15 years ago, the world was introduced to Scotty McCreery when he auditioned for Season 10 of American Idol. The young country artist from North Carolina advanced through each stage of the competition until he was named the season’s winner.
With 2026 marking the 15th anniversary of McCreery’s Idol win and, therefore, the start of his career, he wanted to release something special to commemorate the milestone. That “something” became his latest album, appropriately titled 15.
Released on July 17th, the record includes nine of McCreery’s previous hits and four brand-new recordings. Three of those recordings are covers of classic country favorites, including Conway Twitty‘s “Hello Darlin’.”
“Hello Darlin’” has been a staple in McCreery’s concert set for years. Fans always look forward to hearing his charming version of the timeless song. Now, they have an official studio version to enjoy wherever they may go.
McCreery teased his recording of “Hello Darlin’” with a short video posted to his various social media platforms on June 23rd. The clip quickly went viral, soaring past 41 million views on Instagram alone.
It also surpassed 39 million views on Facebook and over 1.3 million views on TikTok.
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On Wednesday (July 22), McCreery expressed his disbelief over the video’s success. He wrote, “40 million views later 🤯” before informing fans that the full recording of his “Hello Darlin’” cover is available now!
You can listen to that recording of “Hello Darlin’” in the video below. You can also hear the song by streaming or downloading 15 wherever you listen to music.
Scotty McCreery Also Included A Josh Turner Duet On His New Album
Scotty McCreery also included his version of “Your Man” on 15. He famously covered the romantic Josh Turner song during his audition for American Idol in 2011.
McCreery brought things full circle with his new recording of “Your Man,” because it features Turner as a guest vocalist.
“Getting to know him has been something little Scotty would never have imagined, and having the honor of recording ‘Your Man’ with him is a moment I’ll never get over,” McCreery said in a press release about their collaboration.
Turner gave McCreery his flowers, saying:
“He came on the scene singing that song and has had a great career ever since.” Turner went on to crack a joke, remarking, “Of course, I take credit for all of his success! Congrats to Scotty on 15 years! It’s no small feat.“
Hear Scotty McCreery and Josh Turner sing “Your Man” together in the video below!
