Scotty McCreery Recalls When Priscilla Presley Told Him 'Elvis Would Have Loved You': 'Best Compliment'

Scotty McCreery received high praise from Priscilla Presley.

During the performance at Show Jennifer Hudson on Wednesday, June 12, McCreery recalled meeting Priscilla backstage American Idol — and the sweet compliment she gave him.

At one point, Hudson asked McCreery, 30, what his favorite performance of the show was, and he said it was singing Elvis Presley’s “That’s All Right, Mama” during Rock and Roll Week.

“I love the guy, but the highlight was that Priscilla was there at the show, and I got to talk to her between commercial breaks,” he said. “She looked at me and said, ‘Scotty, can I tell you something?’ I said, ‘Absolutely, Priscilla.'”

She said, ‘Elvis would love you,'” he recalled of his conversation with Priscilla, now 79. “Oh my God. After that I had to sing! But that was the best compliment I ever got.”

Scotty McCreery Brings Joy to New Album, Writes & Sings ‘What Feels Good’ (Exclusive)

Looking back on his journey since the singing competition – which he won aged 16 in 2011 – the “Five More Minutes” singer said it had “been a wild ride”.

“I think if someone had said to me at 16 when I was auditioning for a show, ‘Hey, 13 years later you’re still going to be doing this. Writing country songs. Touring the country, the world, having fun’ — I would have shook their hand right away. and said I’ll take the job, this is fun,” he said.

Although he is grateful for his experience on the show — he also revealed why he would never be a judge on the show.

“Absolutely not. I don’t want to do that. And you?” asked Hudson, who appeared on the show in 2004. “I know how it feels to be on stage, to be judged. I don’t want to put that on anyone else.”

Scotty McCreery and Jennifer Hudson.

Chris Haston/Warner Bros.

Jennifer Hudson and Scotty McCreery reminisce about theirs American Idol Experiences: ‘We are all connected’

On May 10, McCreery released his fifth studio album Rise and fall — and reflects how far he’s come since he was 16 Idol.

“Where I am, as a man and a husband and a dad… I mean, life is just great,” he told PEOPLE at the time. “Career-wise, I’m not sure I’ve ever been in a more rewarding place. I’m just enjoying where I am and I think that by making this record, I allowed myself to try new things because of that.”

This time, “I didn’t want to put up any guardrails — no rules,” he added. “Let’s just write what’s good.”

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Source: HIS Education