His debut studio album, Clear as Day, was released in October 2011 and was certified platinum in the United States.

[7] In 2024, McCreery received one of country music's crowning achievements when he became a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

[13] McCreery went on to join a vocal ensemble called Die Meistersingers that was formed by his high school chorus teacher, Meredith Clayton, and with which he performed across the United States.

[23][25] Later the same year, he was one of thirty-six finalists in a contest called Rip the Hallways, which featured teenage vocalists from across North Carolina.

[21] On the eve of Valentine's Day, 2010, McCreery performed in a variety show called Gift 4, which was held by the town of Garner.

He originally planned on auditioning in Nashville, but decided not to when he discovered that the date conflicted with an annual church camp.

[32] For the subsequent Group Round, he joined with Jacee Badeaux, Frances Coontz, Clint Jun Gamboa, and Monique de los Santos.

However, during a late stage of their preparation, Gamboa decided that Badeaux was not contributing enough to the group and forced him to leave.

[33][34][35] For his second Hollywood Week solo performance, McCreery sang "I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Womack.

The judges decided to give him another chance though,[36] and following a well-received performance of Josh Turner's "Long Black Train", selected him as one of the twenty-four contestants that would move forward to the voting rounds of the competition.

[37][38] McCreery did not venture far out of the country genre throughout the competition,[39][40][41] although one of his most acclaimed performances was of Carole King's "You've Got a Friend".

[49] While back in Garner, McCreery made an appearance at his high school's prom, threw the first pitch at a baseball game between the North Carolina State Wolfpack and the Florida State Seminoles, and performed for a crowd of around thirty-thousand at Lake Benson Park.

[50][51] McCreery entered the finale with fellow country singer Lauren Alaina,[52] with whom he had shared duets several times that season.

They lived in a mansion with the other contestants for a short time, but moved into an apartment of their own before the end of the series.

[13] McCreery released his coronation single "I Love You This Big" immediately after winning the tenth season of American Idol.

A music video for the song, shot on Angels Point near Dodger Stadium, was released on August 9, 2011.

Tour 2011, which began in West Valley City, Utah, on July 6, 2011, and ended in Manila, Philippines on September 21, 2011.

[71] On October 3, 2011, the day before his debut album was scheduled to be released, GAC premiered a TV special, Introducing: Scotty McCreery.

1 on Billboard 200 with their first studio album, as well as the youngest man to open at the top of the chart with his debut release.

The news that "The Trouble with Girls", along with the album Clear as Day, had been certified gold coincided with McCreery's appearance on Today on November 23, 2011.

at the "Christmas in Washington" gala, an annual seasonal celebration benefiting the Children's National Medical Center attended by the President.

On April 7, 2016, he returned to American Idol for the original series' final show, performing a country medley with Idol alumni Kellie Pickler, Lauren Alaina, Kree Harrison, Bucky Covington, Constantine Maroulis, Ace Young, Diana DeGarmo, and Skylar Laine.

On August 5, 2018, McCreery appeared on "Celebrity Family Feud" and won $25,000 for his charity, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

[123] McCreery said that during his childhood, he listened to Merle Haggard, George Jones, and Conway Twitty; and he cites Elvis Presley as his greatest musical influence.

Headlining Co-headlining Supporting In 2011, McCreery participated in Operation Christmas Child, a program dedicated to donating toys to impoverished children around the world.

[130] Every year since then, he has participated in the City of Hope Celebrity Softball Game, which raises funds for cancer research.

[138] He has an active role in promoting the Foundation's arts program, supporting their fundraising efforts, and creating awareness for their vision and objectives to help the people of Newtown, Connecticut.

[139] In December 2017, McCreery and other country artists recorded a charity single, a cover of Alabama's "Angels Among Us," to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

[140] McCreery appeared on "Celebrity Family Feud" on August 5, 2018, and won $25,000 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

[110] In 2017 McCreery received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest civilian award given by the State of North Carolina.