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A North Carolina singer is looking back on his career — and he’s sharing new music with fans.
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Scotty McCreery just dropped “15,” an album reflecting on his rise to stardom after winning “American Idol” in 2011.
“Putting this record together has reminded me of just how much life has happened over the last 15 years,” McCreery wrote June 29 in a Facebook post. “So many songs, so many memories, and so many moments I never could’ve imagined.”
Here’s what to know about the country music star and his retrospective album, which debuted Friday, July 17.
McCreery, 32, was born in the Raleigh suburb of Garner. His signature voice won over fans more than a decade ago when he performed on the 10th season of the music competition show “American Idol.”
If you want to reminisce, you’re in luck. McCreery recently posted a video of his audition on Instagram.
“McCreery would eventually become ‘Idol’s’ youngest male winner and second youngest winner overall at the age of 17,” The N.C. Music Hall of Fame wrote on its website. “One of the highlights of that season was his return to Garner for a huge show at Lake Benson Park that attracted a live audience bigger than the population of the town.”
Since then, he has released several Billboard hit songs, including “This is It” and “Bottle Rockets” — a collaboration with the rock band Hootie & the Blowfish. He also has been inducted into the N.C. Music Hall of Fame in Kannapolis and the Grand Ole Opry in Tennessee, according to a news release and the singer’s website.
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The album “15” was created as a retrospective, comprised of nine old favorites and four new songs. Those tracks include a collaboration with singer Josh Turner, whom McCreery has long admired.
“While the album is not specifically about North Carolina, Scotty is one of the state’s best representatives and everything he does reflects his love of his home state from his upbringing to current day when he’s raising his kids,” Scott Stem, manager for McCreery, told The News & Observer in a Thursday, July 16 email.
For example, the death of McCreery’s grandfather inspired the album’s song “Five More Minutes,” and his wife Gabi inspired several other tracks. Here’s the full list of what’s on the new record:
Fans can listen to the new album, which dropped at midnight Friday, July 17.
The digital version is available for streaming across multiple platforms, including Apple Music, Amazon Music and Spotify. See the full list of online listening options at tripletigers.lnk.to/fifteen.
If you want a physical copy, “the album is available at ScottyMcCreery.com, TalkShopLive, and Amazon. It will also be in many Barnes & Noble stores, and it is available in the Opry Store at the Grand Ole Opry,” Stem wrote.
Autographed vinyls and CDs also are being sold at scottymccreery.com.
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This story was originally published July 17, 2026 at 9:47 AM.