Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Scotty McCreery with a plaque celebrating his first number one single.

When the Billboard 200 came out this week, Scotty’s new album, “Seasons Change,” checked in at number seven.

As for the country albums chart: Scotty zipped right to number one, for the third time in a career that didn’t look all that promising a couple of years ago.

Yep, Scotty also hit number one with his first two albums after winning Season 10 of American Idol in 2011.

But “Southern Belle,” the country-pop lead single for album number three with Mercury Nashville failed to click with fans.

And instead of releasing album number three, Scotty wound up being dropped by Mercury Nashville in early 2016.

“In Nashville, in particular, if you get dealt a fatal blow like what we got dealt in 2016, you don’t often get a second chance,” Scotty told the Associated Press. “So I knew if we were going to bet my career on anything, the resurgence of my career, I am going to bet on ‘Five More Minutes.'”

That’s the song Scotty wrote about the death of his grandfather. It was gaining popularity even before he signed a new record deal with Triple Tiger Records last summer.

Since then, “Five More Minutes” has become Scotty’s first-ever number one single. And “Seasons Change” — featuring 11 songs Scotty co-wrote — has completed his resurgence.

Scotty’s currently touring to support his new album. To check out all his upcoming tour dates, head here. You also might want to check out his recent interview with his hometown TV station.