Scotty McCreery At Christmas Time
Share this page..... Tweet
Scotty McCreery Lends His Talent to Make the "Most Wonderful Time of the Year" Even Better!
He captured the nation's attention last year when he was chosen as the winner of "American Idol" in May of 2011. Since then, young country-crooner, Scotty McCreery has been delighting thousands of country music fans by hitting the road and performing songs from his platinum-selling album, "Clear as Day" live and in person.
This year, Christmas came early for Scotty's legion of loyal fans and music lovers in general when the North Carolina resident released "Christmas With Scotty McCreery," on October 16. The 16-song collection showcases the singer's deep, distinctive voice on beloved classics like "First Noel," "Jingle Bells," and "O Holy Night."
"That was the toughest part of making the album," Scotty admits. "There are so many Christmas songs out there, classics that you hear every year. They've been sung literally, a thousand times. You've got to find those songs you can make them unique to your voice or the ones you just want to sing in general. I sat down with paper and a pencil and just kind of scratched some out, erased some and tried to make my list."
Once he narrowed down the list of what he wanted to record, it was time to hit the studio and make the Christmas music magic happen... in July. "We recorded this in late July/early August. It was right during the heat wave in Nashville, so it was about 110 degrees and we're singing 'Let it Snow!'" he says. "It was interesting."
How does one get into the Christmas spirit in a heat wave in July? "You've just kind of got to make it that way," he admits. "I was dressed in flip-flops and shorts but we had Christmas lights on my music stand, [and] Christmas cupcakes. I was wearing Santa hats. We had Christmas trees in the corner. We had stuff all around, making it 'Christmas-y.'"
Now Scotty's music will hopefully be in the background as Christmas memories are made this holiday season. One of his favorite memories involves a very insightful gift from a loved one. "When I was about 10 years old, my grandpa gave me my first guitar. So, I started strummin' right then. I mean it didn't sound no good then, but I just got to lovin' it. [I] started taking lessons and went on from there. That was a great moment and it was very beneficial to me."
What music will Scotty be playing during his Christmas vacation this year? No doubt he will be cranking up the legend from Memphis. "My Christmas album that I listen to every year is Elvis' Christmas album. One, I was an Elvis fanatic when I was a kid but two it's just a great album. I had to put an Elvis one on this because it was my favorite album, so I put 'Santa Claus is Back in Town.' It was between that one and 'Blue Christmas.' Finally, I had to realize that nobody was going to sing 'Blue Christmas' like Elvis Presley. So we went with 'Back in Town.'"
Speaking of holidays, we asked Scotty if Halloween was a big deal to him. "We had a good time with it," he recalls fondly of his earlier years. "We didn't get too crazy with it or anything. We'd have our costumes and go trick-or-treating. That was about it. Like I said, I was fanatic, so one year I was Elvis Presley. One year, I was 'Mr. Wuf,' the NC State mascot where I go to school. I was a 'Black-Eyed Pea' when I was a little baby. We enjoyed it."
This year, Halloween brings an added bonus. "I'll be back home I think, with the fellows in my apartment. This is like the one holiday I can actually go out on the town and enjoy, because if I put a mask on, nobody knows it's me. I'll put on some kind of thing and walk around and it'll be like I'm just a normal, average Joe."
One night of anonymity probably seems nice to a guy who earned millions of votes from fans across the country in one of television's most popular singing competitions and has been on the road for most of the year with country superstar Brad Paisley. Scotty has nothing but praise for the singer/songwriter/guitar whiz that has set the bar high in terms of musicianship and respect.
"I've learned so much from Brad," Scotty says admirably. "He's just such a great guy, a class act and runs a top-notch tour. I was blessed to go out on that for my very first country tour. I'd go out in the crowd most nights with a ball cap on and a hoodie and just try to stay incognito and watch the show. I learned little tips from him up there just because he's such a great entertainer. I'll never play the guitar like him! Even backstage, the way he treats his crew, the way he treated me, the opening acts, he showed me how it's supposed to be done. Hopefully, five to ten years down the road, if I'm ever headlining like he is, I'll definitely know how to tour just because of my first tour with him."
