Scotty McCreery Says ‘I Gotta Pick Good Songs’ for New Album

As the hype and hoopla surrounding his 'American Idol' win swells to a fever pitch, country crooner Scotty McCreery is keeping his eyes -- the ones he uses expressively and to his advantage while performing -- on the prize. In a recent interview with Billboard, McCreery told the magazine that his focus is on getting his music out there and choosing the right songs to showcase his distinct, deep voice.

"I'm really looking forward to getting my music out there," McCreery said. "We recorded two [songs] this week and we weren't sure which one we were gonna do, and 'I Love You This Big' turned out to be the one we did. But the other one I'm really excited about, too. I think it's gonna be a great album. I gotta pick good songs -- that's what it's all about after the show is getting good songs. The fans got me to where I'm at now, so it's my job to get them the music they want to hear and to have good songs. Hopefully me and Lauren Alaina get to do a duet at some point. I'm not sure about the first album, but hopefully sometime soon."

Ah, another mention of working with runner up Alaina, who planted a monster smooch on McCreery when he won, fueling dating rumors that both continue to shoot down. "We've been getting that question a lot today," McCreery said about the "are they or aren't they" curiosity about the teens and their off-screen relationship. "Me and her, it's more like the brother-sister thing. She told me before the show yesterday that she was gonna do that, kind of like a joke. She's a character. But she's lovely, we're really close friends. I met her day one of Hollywood Week, and we were schoolmates through this whole experience."

McCreery may appear at the 2011 CMA Music Festival which runs July 9 through 12 in Nashville. "I think we're gonna try and get me and Lauren out there [to CMA Fest] this year," McCreery said. "They're trying to work out the specifics right now about where we're gonna be playing, the booth signings and maybe playing at the Grand Ole Opry. They're working all this out as we speak. But we're gonna be down there for sure, I think."

Season 4 winner (and one of the show's biggest stars) Carrie Underwood made her debut at CMA Fest and the Grand Ole Opry, so McCreery is following in some incredibly successful footsteps as he begins his post-'Idol' journey.

Watch Scotty McCreery Perform 'I Love You This Big'