Scotty McCreery Reflects on Career — from' Idol' Days to Label Struggles: 'Come Back Stronger' (Exclusive)
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In the newest episode of the CMT Stages docuseries, the country singer opens up about his career ups and downs and performs an acoustic version of several of his hits
With a new perspective as a father, and a series of No. 1 hits under his belt, Scotty McCreery is taking a look back at his 12-year career — and its many ups and downs.
In an all-new episode of Country Music Television's docuseries, CMT Stages, McCreery, 29, reflects on his career — from his humble beginnings in Garner, North Carolina, to winning season 10 of American Idol, hitting "rock bottom" in 2016 and ultimately bouncing back with his first-ever No. 1 hit, "Five More Minutes."
Throughout the 20-minute episode, the country singer took a deep dive into his past, beginning with his experience in 2010 on American Idol, which he called "such a pipe dream" for his 16-year-old self.
"It was ridiculous. My top five days of my life would be my hometown visit," McCreery said of an episode during his Idol series where he performed in North Carolina alongside Josh Turner for a crowd of 30,000 people — more than the population of his hometown.
After winning the show, McCreery said life went into overdrive very quickly. "It was really crazy coming off that show."
Though he went back to normal life for a while — he recalled attending school four days a week, and opening for Brad Paisley on tour every weekend — his time as an ordinary teenager was numbered.
"I got to Nashville and I had to grow up quick," McCreery recalled. "I mean, I got started in this business so young. At 17, sitting there at the end of a business table with, you know, 30 executives, and you're having to make all these big decisions. I think I'm better for it now. It taught me a lot — about the business, about who to trust, about all sorts of stuff. I'm thankful for that."
McCreery also performed a selection of his biggest hits for the episode, songs that he said "helped shape my career and tell the story of how we started and how we got to where we are now."
Interspersed with candid interviews, he sang acoustic versions of 2021's "It Matters to Her" and "Damn Strait," 2011's "I Love You This Big," and his 2018 hit "Five More Minutes."
He said his breakaway hit, which was inspired by the death of his grandfather, is "still my favorite song I've written."
"If I'm gonna bet on a song to kind of save my career, it's gonna be this song," he added.
He also performed "Southern Belle," the 2015 single whose poor chart performance led to McCreery being dropped by his label that same year. The CMT Stages rendition marks the first time he's performed the song since that year.
McCreery also opened up about the moment when he learned he was being dropped in early 2016. "Kind of brought me down to rock bottom pretty quick," he said.
Now, as a married man with a 6-month-old son, a record deal with Triple Tigers and with five consecutive No. 1 hits under his belt, McCreery said he's content with where he is in his career — but that doesn't mean the work is finished.
"If somebody would've told me back in 2011, 'Hey man, in 2023 you're gonna have five straight No. 1s, I would've signed up for that in a heartbeat," he said. "Am I where I wanna be? No. I wanna continue to grow, continue to set the bar higher for myself."
He added that, though winning Idol — and the years that followed it — was a whirlwind, success for him "didn't happen overnight."
"There was a lot that went into getting us to this point, and a lot of hurdles to overcome," he recalled. "Especially after 2015 and 2016. Most folks don't really come back from that. So I'm really proud that we did, and have come back stronger than ever before."
McCreery's episode of CMT Stages debuts Wednesday, May 3 via CMT's Facebook & YouTube channels.
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