Scotty McCreery‘s “White Christmas” is out! The song is one of McCreery’s favorite Christmas carols, and the perfect way to usher in the holiday season.
“I love Christmas music and sing it throughout the year,” McCreery says. “For a long time, ‘White Christmas’ has been one of my favorite Christmas songs. I especially love The Drifters’ version as well as Elvis’s version. I decided it was now time to do my own version. Hope everyone likes it!!”
Ahead of its release, McCreery talked about the song, and why he wanted to release the holiday classic.
“I grew up with Christmas music always playing in the house,” McCreery tells Audacy. “For me, the Elvis Christmas record was my favorite. So, I think little by little, nowadays everybody wants more music, more this. I was like, ‘Let’s go do a Christmas song.’ We were in the studio already, so it made sense.”
Putting out Christmas music as an artist can be tricky, McCreery admits.
“Last year we put out an original, and this year we’re going to have a traditional,” McCreery says.
“It’s either going to be a classic, or it’s just going to fall in the cracks,” he adds. “We had a song called ‘Feel Like the Holidays‘ that we put out last year. It’s a new song that feels classic.”
How Scotty McCreery Spends Christmas
The Grand Ole Opry member is from North Carolina, but his wife Gabi’s family is from Louisiana. So for McCreery, Gabi, and their two sons, they will take turns sharing the holidays with their own extended family.
“As far as traditions go, me and my wife, it’s typically just the every other year with the family that we do,” McCreery told the Country Music Association. “Her family’s all from Louisiana, so a lot of times we go to New Orleans for Christmas one year, and then we’ll stay back in Carolina for one Christmas with my family. I have a feeling we’ll be continuing that.”
McCreery still recalls his favorite Christmas gift as a chld, one that helped shape the massive career he has today.
“My best Christmas gift I ever received was probably my very first guitar,” McCreery says. “I was picking that thing up; I had no clue what I was doing, but I knew I wanted to play some Elvis songs, so I got to learn it pretty quick. It was what got me started on this journey.”
Scotty McCreery’s 7th No. 1 Single
McCreery just celebrated his seventh No. 1 single, with “Bottle Rockets.” The song, a collaboration with Hootie & the Blowfish, from his Scooter & Friends EP, was just certified gold, for sales in ecess of 500,000 units.
“It’s unreal,” McCreery says of his latest hit single. “It never gets old. I think this No. 1 is extra special, just being that it’s with the group that I grew up listening to. [They’ve] been heroes of mine for a long time, and now it’s just super cool to be able to call them friends. I just want to thank all of y’all for listening to the song, letting it be a part of your summer. Country radio, thank y’all for playing it for everybody, and taking this thing all the way to the top, No. 1.”
Photo Credit: NBC