Scotty McCreery is the next member of the Grand Ole Opry. The 30-year-old will be inducted on Saturday, April 20 by Josh Turner, fulfilling a dream he has held since before his country music career even began.

“It feels pretty fantastic, to be honest,” McCreery tells Everything Nash. “It’s a dream come true. It’s an invitation — you never know if you’re going to get that call, so it just means the world. And how it went down, with Garth Brooks being the one to do the invitation, and Josh Turner being the guy to induct me. In my wildest dreams, I couldn’t have thought up anything better. I’m just so thankful. It’s going to be a special, special night.”

McCreery made no secret of his desire to be a Grand Ole Opry member, performing on the sacred stage as often as his schedule permitted. He knew an invitation would likely happen at some point, but he had no idea it would become the best Christmas present he would ever receive.

“My radar was up for probably every Opry performance for two years, just maybe thinking, hopeful,” admits the singer. “You never know if it will happen, but just hopeful. That night, I was like, ‘It’s a Christmas show. We’ll sing three Christmas songs, and we’ll be in bed by 9:30.’ Not even close to my radar. Not at all … They got me good. It was not anywhere close to my radar.”

McCreery has often spoken of the responsibility he feels as an official Opry member. It’s something he not only takes seriously now, but vows to take seriously for decades to come, like many of the Grand Ole Opry members he admires, including Bill Anderson.

 

“I want to be a guy like Whispering Bill, that’s there a long time in your career. I want to be the guy that’s 85, still at the Opry singing ‘Five More Minutes.’ I’m looking forward to having that chance. I told somebody that it’s always felt like home, but now it’s actually going to be home. It’s just unreal.”

McCreery’s Opry induction comes only a few weeks before his Rise and Fall album is released on May 10. The American Idol alum wrote all but one of the 13 songs on the record, including his current Top 5 single, “Cab In A Solo.”

“I just think for me, I’m at a place where I wasn’t going to make a record chasing trends, or chasing the top of the charts, or what sound is selling more tickets on the road,” McCreery tells Everything Nash. “I just want to make an album that feels good to me, feels good to my soul, touches on influences that I had growing up. I really think we did that on this record. To me, it’s the most ‘me’ record, and the most proud I’ve been of a record yet.”

Tickets for McCreery’s Grand Ole Opry induction are available at Opry.com. Find all of McCreery’s music and upcoming shows, and pre-order Rise and Fall, at ScottyMcCreery.com.