Clear As Day

"We've been working hard on this album not only in Nashville, but in studios across the country because I've been on the Idol tour," he says. "We're putting what I believe are the best songs we could find on it and I really hope everyone likes it. The whole experience has been amazing! I love working with my album producer, Mark Bright, and have gotten to work with some of the best musicians in Nashville!"

Scotty has been well-received by the country music industry since winning Season 10 of American Idol in May 2011, as evidenced by the fact that some of the best writers in country music wrote songs specifically for this project, which can be unheard of for a new artist. "We've got songs on it from some of the best songwriters in country music," he says. "I'm so fortunate to have so many talented people contributing to my first album."

Seventeen-year-old Scotty is the youngest male winner in the nine-year history of American Idol. A record-breaking 122.4 million votes were cast for Scotty and runner-up Lauren Alaina. The final show attracted 29.3 million viewers and 38.6 million people tuned in to see the winner's name announced.

Scotty's new album is a collection of songs in the same straight-ahead country style that captured the nation's hearts - and votes--on the show. It's the next step in a promising career that is already breaking records. "It has some old country influences and elements, but it also has a contemporary feel with fun up-tempo songs," Scotty says. "It's a good mixture. You can hear some of the influences that I grew up with, like Hank Williams, Conway Twitty and Merle Haggard, but it still has a contemporary twist and feel that keeps it up to date."

"I chose these songs because they mean a lot to me, but I think everybody can relate to these kinds of songs," Scotty says. "Clear As Day just sounded like a great album title, but it's also one of my favorite songs on the album, and I love the message behind the song which was written by Casey Beatherd, Phil O'Donnell and Adam Wheeler."

His producer, Mark Bright, says Scotty's fans will be impressed by Scotty's debut album. "His voice is shockingly great," he says. "Everybody knows Scotty has a deep voice, but what a lot of people don't know is that he has a pretty high range. His listeners will get to hear the nuances, emotions and actual range of his voice."

The album's debut single is "I Love You This Big," soared into the Top 25 after only three weeks of the release and had the highest debut on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for a new artist's first single since 1984.