Scotty McCreery has been part of country music for more than 13 years, ever since winning Season 10 of American Idol in 2011. The 31-year-old has seen plenty of artists from other genres try to make a country album, with varying degrees of success and failure.
But one artist who McCreery is thankful became part of country music is Post Malone, the rapper-turned-country music singer who released his debut country music album, F-1 Trillion in August, a star-studded project that included collaborations with Lainey Wilson, Dolly Parton, Tim McGraw, Jelly Roll, Chris Stapleton, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs and more.
“Post Malone, I wouldn’t have thought about it,” McCreery told the Buffalo Bills’ Maddy Glab. “But now that I’ve seen his record, and heard more about it, he grew up on country music, with his dad playing country music, and that’s what he loved, so it was a natural transition for him. How he did it, really coming to Nashville and embracing himself in the community, he just did it with such respect. And his record is great. There are some great country songs on there. I think when I first heard about it, I was like, ‘Really?’ And then I took a listen and I was like, absolutely. It’s so good.”
McCreery has stuck to the traditional-sounding country music for his entire career, choosing not to succumb to the varying trends and fads that have impacted the genre for the last several years. But now, the Grand Ole Opry member couldn’t be happier with the format, and the music that is being released.
“I think it’s heading in a great direction,” boasts the singer. “I think there are more eyes on country music than ever before. It feels like everybody wants to be part of country music right now. Artists in lots of different genres are wanting to make a country record, which I think is fantastic. But it does feel like it’s coming back to the roots. I’ve always said country music is real people telling real stories. There was a time where the music got a little different than what I would make. Everyone’s got their own tastes. I’m loving the direction that country is heading in right now.”
McCreery released his Rise & Fall album in May, which includes his current Top 40 single, “Fall of Summer,” as well as “Cab In A Solo,” the song that became McCreery’s sixth No. 1 hit. Perhaps surprisingly, the father of one is already working on more music.
“I’m just about to head back to the mountains with some buddies, and bring our guitars, and try to write more songs,” McCreery reveals. “Nowadays, in the music world, you gotta keep putting music out. Back in the day, you had a few years between projects. That’s not anymore. I’m gonna have new music out next year. We’ve got a big tour with Kane Brown next year. We’re going overseas to the UK for our own headlining tour. It’s gonna be a busy year next year in a lot of great ways, but it’s gonna be fun.”
Find all of McCreery’s music and upcoming shows at ScottyMcCreery.com.