring the country. According to McCreery, his family made “a lot of sacrifices” to make his dream come true. “My family was by my side,” said McCreery. “[They] helped me make it.”
Growing up, McCreery said that he was quite the Elvis fan. “[I was always] hummin’ a tune,” said McCreery. He often told himself that he “wouldn’t have a job behind the desk.” He went on to say, “I couldn’t sit still for that long!”
Being on tour, social media has made McCreery feel “connected to [my] fans.” He explained that he thinks social media is “tremendous” and “huge.” When using social media, McCreery said he views it as “not just a username on a screen, but real people.”
But who exactly was McCreery singing, “I Love You This Big” to on his last night of American Idol. While he understood the song could be interpreted in many different ways, such as a love song, he said it really was a “thank you to the fans.”
If McCreery hadn’t enjoyed the overwhelming success on American Idol, what would his secondary career choice be? He said that he’d probably be doing the same thing, but most likely on a smaller scale. But, at this point, he said he’s “really hoping for a song that goes No. 1.”
McCreery’s new Christmas album was released Oct. 16. The new album debuted at No. 2 on the Top Country Album charts, No. 1 on the Top Seasonal Album charts, and No. 4 on Billboard’s Top 200 charts. Opening sales exceeded $40,000. So far this season, McCreery’s holiday album is the best-seller.
Scotty shared advice to young people with big dreams, “Go after ‘em,” said McCreery, “If you’re not, somebody else is.”
Bryce Newberry 