What can you expect when you see Scotty live? We asked what he takes into consideration when mapping out his live shows? "You just got to put together something that you think you're going to enjoy and you think the crowd is going to enjoy. If you go out and sing twenty ballads, you'll put them to sleep. We have a good mixture in our set. We start out strong. We end strong. We have the ballads kind of in the middle. You just gotta kind of keep it rockin'. They come to have a good time, no to just sit there and watch music. They can do that on the computer. We want to get them up and going."
On Monday and Wednesdays this semester, Scotty is up and going to class! He is a college freshman at NC State who just happens to juggle countrywide tours and recording hit albums on the weekends. "So far so good," he replies when we asked how it was going... balancing school and a successful music career? "My schedule in college right now is just Monday and Wednesday. I go to class those days, then hit the road Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. That's when most shows are anyway, so it's working out good. I'm staying on top of my assignments and getting my work turned in so far! As long as it keeps on working, I'm going to keep on going with it. My music has to be my number one priority."
He's well aware that his choices are being watched by more than just attentive family members and doesn't seem to mind the role model status that inadvertently comes with having been on television and entertaining for a living. "You see some artists that stray away from that but for me, I embrace it. I know that there are people watching me, little kids watching me. I see them every day in the 'Meet and Greets' and see them every day at the shows. I'm definitely conscious of that and want to put my best foot forward for those kids so they can have somebody to look up too. It's a tough world out there now; I definitely want to shine a little light if I can."
Counting his blessings, it's impossible for Scotty to pick just one highlight since winning "American Idol." "Oh man!" he exclaims trying to narrow the list down. "One, the tour with Brad, that was like a yearlong highlight. Singing at the world series last year. That was pretty incredible for me because I'm a pretty big baseball fan. That was just huge! I think definitely my education will be a highlight, just going back to high school to finish out my senior year, starting out college and still working the music career around that, I think that's something I'm really proud of and really happy that it worked out with. Awards shows, seeing 'Clear as Day,' my first album, go platinum. That's something you don't see nowadays because the way the music industry has shifted. I was blown away by that!"
His deep voice softens as he seems to save the most important thing for last. "Just seeing the fans every day out there on the road. They've been so good to me, from the start of 'Idol' to now. I'm blessed to have them on my side."
He's also ready to add some new highlights to that list and is looking ahead to the coming year. "Next year, we're getting shows on the books. We're in the process of making my sophomore album and hopefully releasing that the first or second quarter of next year. New music and new shows! We're hitting the road next year. I think I'm actually going to do my own little tour the first part of the year. Living the dream!"
Fans dream of supporting Scotty's music and being as helpful as possible. So what can a fan do to really help an artist out the most? "For me, it's just showing up at the shows and having a smiling face!" he states. "They're good to me as far as supporting me. I see the love on Twitter! I think in one of my very first interviews, I said that my favorite candy was Starburst and Tootsie Rolls. Meet and greets now, almost every day I'm getting Starburst and Tootsie Rolls," he laughs. "They're been great that way. Just show up at shows, have a good time, have a smiling face! That makes it all the worthwhile for me up there. It really brightens my day to see they're having a good time."
Wrapping up the conversation, Scotty shares some words of wisdom with aspiring musicians out there "It can happen! For me to do it... from kind of a little town in North Carolina. I've loved music my whole life but realistically you just kind of never really think that might happen to you… be on the stage singing. You just gotta go for your dreams. Don't let anybody tell you it can't happen. You gotta go at it 100% because if you're not, somebody else out there is! Just put your best foot forward, you gotta love it! You never know what can happen!"
Make your Christmas time with loved ones extra special this holiday season by listening to "Christmas With Scotty McCreery" while you decorate the tree, wrap and exchange your presents, or drive to and from your shopping madness. His take on the classics and a couple new tunes will get you in the holiday spirit for sure! This talented, young man deserves to stay on the country music scene for many seasons to come.
For more on Scotty, visit:
http://www.ScottyMcCreery.com/
Follow Scotty on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/ScottyMcCreery
Buy "Christmas With Scotty McCreery" here: https://www.Amazon.com
Read our previous feature on Scotty here:https://www.EnterTeenmentNews.com/scotty.html