Charming his way up to "American Idol" finale with his deep voice, seventeen years old Scotty McCreery won the tenth season of the singing competition in May 2011. He was the second youngest Idol finalist to win after Jordin Sparks from season 6.

Scotty was born on October 9, 1993 in Garner, North Carolina to an American mother and half-Puerto Rican father. "Yes, I'm Puerto Rican,. I have a little bit of J.Lo in me," he said with a smile. Little Scotty was keen on impersonating Elvis Presley and began learning how to play guitar at the age of ten.

Scotty was actively singing in his middle and high school, joining a vocal ensemble called Die Meistersingers as tenor before switching to bass. He once won a singing competition at the Clayton Harvest Festival in Clayton, North Carolina.

Looking for a big break, Scotty auditioned for the tenth season of "Idol" in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He immediately caught Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler's attention with his deep voice which was uncommon for his age. As he advanced in the competition, Scotty started gaining popularity. He was one of the five male vote getters in the semi-final round to advance to the Top 13.

At the final, Scotty and fellow country singer Lauren Alaina battled for the title. He won through votes and sang "I Love You This Big" as his coronation single. The song sold 171,404 units in its first week of sale. He was later signed to Mercury Nashville with $250,000 payment advance.