NEWSAmerican Idol's Lauren Alaina & Scotty McCreery Sign Major-Label Deals!
June 6 2011, Published 10:31 a.m. ET
American Idol winner Scotty McCreery and runner-up Lauren Alaina have both signed major-label deals with Mercury Nashville/19 Recordings/Interscope!
OK! VIDEO: WATCH IDOL WINNER SCOTTY MCCREERY TALK THE JUSTIN BIEBER COMPARISON/LAUREN ALAINA KISS
Scotty has a lot to celebrate. Not only has the 17-year-old singer signed a major-label deal, but he also broke a record with his debut single, "I Love You This Big."
MTV News reports that Scotty's single was the highest-charting debut for a new artist in more than two decades. The song hit Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart at No. 32 last week, No. 1 on iTunes and No. 3 on the Billboard Digital Songs chart.
"I am humbled and shocked by this news," Scotty said in a statement. "I can't tell you what it means to me to be on the same charts as my musical heroes. I want to thank my fans and especially country radio for their support. I continue to be amazed by everything that has happened to me in such a short time."
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Lauren, 16, will begin work on her major-label debut (also with Mercury Nashville) after attending the CMA Music Festival in Nashville.
And both Lauren and Scotty say they will stick with singing country music.
"It's gonna be a good ol' country album," Scotty told MTV News. "I like to have that old flavor in my music, but with a contemporary feel, so we'll see where that leads me. I think it'll be a good little mix."
