Scotty McCreery is the epitome of the American Dream – he was the season ten American Idol winner, has a certified Platinum debut album, a certified Gold Christmas album, a Grand Ole Opry performance, he’s got the looks and the charm, and he now has a new single out that is resonating with fans more than ever. And on top of everything, he’s only 23! Scotty took some time to chat with NECM about his new single, ‘Five More Minutes,’ his new album and more!
Scotty’s new single ‘Five More Minutes’ came out on May 5th, a release purposefully done due to the amount of five’s in the date – well played Scotty. Since then, the song has had instant reactions from fans all over. The song plays out scenarios where people wish time would stop and allow them to get just five more minutes in that moment. “You know, I didn’t really know what to expect. But it’s definitely the best response I’ve ever got from a song I’ve put out there. I knew it was a special song the day I wrote it. It’s my favorite song I’ve ever written. It’s very exciting for me, I’m pumped!” McCreery actually debuted the song in 2016 at his performance at the Grand Ole Opry – a performance that gave him a lot of praise and led him to be the recipient of the “Rare Country Music Award for Opry Moment of the Year.” When asked how it was to perform in that legendary circle, Scotty said “It was pretty awesome. That’s my favorite stage to play on, period. In country music, to get that award, was pretty cool. Even if the award didn’t happen, the fact that I got to debut the song there and introduce it to everybody through the Opry was a pretty big deal for me.” The debut performance of ‘Five More Minutes’ was recorded by the Opry and put on YouTube, where fans and viewers alike loved every minute of it. The video streamed many views in a short amount of time and now sits at over 2 million! “The YouTube thing was pretty unexpected and people reacting to it, I didn’t even know the Opry was gonna put up a video, so to see it react like it did was pretty awesome.”
Along with fans, artists are also reacting to the song. Country music legend, Randy Travis, tweeted “this is storytelling and country music at its finest” about the latest single. “It’s pretty big time, it doesn’t get much bigger than that for me.” Scotty said. “It’s quite an endorsement and he knows all about country music and storytelling so that’s quite a statement. I’m not gonna argue with him!” he joked before adding in a chuckle.
The single was co-written with Monty Criswell and Frank Rogers. “It was a really good day. It was one of those days where everything kinda flowed out. We were chatting about life before we started writing it and it Monty threw out the idea for five more minutes. I’ve worked with Frank a lot before. And it kinda just worked really well that day. We went back and rewrote it 3 or 4 times – it’s one of those songs that easily frustrated. We weren’t satisfied until we got every chorus and verse just right.” The finished product is definitely something that the fans were looking for.
As far as Scotty goes, the song has a personal meaning for him, as well. “I wrote it for my granddaddy. But then it took on the meaning of more than just life in general and just granddaddy. It’s talking about those moments in your life when you’re young and don’t have a care in the world, and your worries are about having a good time. From 6 years old to 18 years old, I don’t think you really know about responsibilities that life’s gonna take on later on. It just kinda took on the good times and some bad times, and no matter what everybody wants five more minutes.”
Along with the new single, Scotty has a new album in the works. Sonically fans can expect “a pretty fresh sound. Still country and still what I grew up with. ‘Five More Minutes’ is a good taste of that. We’re going with where my heads at now for songs, and the only way to describe it is fresh. It’s sounding good and it’s sounding me. And I’m writing a lot more.” The release for the new album is still to be determined but is projected to be out by the end of this year, or early next year. Keep your eyes peeled McCreerians! With being a co-writer or writer to most of his songs, the impact it has on his sound is something that he loves. “I think it makes it more personal and makes it sound like what I like my music to sound like. There’s something different about writing a song yourself. It’s about what you were thinking that day and you write it the way you want it to be written. I don’t know, it definitely makes it more personal.”
Scotty is also getting the opportunity to perform at the National Memorial Day Concert on May 28th. “Anytime I get the chance to perform is exciting. And something like that is an honor for me and performing right in front of the troops and their families will be awesome. Doing it down on the lawn in front of the Capitol Building is even cooler. It’s one of those things that doesn’t come up all the time, so we jump at it when it does!” Scotty is unsure on whether he will perform the new single or not, but regardless, it will be a memorable performance.
Be sure to download his new single ‘Five More Minutes’ and be on the lookout for his future album release at the end of the year!