American Idol 10 Winner Scott McCreery
“American Idol” Crowns a New Winner and Gives Country Music Two New Super Stars!!!
It’s hard to believe that this time last year, everyone was speculating whether “American Idol” would be worth watching this season. Would anyone care to watch the aging talent show without judges like Simon Cowell and Ellen Degeneres? They would and they did with a record number 122 million votes being cast in order to determine a winner between 17 year olds Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alania.
Scotty, who hails from Garner, North Carolina is a country singer who has never shied away from professing his love for God and Jesus. His deep voice won praises from the judges during his audition last year. Consistent, good performances won him fan after fan after every performance show. He has remained humble and seems unshaken by the spotlight that he has found himself in. Let’s hope he stays that way.
Less than 16 hours after being crowned the “Idol” winner, Scotty was on the phone with reporters fielding questions about his journey to the top, his “romance” with Lauren, and what the future hold for this talented teen. Here are some of the highlights.
So I'm wondering how you're handling and getting use to all the attention that you're getting now.
This is pretty wild, I've got to say. I mean, it's a whole lot more than I bargained for coming into this. I never would have expected it. But I'm handling it well. It's what I asked for and this is my new life. So, it's a really crazy ride so far.
Hey, Scotty, if my math is right you're one-quarter Puerto Rican and I wanted to ask you how that affected you. Do you speak any Spanish? Have you ever had any chance to visit there? And are there ways that that just kind of influences you in some way, the culture?
Yes. I visited Old San Juan once with my grandmother. We went on a cruise there and I don't speak Spanish. I've done Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 classes. My grandma asked me when I was young she said, "Do you want to learn Spanish?" And I guess I was just young and I should have because it would have helped me out a lot. But, I don't speak it. But Jennifer seems to think it gives me a little flavor that other people didn't. I was talking to her and her mom yesterday before the show. So we were talking a lot of Puerto Rican stuff. But yes, I'm a quarter. My dad was born in Aguadilla and my grandma in Old San Juan.
When Carrie Underwood won they brought her to Nashville and she kind of made her debut here at the CMA Music Festival and the Grand Ole Opry which is coming up in a couple of weeks. They said when you might be headed this way?
Yes, we've talked about it. I was talking to someone before and another one last night. I think we're going to try to get me and Lauren out there for the Fan Fest this year. They're trying to work out the specifics right now about where we're going to be playing, the booth singings and maybe playing at the Grand Ole Opry. They're working all this out as we speak. But yes, we're going to be down there for sure. I think.
You were a favorite all season long and I was just wondering if at any point during your run you had any doubts, at any point, where you thought you might be going home this week?
Oh, man, this week especially Lauren Alaina, she's something else. She sings like a bird. She's an amazing young lady. But every week I've heard people say the front runner stuff and the favorite. But to me, it never even crossed my mind like that because everybody here from top 40 down was just so talented. It was just an amazing ride. But yes, as far doubting myself, I don't think I ever gave myself really a chance before this show as a musician. And now it's about the confidence and I don't know. I mean I've always had confidence in me, it's just. It was weird, the nerves for this show. It's something else.
Hey, Scotty, I was just wondering on your home town visit trip, how many new high school friends did you have that you didn't have before?
Oh my goodness, I mean they were all my friends before. We're all a big going to high school family before. I got to talk to a lot of them that I really didn't get a chance to talk to before and you know how that goes. But I was a lot of fun to get back there and talk to them all. I don't know about new friends because I mean we're all a pretty tight knit family before I left out here for Hollywood.
After Lauren gave you that big kiss last night she said you know you might be her boyfriend. Any romance between the two of you?
No. We've been getting that question a lot today. Me and her, it's more like the brother sister thing. She told me before the show, yesterday, she was going to do that and it's kind of like a joke. So she did it. She's a character. She's lovely. Really, we're really close friends. I met her day one of Hollywood week and we were school mates through this whole experience. She's great. But yes, it's more brother sister friendship between me and her.
