Scotty McCreery loses label, finds himself

It's been seven years since Garner's Scotty McCreery began his country music career with his win on "American Idol." He was a 17-year-old with a deep, booming voice and no idea what the future would hold.

"I didn't know what was going on or what I was about to get myself into," McCreery said last week during an interview with WRAL.

After winning "Idol," McCreery saw his debut album, "Clear as Day," go to No. 1 on the Billboard charts and be certified platinum. While he saw success with singles off of his 2013 album, "See You Tonight," but failed to capture the same lightning in a bottle that he did with his debut. In 2015, after four years with Universal Records, McCreery was dropped from the label.

McCreery feared that after losing his record deal, he was losing the rights to the songs he had recorded while he was still signed. In particular, he wanted to get back a song called "Five More Minutes," which he wrote after losing his grandfather in 2015.

McCreery spent a year negotiating the purchase of those songs, still out touring as an independent artist and even releasing a memoir.

"In Nashville, in particular, if you get dealt a fatal blow like what we got dealt in 2016, you don't often get a second chance," McCreery told the Associated Press. "So I knew if we were going to bet my career on anything, the resurgence of my career, I am going to bet on 'Five More Minutes.'"

But it took losing his label to find himself and the kind of artist he wanted to be.

A few months later, a chance performance of "Five More Minutes" at the Grand Ole Opry signaled a new chapter in his career.

"I think it's got that universal appeal to it," McCreery said of the song. "Everybody's got, you know, those people that you miss ... that they've lost that they wish they could spend five more minutes with."

McCreery released "Five More Minutes" last year while still unsigned. The song became an emotional part of his live shows, earning standing ovations. He signed to independent Nashville label Triple Tigers Records. "Five More Minutes" also became McCreery's first No. 1 single on the country airplay chart.

"I think it's just the culmination of a lot of years of hard work," McCreery said. "We have had singles that have done well before, but we've never had a song before that's climbed all the way to the top of the mountain. And to have it be 'Five More Minutes' too, a song that is so special to me and so personal, it means a lot."

McCreery co-wrote all 11 songs on his recently released album, "Seasons Change."

"I feel like with everything I've been through the last few years, fans just needed to hear the story form me," he said. "So, I got to writing as many songs as I could."

Working with a great team of co-writers, McCreery said he enjoyed being involved.

"I felt like it added a personal touch to the record," he said.

The second single from the album, "This is It," is very close to the 24-year-old's heart. He plans to have it incorporated into his upcoming wedding to longtime girlfriend Gabi Dugal.

"My new single actually, 'This is It,' was kind of our engagement song," he said. "I'm not sure if I'm going to sing it or play it or what."

McCreery proposed to Dugal during a hike in the North Carolina mountains.

"When I was going up that mountain knowing I had the ring in my bookbag and was about to pop the question to her, my heart was racing. It was a 30-minute hike to get where we were going, and I got us up that mountain in five minutes."

The two met in kindergarten and grew up together.

"It's nice just because we know each other so well," he said. "She's my biggest supporter and my biggest champion, (but) she's also the girl that I'll come home and say 'You know, hey, I have the number one single in country music' and she'll say, 'That's awesome, but you know the trash needs to be taken out.'"

The two are planning a summer wedding in the mountains, and McCreery has his mind set on the food.

"I can tell you barbecue is definitely going to be part of the wedding," he said. "One of my loves about North Carolina is Eastern North Carolina barbecue, so that will be in the wedding."

A graduate of Garner Magnet High School, McCreery attended North Carolina State University. And though he splits time between Nashville and Garner, he hasn't forgotten his roots. A recent record signing event at Wal-Mart in Garner attracted more than 1,000 people. The singer signed albums and met with fans for three hours.

"A lot of them tell me how they supported me since day one - the 'Idol' days - and how much they voted for me," he said. "That means the world because that means they were genuinely invested into me as an artist and as a guy, so I love their support, the hometown support."

With his "Idol" days behind him, McCreery is ready for whatever the future holds.

"I've never been happier in life. I've having more fun than I've ever had," he said.