May 2011, Singapore – I was recently invited to the Star World Happy Hour Party to catch the finals of American Idol Season 10. It was held at The Forbidden City by Indochine at Clark Quay. Caught up with old friends there while enjoying canapes and beer.
Anyway, here’s an interview with Scotty McCreery about him winning American Idol Season 10.
Q. How are you handling and getting use to all the attention that you’re getting now?
S. McCreery: This is pretty wild, I’ve got to say. I mean, it’s a whole lot more than I bargained for coming into this. I never would have expected it. But I’m handling it well. It’s what I asked for and this is my new life. So, it’s a really crazy ride so far.
Q. You’re one-quarter Puerto Rican so how does that affect you? Do you speak any Spanish? Have you ever had any chance to visit? And are there ways in the culture that influences you in some way or another?
S. McCreery: Yes. I visited Old San Juan once with my grandmother. We went on a cruise there and I don’t speak Spanish. I’ve done Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 classes. My grandma asked me when I was young, “Do you want to learn Spanish?” And I guess I was just young and I should have because it would have helped me out a lot. But I don’t speak it. But Jennifer [Lopez] seems to think it gives me a little flavor that other people didn’t. I was talking to her and her mom yesterday before the show. So we were talking a lot of Puerto Rican stuff. But yes, I’m a quarter. My dad was born in Aguadilla and my grandma in Old San Juan.
Q. When Carrie Underwood won they brought her to Nashville and she kind of made her debut here at the CMA Music Festival and the Grand Ole Opry which is coming up in a couple of weeks. Did they said when you might be headed this way?
S. McCreery: Yes, we’ve talked about it. I was talking to someone before and another one last night. I think we’re going to try to get me and Lauren out there for the Fan Fest this year. They’re trying to work out the specifics right now about where we’re going to be playing, the booth singings and maybe playing at the Grand Ole Opry. They’re working all this out as we speak.
Q. You were a favorite all season long and did you have any doubts at any point, where you thought you might be going home last week?
S. McCreery: Oh, man, last week especially Lauren Alaina, she’s something else. She sings like a bird. She’s an amazing young lady. But every week I’ve heard people say the front runner stuff and the favorite. But to me, it never even crossed my mind like that because everybody here from top 40 down was just so talented. It was just an amazing ride. But yes, as far doubting myself, I don’t think I ever gave myself really a chance before this show as a musician. And now it’s about the confidence and I don’t know. I mean I’ve always had confidence in me. It was weird, the nerves for this show. It’s something else.
Q. On your home town visit trip, how many new high school friends did you have that you didn’t have before?
S. McCreery: Oh my goodness, I mean they were all my friends before. We’re all a big going to high school family before. I got to talk to a lot of them that I really didn’t get a chance to talk to before and you know how that goes. But I was a lot of fun to get back there and talk to them all. I don’t know about new friends because I mean we’re all a pretty tight knit family before I left out here for Hollywood.
Q. After Lauren gave you that big kiss at the night of finale she said you know you might be her boyfriend. Any romance between the two of you?
S. McCreery: No. We’ve been getting that question a lot. Me and her, it’s more like the brother sister thing. She told me before the show, she was going to do that and it’s kind of like a joke. So she did it. She’s a character. She’s lovely. Really, we’re really close friends. I met her day one of Hollywood week and we were school mates through this whole experience. She’s great. But yes, it’s more brother sister friendship between me and her.
Q. Looking ahead talk about the album, the kind of album you hope to make, who you’d like to work with, shoot big if you want.
S. McCreery: Yes, really, I’m really looking forward to getting my music out there. We’ve already recorded two this week and we weren’t sure which one we’re going to do and I Love You This Big turned out to be the one that we did. But the other one I’m really excited about, too. I think it’s going to be a great album. I’ve got to pick some good songs.
