‘American Idol’ Scotty McCreery talks new book, Trent Harmon before Beau show Friday

Scotty McCreery, the 2011 “American Idol” winner, has made a couple of appearances on the Gulf Coast.

“I love coming down to Biloxi. This is my third time to play down there,” McCreery said in an interview with the Sun Herald. “It’s been great for me and we’ve had some great shows, so we decided it was time to come on back.”

McCreery will be back in Biloxi on Friday, July 8, with a show at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino. Although he’s no stranger to South Mississippi, his show will mark the first time McCreery has returned to the Coast as an author.

McCreery the author

In May, he released his first book, “Go Big or Go Home: The Journey Toward the Dream,” which is a collection of stories about McCreery’s life and his pursuit of becoming a major country music star.

“The book has done a lot better than I could have expected,” he said. “It’s one of those things where we wanted to try and get my story out that’s different from music, and it gave me a chance to expand on some things that I haven’t gotten to do yet.”

McCreery was just 17 when he was crowned the “American Idol” champion.

“I was 16 when I started ‘Idol,’ and I had to grow up fast, and I’m able to share some of that through the book,” he said.

Post-‘Idol’ success

While winning “Idol” is no guarantee for success in the music industry, McCreery joins 2002 winner Kelly Clarkson and 2005 winner Carrie Underwood in the chart-topping category.

His debut album in 2011, “Clear As Day,” entered the Billboard Top 200 at No. 1. He was the first country artist to open at No. 1 with a debut album.

McCreery said he is working on a new album, which will be his first since leaving the Mercury Nashville label earlier this year.

“A lot of it was finished before I made that change,” he said. “It has been an interesting year and not one that I was expecting, but we’re really just waiting on some paperwork to be completed so we can start working on the record again.

“I realized it was a business decision and I’m good with that, but it’s a little disheartening that it has taken so long to get the music out there because I don’t want the fans to have to wait so long.”

‘Idol’ finale

McCreery was one of several former “Idol” winners and contestants who returned for the show’s April 7 finale to say farewell to the talent institution that called it quits after 15 seasons.

“It was emotional for a lot of folks, but I saw it as a celebration for what it was and what it did for a lot of folks,” he said. “It’s sad to see it go but it had a great run because not a lot of things get to be on TV for 15 years these days.”

The winner of “Idol’s” final season was Amory native Trent Harmon, who was up against McComb native La’Porsha Renae for the coveted spot.

“Trent is such a talent, and he’ll do fine out in the industry,” McCreery said. “I’ve had a chance to talk to him since the show, and he’s got his head on straight as far as where he’s headed because after the show, it’s tough, but he’ll be great and I can’t wait to hear what he does.”

This story was originally published July 8, 2016 at 9:38 AM with the headline "‘American Idol’ Scotty McCreery talks new book, Trent Harmon before Beau show Friday."