Scotty McCreery returned to the show where is superstar career began. The 30-year-old performed his current single, “Cab In A Solo,” on American Idol, nearly 13 years after he was crowned the Season 10 winner.

McCreery’s Idol performance came shortly after he found out “Cab In A Solo” was the No. 1 song at country radio.

“Always fun going back to American Idol,” McCreery said on social media. “Even more fun when singing the #1 country song in the nation tonight! Thanks to country radio for playing Cab In A Solo!”

 

Prior to taking the stage, McCreery spoke to host Ryan Seacrest about the full-circle moment he had with Josh Turner at the Grand Ole Opry. It was Turner who inducted McCreery as the newest member, after McCreery impressed the American idol judges in 2011 by singing some of Turner’s songs.

“Josh, he’s always been a hero of mine,” McCreery said. “I’ve been lucky to call him a friend now for quite a few years. The only thing wrong with him is he’s a Duke basketball fan. But other than that, I love that guy.”

 

The North Carolina native’s American Idol performance came only a couple of weeks before the release of his long-awaited Rise and Fallecord.

“I have never been so fired up for a record,” McCreery told Seacrest. “We wrote all these songs in the mountains of North Carolina, and I can’t wait for y’all to hear it.”

Before he was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, McCreery spoke about his time on American Idol, which kickstarted his career in a way no one, especially him, expected.

“The journey started differently than I was anticipating,” McCreery said backstage at the Grand Ole Opry. “I never had a plan of going on TV. My plan was always to go to college at either Belmont or Middle Tennessee, and then after that, hit the bars, hit the honky tonks, and see what happens. But Idol worked out.”

McCreery just dropped “Lonely” as the final track he will release ahead of the album’s May 10 release date.

“I do think there’s a song on there for everybody,” McCreery told Everything Nash. “My previous records used to be so autobiographical. They were autobiographical. And this one, there are a couple of songs on there. But I really feel like there are songs for different seasons of life, different times, your party songs, your serious songs, your love songs, your heartbreak songs. You got a little taste of everything.”

Find all of McCreery’s music and upcoming shows, and pre-order Rise and Fall, at ScottyMcCreery.com.

Photo Credit: Disney/Eric McCandless

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