After winning “American Idol” season 10 in 2011, Scotty McCreery hasn’t slowed down one bit. He’s released six albums, including a recent retrospective record titled “15,” celebrating his successful 15 years of music, has scored several No. 1 hits on the country music charts, and has played over 400 shows in the past few years.
While busy with his music career, he’s also started a family with his wife, Gabi Dugal McCreery, welcoming two sons in 2022 and 2025. In a recent interview, McCreery was asked whether being a proud father of two growing boys might lead him to slow down his career.
Scotty McCreery Isn’t Ready to Retire, But He’s Thinking About Slowing Down
GettyIn an interview with Taste of Country Nights, “American Idol” winner Scotty McCreery opened up about what life could look like in the near future, including the possibility of slowing down his career and traveling less so he can be with his wife and two young sons.
“Just the boys are growing up, you know, Avery will be 4 this year, he’ll be 5 next year,” he said. “He’s gonna start doing Little League, and he’s gonna start having events at school and I’m not always gonna want to be gone, you know.”
McCreery welcomed his first son, Merrick Avery McCreery, with his wife, Gabi Dugal McCreery, in October 2022. The couple later expanded their family when their second son, Oliver Cooke McCreery, was born in September 2025.
But that doesn’t mean retirement is around the corner. McCreery has built an impressive country music career since winning “American Idol” at just 17 in 2011. The singer might just hit the road less often.
“Yeah, the retirement thing doesn’t ever, I mean I’m only 32, I’ll be 33 here in a month or two, but I don’t, I don’t ponder retirement,” McCreery shared. “I do ponder doing less shows on the road. I think that’ll happen pretty soon.”
He continued, “I love what I do, I love the band, I love touring, I love seeing the fans, I love the music. So I’ll never, I don’t, retirement, that word never crosses my mind, but slowing down a little bit does.”
McCreery Recently Celebrated 15 Years in Music with Retrospective New Album
Having won “American Idol” 15 years ago, McCreery celebrated his music career milestone by releasing a retrospective album titled “15.”
According to Music Mayhem, the record includes 13 tracks, including his biggest hits: “Five More Minutes,” “This Is It,” “In Between,” “You Time,” “Damn Strait,” “Cab in a Solo” and “Bottle Rockets,” and four brand new songs.
“15′ is looking back on where I started, how young I was, where I’ve come, family, I’ve got back home, the family I have on the road with me, and the family I have in Nashville,” he told the outlet. “A lot’s happened in 15 years that I’m very proud of. And I think sometimes it’s good to stop, smell the roses, and just appreciate where you’re at, keep working to keep moving forward. But I think it’s such a go, go, go world. Always new, new, new, and more, more, more. I think sometimes it’s good to stop and just appreciate where you’ve been. So that’s what I’m doing with ’15.”
On Instagram, McCreery reflected on the past 15 years with a montage of his career, kicking it off with a clip of his “Idol” audition and eventual win. Fans will remember he initially sang Josh Turner’s “Your Man” and followed it up with Travis Tritt’s “Put Some Drive in Your Country.”
“Here’s to where we’ve been… and where we’re going,” he captioned his post.
