"American Idol" season 10 winner Scotty McCreery has been chosen to perform the "goodbye" song for Season 11 of American Idol, FOX’s hit singing-competition series.
"It’s always a sad time whenever this song is played, but it’s definitely a really big part of the show," Scotty said in a press release. "I never had to experience that feeling personally, but I always felt the pain because we became such a close family on the show. We were such a tight-knit group of people, so it was always sad to see people go. The send-off song was always a way to stay connected to the show. I’m glad they chose me to do it."
Scotty selected the Tim McGraw hit "Please Remember Me" as the "goodbye" song that will be played after a contestant is eliminated and video highlights of the contestant’s experiences on Idol are shown. The song will debut on "American Idol" on Thursday.
Scotty will perform on "American Idol" later this season. "I am pumped!" he said. "That was my launching pad and what gave me my platform to do what I’m doing now. Anytime I can go back and see some familiar faces and say thanks, I will be the first one to do it.
Scotty's debut album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 and Top Country Albums charts, making him the youngest man in history to open at the top of the all-genre chart with a debut release. It also garnered the highest sales of any country solo album released last year and held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart for six weeks.
Scotty has been nominated for this year’s Academy of Country Music New Artist of the Year Award, which will be given out during the 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas on April 1.
