Scott McCreery Kicks Off Holiday Season With Christmas Concert

American Idol winner and country starlet Scotty McCreery kicked off the holiday season with a special Christmas mini concert that aired on QVC last Tuesday. McCreery performed several singles from his holiday album, Christmas With Scotty McCreery, including Holly Jolly Christmas, Christmas Time Pretty Baby and, his personal favorite, Christmas in Heaven. "I would say Christmas in Heaven," McCreery replied, when asked about his top picks on the album. "Just because I was thinking about my grandfather, who passed on a few years ago. And I think a lot of people are going to have a personal connection with that song — really be touched by it, hopefully. The other one is probably ‘Santa Claus Is Back in Town,’ just because I was such a huge Elvis fanatic when I was growing up, and I listened to his music and was influenced by him. So it was really cool for me to be able to have an Elvis Presley song on this record."

But McCreery, who is only 19, acknowledges that it's early in his career for such an album. "It’s definitely early for a Christmas album in the country music world. A lot of people wait until they’re far down in their careers. For me, it’s just kind of another step where I’m growing as an artist. We talked about this for about a year now, and we finally got the ok to do it from the label, and everybody supports that. I was pumped up when they said yes," McCreery explained. "I think it’s a good move. I think I’m going to have a lot more time to grow and take my time with my true sophomore album after ‘Clear as Day’ and really find the right songs. You know, in the last year I’ve won awards, I’ve had sold out shows across the country, but I haven’t had that big radio hit yet. So that’s my mission right now. So I’ve got to go out there and try to find it."

Even with two new albums and touring commitments, the deep-voiced McCreery is not losing focus of his other ventures, namely his college degree. "Is it a necessity, do I need it? Not really," McCreery responded, when asked about why he needed school. "I could go and I could hopefully do this [music] for the rest of my life. But I just think it’ll make me more of a lifelong learner, and help me understand everything around me better. I’m in a world now with people that all have college degrees, so I think it behooves me to go to college and get a better understanding of everything." We're sure he can't wait for Christmas break.

Watch a clip from McCreery's special Christmas concert:

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