Scotty McCreery: Newest Idol

Scotty McCreery: Newest Idol

The winner of the 10^th season of American Idol was revealed on Wednesday. Scotty McCreery, a 17-year-old high school student from Garner, N.C., was crowned as the newest Idol after performing nearly flawlessly throughout the season. And he did it with an unwavering commitment to country music – even when challenged with other genres. During the show's installment of Elton John tunes, McCreery uncovered John's "Country Comfort" and made it his own.

"You have amazing instincts about performing and about what's right for you," judge Jennifer Lopez told him afterward.

In the end, McCreery's biggest adversary among the top 13 singers was the one most like him: 16-year-old fellow country darling Lauren Alaina of Rossville, Ga. Despite her vocal cord injury that needed medical treatment before their sing-off on Tuesday's finale, the judges proclaimed that Alaina overpowered McCreery with her soaring vocal spectrum.

The viewers didn’t agree. McCreery built a stronger connection with the audience than Alaina, who sometimes wilted under the lights of the “Idol” stage while McCreery always sizzled. McCreery had one clue why viewers picked him while sitting in his dressing room after the finale.

"It's because I'm one of them," he said. "I was just a kid who was bagging groceries three months ago."

The matchup between McCreery and Alaina, who individually performed with country icon Tim McGraw and fourth season "Idol" winner Carrie Underwood on Wednesday, marked the youngest finale duel in "Idol" history. Producers lowered the minimum age requirement to 15 years old this season, which allowed Alaina the opportunity to audition last year.

McCreery’s victory was almost not a surprise to “Idol” fan. Several online outfits predicted that McCreery eould take the top prize home.

"I left Garner as Scotty, and I'm still Scotty as the `American Idol' winner," McCreery said on Wednesday.

McCreery follows the footsteps of four previous “Idol” champions who are also charming and humble young men. And his win could be attributed to the biggest bloc of “Idol” voters, namely the howlers looking for their next heartthrob.

Before he records his debut album, McCreery will tour with the top 11 finalists. He said he wants his album to be filled with "good songs. It's all about the songs from here on out. If you don't have hit songs, you don't have a career."

But there's something McCreery will have to attend to first: He said he needs just one more class to graduate from high school.

Posted by M.Ferrer on Friday May 27 2011, 4:15 AM EDT. Ref: AP. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Entertainment, Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0