Scotty McCreery

Taste of Country Interviews Scotty about Christmas, Fame, and College

Scotty McCreery is in a good spot right now. The 19-year-old fast-rising country star’s debut album ‘Clear as Day’ went platinum, no doubt bolstered by the burst of publicity he received after winning ‘American Idol’ in 2011. In the last year, he has finished high school, started college, and toured all over the country, and he recently released his first Christmas album, the aptly-titled ‘Christmas With Scotty McCreery.’

McCreery spoke to Taste of Country recently about his Christmas album, what he wants to do differently with his upcoming second studio record, how he balances his college classes and career and more. The deep-voiced singer’s success and earnest manner belie his youth, but despite an innate maturity beyond his years, McCreery acknowledged that in some ways he’s just a normal kid.
 

ToC: What makes a Christmas album so important to you right now? The industry’s generally accepted wisdom would say that it’s a bit early in your career for an album like that.
 

Scotty McCreery: It’s definitely early for a Christmas album in the country music world. A lot of people wait until they’re far down in their careers. For me, it’s just kind of another step where I’m growing as an artist. We talked about this for about a year now, and we finally got the okay to do it from the label, and everybody supports that. I was pumped up when they said yes.

I think it’s a good move. I think I’m going to have a lot more time to grow and take my time with my true sophomore album after ‘Clear as Day’ and really find the right songs. You know, in the last year I’ve won awards, I’ve had sold out shows across the country, but I haven’t had that big radio hit yet. So that’s my mission right now. So I’ve got to go out there and try to find it.

Read the rest of the interview - and 10 Things You Didn't Know About Scotty McCreery - at Taste of Country. 

» tasteofcountry.com