Ten years after Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina kicked off their careers on American Idol, the pair is set to reunite on stage.
McCreery, who won season 10 of Idol in 2011, and Alaina, the season 10 runner-up, will appear on the popular singing competition show during The Great Idol Reunion special on May 2.
The North Carolina native, McCreery, recently reflected on his time on American Idol with Alaina and how having experienced success on the show didn’t quite translate to musical success.
“I think for the both of us, we went through that together,” McCreery told Radio.com. “We had a Country finale, which I’m still so proud about, on the biggest show that was out there. But it’s true. I think you’re a TV star when you come off that show, but I don’t think anybody goes on that show to become a TV star,” he said.
“Idol helped us get known, but I would say both of us were looking more so for the songs. Because in Country music it’s all about the song,” he later added.
Scotty McCreery And Lauren Alaina Have A “Brother-Sister” Relationship
McCreery also recalled hearing Alaina sing for the first time on Idol during a recent interview at this year’s Tortuga Music Festival with Audacy’s Rob and Holly.
“I’ll never forget my first time meeting Lauren Alaina,” McCreery said. “It was Hollywood week and I’m listening to her singing, thinking, ‘oh my God, like, she is incredible,’ thinking she’s going to go all the way, and obviously she did.”
In addition, McCreery shared that even though he and Alaina don’t talk every day, they maintain a “brother-sister” relationship.
McCreery and Alaina performed multiple duets together during their stint on Idol, including a cover of Randy Travis’ song, “I Told You So.” The duet aired during the Top 11 results show in March 2011.
Since finishing Idol, McCreery has released five studio albums, including his most recent, Same Truck (2021). He also became the only country artist in history to chart on the Country Aircheck/Mediabase Top 50 with his song, “Five More Minutes” in July 2017 after he’d been dropped by his record label.
Alaina has also had her share of success following Idol. In September 2021, Alaina released her latest album, Sitting Pretty on Top of the World, which includes her collaboration with Jon Pardi, “Getting Over Him.” In addition, she was invited to become a Grand Ole Opry member by Trisha Yearwood last December and was recently inducted in the famed institution in February 2022.
McCreery and Alaina will be joined by fellow Idol alums, Ruben Studdard, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, Kris Allen, Laine Hardy, Laci Kaye Booth, Maddie Poppe, Caleb Lee Hutchinson, Willie Spence and Grace Kinstler on May 2 during Idol as part of ‘The Great Idol Reunion’ special.
