It was just a few weeks ago that former American Idol winner, Scotty McCreery, got the news that three of his singles were certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), signifying over one million sales of each of the three songs. The three songs, ‘See You Tonight,’ off his sophomore album of the same name, ‘I Love You This Big,’ and ‘The Trouble With Girls,’ both off his debut ‘Clear As Day‘ album, not only were certified Platinum, but they did so in the same week which is a very rare occurrence. Recently, the 21-year old North Carolina native called into New England Country Music to chat about his recent success, touring, and his work with the 2142.14 Foundation.
If you didn’t know, Scotty McCreery’s father grew up in Massachusetts and because of that, Scotty is a HUGE Boston sports fan. He loves the Red Sox, Celtics, and Patriots and he does like the Bruins but he is also a big Hurricanes fan as that is his hometown team. His favorite Red Sox player of all time is former pitcher Pedro Martinez (Scotty was a pitcher in high school), whom Scotty calls “the man,” and his favorite current players are Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz, as they are the “heart and soul of the team.” And just last summer, Country 102.5 WKLB gave Scotty the ultimate concert- a show on the right field roof deck of Fenway Park! Scotty describes the show as, “pretty incredible. One of the more special shows I’ve done. I got to go on a tour of Fenway and I had friends and family with me. We got to go inside the Monster and sign our names and walk around on the field. That was a great one.”
Photo credit: Derrick Wood and Country 102.5 WKLB.
Later this week, on December 4th, Scotty will bring his first headlining See You Tonight tour to the Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford, CT. That show will benefit the 12.14 Foundation, an organization established to honor the young victims of the terrible school tragedy that took place in Newtown, CT on December 14, 2012. Scotty serves as a National Goodwill Ambassador for the 12.14 Foundation. Scotty was first approached by the folks at the Grand Ole Opry when they realized that he would be a good fit for the foundation, and Scotty knew he needed to help. “I’m excited to help out and do what I can. It should be a special, special day for us.”
That show, and the rest of his shows on his first headlining tour, will also feature NBC The Voice champion Danielle Bradbery. So what is it like for an American Idol winner to our with a Voice winner? “Pretty cool,” Scotty says. He went on to say, “We share stories now and then about the two shows. They are very similar. She’s an incredible talent, so it’s been fun touring with her. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know her, her band, and crew. It’s been a good fit.” One thing that Scotty couldn’t comment on were the rumors of him touring with the Rascal Flatts in 2015. Only time will tell if the rumors are true!
With his headlining tour and his music career keeping him extremely busy, his studies at North Carolina State have slowed down. But that comes with the territory of being a musician, and a very successful one at that. As previously mentioned, ‘See You Tonight,’ ‘I Love You This Big,’ and ‘The Trouble With Girls’ have all recently been certified Platinum by the RIAA, which Scotty says was “incredible.” But he really gives the credit to his fans. “My fans have been really good to me and that’s a testament to them. I try to make music and put it out to them. And they kinda decide if it’s good or bad. Not me. I’m glad they dug the songs. And it’s pretty cool that they went Platinum all in one week.” Of the three Platinum-selling songs, Scotty tells us that he is most proud of ‘See You Tonight,’ as it was the first song that he co-wrote, and on his second album which was much more of a personal album for him. He even likens ‘See You Tonight’ as his “baby.”
To think that all of this success began with a tryout for American Idol in Milwaukee is incredible. Especially when he tells us that he never expected any of this. Scotty only tried out for the story. “I only tried out to have a cool story to tell my friends when I got back home. And it blew up. We got the chance to win it. And now we’ve been touring and making music ever since. It was a dream you just never think it can actually happen. It’s pretty wild to see dreams come to fruition and everything really happen out there.” And since he was crowned the winner of American Idol, he has had a Platinum-selling album and now three Platinum-selling singles to go with his first headlining tour and a handful of awards from various country music organizations. In 2015, Scotty will be working on a new record and new songs along with touring and says that it should be a big year for him and his team. He hopes to “keep the train running,” and will continue to dream about opening up for Garth Brooks one day, even though Scotty knows that Garth doesn’t need anyone to open for him. Scotty even said it himself.
Tickets for the concert to benefit the 12.14 Foundation featuring Scotty and Danielle Bradbery on December 4th at the Oakdale Theatre can be purchased here.
You can learn more about the 12.14 Foundation here.
This article is dedicated to the 20 children and 6 staff members that lost their life in that tragic incident.