Scotty McCreery Reflects on 10-Year Anniversary of ‘American Idol’ Audition

Scotty McCreery‘s American Idol audition aired 10 years ago this week on Jan. 26, 2011, and resulting few months would go on to change the then-teenager’s life. In a post on Instagram on Tuesday, McCreery looked back on his audition, which took place during Season 10 of the reality singing competition.

“Absolutely cannot believe its been a DECADE since my Idol audition aired!” he captioned a clip of the moment. “10 years ago tonight started me on the most insane journey I could ever dream of. Thanks for being there with me every step of the way! Here’s to another 10 years yall.”

On his Instagram Story, he added, “Can’t believe it’s been a decade since this aired,” joking, “and to think I was just trying to meet @JLO.”

McCreery auditioned for judges Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson, briefly chatting with them before he sang. After revealing that he was 16, Lopez noted that he had a “deep voice,” to which McCreery replied, “I get that a lot.” “I hope you can sing!” a charmed Lopez told him. The then-teen soon proved he could do just that with a rendition of Josh Turner‘s “Your Man,” which allowed him to show off his impressive baritone.

“You make me smile,” Lopez declared before Tyler asked McCreery to sing another song that would show off the higher part of his range. He obliged, performing singing Travis Tritt‘s “Put Some Drive in Your Country.” “Well, hellfire, save matches, f— a duck and see what hatches,” Tyler exclaimed, drawing a reaction from the entire room.

“It ain’t nothin’ I ain’t heard in high school, brother,” McCreery said. All three judges unanimously voted to send him to the next round, where he continued to impress them and viewers at home, ultimately winning the show that May at age 17.

After winning Idol, the North Carolina native released his debut studio album, Clear As Day, in October 2011. The album included the Top 20 singles “I Love You This Big” and “The Trouble with Girls” and was followed by a Christmas album, Christmas With Scotty McCreery, the next year. McCreery released his third album, See You Tonight, in 2013, earning a Top 10 hit with the album’s title track.

In 2017, he released the single “Five More Minutes,” which gave McCreery his first No. 1 and became the first song released without a record label to ever chart on the Country Aircheck/Mediabase Top 50. After signing a new record deal, McCreery released the No. 1 singles “This Is It” and “In Between,” and his most recent single, “You Time,” was released in September as the first single from his upcoming fifth studio album.