That’s what it’s all about after the show. It’s getting good songs because the fans got me to where I’m at right now. So it’s my job to get them the music they want to hear and to have good songs. It’s going to be good. Hopefully me and Lauren Alaina will get to do a duet from time to time. I’m not sure about the first album but, hopefully, sometime soon.
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Q. Just one random question for you, what was with Ryan calling you Scotty the Body all season?
S. McCreery: He told me early on, he said it was kind of like a tradition. I think he’s done it with all the Scott’s he’s had on the show for like Scott McIntyre. There was another guy named Scott, I think. But it was more like a joke. I mean I’ve been eating too many cookies on the show anyways. So I’m not as toned as I was back in my baseball days. But yes, Scotty the Body. Yes, we were always joking about that one.
Q. So you had an emotional moment when you went back to Garner and you broke down and wept in the car and it seemed like your most emotional moment maybe at the whole thing. What was going through your head at that moment?
S. McCreery: We were driving up to the school and I just looked out the window and I saw all the familiar faces I missed for so long. And I rolled down the window and someone said, “We missed you and we love you brother.” And that just really got me. I’m about to cry just thinking about it. I missed them so much and it was just such a great moment for me to be back there just to see them again because they’re my friends. They were my friends before the show. They’re the true ones that I just really love.
Q. At what point did you notice your voice changing and what did you use to sound like?
S. McCreery: I’ve always kind of sounded the same other when I was younger and had a really high voice. But, I’d say Vegas week was the week that I really discovered that I could kind of sing higher than I had been singing in the competition so far. Kim Stacey, one of the vocal coaches, he kind of got it out of me and I kind of used that a lot in singing “It’s Gone” and “That’s Alright Mamma,”kind of sing up higher for a lot of different stuff. So, I’ve used my low voice but I guess you could say it’s changed over the competition.
Q. Did you have some sort of game plan going into this? I mean you always sort of seem to stay in your comfort zone and people like Casey would go all over the map. Did you just sort of decide I’m going to stay where I feel good and that was it?
S. McCreery: Yes, I mean, everybody had their own niche. You know, Casey was singing this jazzy kind of rock or growly music. Jacob sings his gospel music. James sings his rock music and I sing my country music. We all kind of had that same niche and they do different songs but we kind of all had that same genre we like to stay to. So, country music’s me. It’s what I grew up with. It’s what I do. So I didn’t have any intentions of changing. My thing was if it got me this far, why change it up. So that’s what I love to do.
Q. And remember that shot you made at the mansion, the basketball shot? Did you do that on the first shot or did you take quite a few shots?
S. McCreery: I tried it from the steps, initially, and I was missing terribly. So I looked up and I said, why don’t I try it from the balcony, and that was my third attempt from the balcony when I made that shot.
Q. Did you notice your song “I Love You This Big” is apparently number one on iTunes? How do you feel about that and how do you feel about the singe?
S. McCreery: That is wild. I love the song. This is just really wild. The song, it’s just a great song to start off with. It’s just – when they pitched it to me I just fell in love with it. When I sang it for my finale it was kind of a choked up performance. But I got through and I hugged my family with it. But that’s really amazing that it’s number one.
Q. So Lauren had said that she thought for sure you were going to win last Thursday. What was your thought kind of going into it?
S. McCreery: My thought was that she wrapped it up when she sang that finale song, that mamma song she sang. That’s just one of the most beautiful songs I’ve heard. I was more than nervous coming into it last Thursday. You know, it worked on my favor. But Lauren, she’s sweet. She’s been supporting me and I’ve supporting her through the full process. We’re really close friends and we both came out winners.
Q. Unfortunately we are out of time. Scotty, do you have any closing remarks?
S. McCreery: I just want to thank you guys so much for everything ya’ll have done for me. I’ve done all the work on Idol now. My work is done. It’s time for the real job to start. So, thank ya’ll so much and I’ll be talking to ya’ll soon.
Photo credit: Michael Becker/Fox International Channels
