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“It’s the best,” Scotty McCreery said as he spoke about navigating the balance between his career as an artist and being a father to his son.
McCreery and his wife, Gabi McCreery, welcomed son Merrick Avery McCreery (who goes by Avery) in October 2022. McCreery said he’d “never known a love like this” when he announced that Avery “joined us 11 days early on October 24th at 4:34am! 7 lbs 13oz of nothin but love💙 Thank yall for all of your prayers during this exciting season of life! Healthy baby and a healthy mama! Praise God🙌🏼🙏🏼”
McCreery said when he caught up with iHeartCountry at the 59th ACM Awards that “it’s the best,” to balance his work as an artist with his life as a dad, though he acknowledged it can be challenging. “It ain’t easy figuring out that balance. I’m not really sure we’ve figured it all out yet, but we’re trying. He’s such a cool, easy baby, knock on wood. He hits the tour bus, he goes on planes, he’s just chillin’. It’s all he’s ever known, so I don’t think he’s had a choice, but he’s a good baby.”
One of the recent memories McCreery has shared with his family is his Grand Ole Opry induction date. The “Damn Strait” star became an official Opry member earlier this year, after receiving an “unreal” surprise invitation from Garth Brooks during a holiday show on the historic stage. McCreery said “my favorite snapshot in my head of that night [the night of his induction] is singing a song in the circle (and) looking over to my right. There’s my baby, there’s my wife, standing right beside Randy Travis and Josh Turner, and I was like, ‘what is life?’ It was so cool.”
Shortly after his induction, McCreery released his fifth full-length studio album, Rise & Fall. The highly-anticipated 13-track collection was “written on a back porch in the North Carolina mountains,” the singer-songwriter previously shared. The project includes “Cab In A Solo,” “Can’t Pass The Bar” — which is “a sprint for almost three minutes, for sure,” McCreery said of performing it live, after noting that he’s touring throughout the year — “Love Like This,” “Red Letter Blueprint” and other highlights. McCreery covered a lot of ground, from songs about parenthood, songs for his wife, heartbreak anthems and more. Rise & Fall follows Same Truck, Seasons Change, See You Tonight and Clear As Day.
“‘Rise and Fall’ is my favorite album I’ve ever made. Not even close,” McCreery told iHeartCountry. “We took all my songwriting buddies our place in the mountains in North Carolina, sat around a fireplace with guitars and wrote country music. No phones, no nothing. It felt like the old days.”