McCreery knows NFL-level pressure
A decade ago, Scotty McCreery won “American Idol.” At age 17.
So the country music star and huge NFL fan knows all about the pressure players face. Maybe even more so: Remember, as well as he might have performed on stage, fans across the country were casting votes for who would win the competition. Not exactly something in McCreery’s control.
“Yeah, sometimes it feels like yesterday and other days it feels like 30 years ago,” McCreery says with a laugh. “We were working 24/7 from the time we went to Los Angeles until the end. We learned songs, did rehearsals, recorded in the studio, shot promotional footage, did interviews, met guest artists who came in to work with us, and more. It was like going to music artist boot camp, similar to athletes in training.
“The biggest lesson I learned was how to keep calm in the midst of chaos.”
That’s a lesson he easily could have taken from the former quarterback of McCreery’s favorite NFL team, Tom Brady.
“My dad was raised in New England, so he was a big Patriots fan, and he raised me that way as well,” he says. “They’ll always be my No. 1 team. It wasn’t always the popular choice in North Carolina, though.
“I’ve sung the national anthem at Gillette
Stadium, and the Patriots have had me perform at a few Super Bowl week events. They definitely know I’m a fan.”
McCreery tends to drop football references in some of his songs, and on his recently released album “Same Truck,” a lyric mentions “there’s different color helmets on our Friday night home teams.”
McCreery had plenty of time to put together “Same Truck” during the pandemic.
It’s also his first album in three years and came after he got married. He says his wife, Gabi, is the inspiration for all of his love songs.
“I like for my albums to feel like I’m having a conversation with the listener and revealing who I am,” he says. “This album is me at age 27. Most of the songs were written during the pandemic — except for my first single, ‘You Time,’ and a couple of others. That was the longest I’ve been home since I was 17 years old, and the silver lining was that it gave me plenty of time to look back and reflect on my life.”
Naturally, McCreery loves to sing, and he admits there are still anxious moments when he is performing, whether it’s the national anthem or “God Bless America” or similar songs.
“It’s always nervewracking to sing the national anthem,” he says. “It’s not the easiest song to sing and you certainly don’t want to forget the words in front of all the people in the stadium (and sometimes on TV). Everyone knows those lyrics and are quick to call you out if you mess them up. And let’s face it, the audience in the stadium is there to see the team play, not the singer … and I don’t blame them.”
Sept. 26 birthdays: Actor Mary Beth Hurt is 75. Singer-actor Olivia NewtonJohn is 73. Singer-guitarist Cesar Rosas is 67. Actor Linda Hamilton is 65. TV personality Jillian Barberie is 55. Actor Jim Caviezel is 53. Singer Shawn Stockman is 49. Music producer Dr. Luke is 48. Singer and TV personality Christina Milian is 40.