Scotty McCreery Plans for ‘Intense’ Few Years

Scotty McCreery's future looks bright ... and busy! The 18-year-old plans on juggling college courses this fall with touring with Brad Paisley on the Virtual Reality tour, as well as recording his sophomore album. He chalks his crazy calendar up to just paying his dues.

"This what I want to do for the rest of my life," Scotty tells Billboard. "You've got to put in the work early to be able to do that for the next few years down the road. It's pretty intense. It's getting to be ... I don't want to say a job, but it's getting to be like that. I'm taking it seriously. But I love it."

The North Carolina native rose to fame by winning the tenth season of "American Idol" last year, but he says even without the hit TV talent show, he would still be working just as hard. "I never wanted to sit behind a desk; that wasn't me," explains the former grocery store clerk. "I love entertaining. If I wasn't on ['American Idol'] I would've tried to head to Nashville and make it the traditional way."

The recent high school graduate saw his debut album, Clear as Day, soar to the top of the charts and earn platinum status, but his thoughts are already on the new set of tunes. "We've [started] to get in the mode of writing and stuff," he notes. "We've already got a few winners picked out ... I like the process of making an album. The first one I did was a little rushed; I didn't get to enjoy it or get creative with it. This one we're going to take our time and really make a good album."

One thing the "Water Tower Town" singer hopes to offer with the upcoming CD is a more personal glimpse into his own life. "I just want people to really see me this time," he explains. "I don't want to get caught up in the sappy love songs; those are important, but I want them to get a feel for who I am as an artist and sing about real things in life. Hopefully we'll get that with the songs and have some fun with it as well."

The Virtual Reality tour has upcoming shows in New York, New Jersey and Wyoming. See a complete list of concert dates here.