Looking ahead talk about the album, the kind of album you hope to make, who you'd like to work with, shoot big if you want.
Yes, really, I'm really looking forward to getting my music out there. We've already recorded two this week and we weren't sure which one we're going to do and I Love You This Big turned out to be the one that we did. But the other one I'm really excited about, too. I think it's going to be a great album. I've got to pick some good songs. That's what it's all about after the show. It's getting good songs because the fans got me to where I'm at right now. So it's my job to get them the music they want to hear and to have good songs. It's going to be good. Hopefully me and Lauren Alaina will get to do a duet from time to time. I'm not sure about the first album but, hopefully, some time soon.
What was with Ryan calling you Scotty the Body all season?
He told me early on, he said it was kind of like a tradition. I think he's done it with all the Scott's he's had on the show for like Scott McIntyre. There was another guy named Scott, I think. But it was more like a joke. I mean I've been eating too many cookies on the show anyways. So I'm not as toned as I was back in my baseball days. But yes, Scotty the Body. Yes, we were always joking about that one.
So you had an emotional moment when you went back to Garner and you broke down and wept in the car and it seemed like your most emotional moment maybe at the whole thing. I was wondering what was going through your head at that moment?
Oh, yes, that was - we were driving up to the school and I just looked out the window and I saw all the familiar faces I missed for so long. And I rolled down the window and someone said, "We missed you and we love you brother." And that just really got me. I'm about to cry just thinking about it. I missed them so much and it was just such a great moment for me to be back there just to see them again because they're my friends. They were my friends before the show. They're the true ones that I just really love.
At what point did you notice your voice changing and what did you use to sound like?
I mean I've always kind of sounded the same other when I was younger and had a really high voice. But, I'd say Vegas week was the week that I really discovered that I could kind of sing higher than I had been singing in the competition so far. Kim Stacey, one of the vocal coaches, he kind of got it out of me and I kind of used that a lot in singing “It's Gone” and “That's Alright Mamma,”kind of sing up higher for a lot of different stuff. So, I've used my low voice but I guess you could say it's changed over the competition.
Did you have some sort of game plan going into this? I mean you always sort of seem to stay in your comfort zone and people like Casey would go all over the map. Did you just sort of decide I'm going to stay where I feel good and that was it?
Yes, I mean, everybody had their own niche. You know, Casey was singing this jazzy kind of rock or growly music. Jacob sings his gospel music. James sings his rock music and I sing my country music. We all kind of had that same niche and they do different songs but we kind of all had that same genre we like to stay to. So, country music's me. It's what I grew up with. It's what I do. So I didn't have any intentions of changing. My thing was if it got me this far, why change it up. So that's what I love to do.
So I don't know if you noticed your song “I Love You This Big” is apparently number one on iTunes.
Was it really? That's the first I've heard. That is amazing.
Yes and how do you feel about that and how do you feel about the single?
That is wild. I love the song. This is just really wild. The song, it's just a great song to start off with. It's just - when they pitched it to me I just fell in love with it. Last night, when I sang it for my finale it was kind of a choked up performance. But I got through and I hugged my family with it. But that's really amazing that it's number one.
So Lauren had said that she thought for sure you were going to win going into the finals yesterday. What was your thought kind of going into it?
My thought was that she wrapped it up when she sang that finale song, that mamma song she sang. That's just one of the most beautiful songs I've heard. I was more than nervous coming into it last night. You know, it worked on my favor. But Lauren, she's sweet. She's been supporting me and I've supporting her through the full process. We're really close friends and we both came out winners last night.
Scotty, do you have any closing remarks?
I just want to thank you guys so much for everything ya'll have done for me. I've done all the work on Idol now. My work is done. It's time for the real job to start. So, thank ya'll so much and I'll be talking to ya'll soon.
See Scotty and the other American Idol finalists on tour this summer in a city near you! Found out more at www.AmericanIdol.com.