Scotty McCreery was only a teenager when he won American Idol 14 years ago, and he’s now been busy reflecting on his time on the show.

The 31-year-old country music singer beat Lauren Alaina, Haley Reinhar, and James Durbin to become the champion of Season 10 of American Idol. However, it wasn’t easy for Scotty.

In an exclusive interview, Scotty admitted the show expected a lot more work to be put in than he’d anticipated.

“Back then, it was two nights a week, and you see the performance night, and then you see the elimination night. And that was kind of it,” he explained.

Scotty continued, “But I’m not sure I realized we basically work seven days a week for, you know, four months straight and [with] very little breaks. I think we had one day off, and it was Easter.”

The American Idol winner explained how contestants gained experience “going to the recording studio and shooting music videos and doing magazine shoots and doing appearances and getting rehearsals and doing choreography” all while participating in the show.

He told us, “It was a lot, you know, but I think it was a good preparation for me and for what the music business is all about.”

Scotty was 17 when he won American Idol, having auditioned at just 16 years old. He admitted he had “dreamed” of winning, but added, “I’m not sure I expected the dream to come true, but, you know, I’m super glad I did.”

The In Between hitmaker said he feels “very blessed” to have won American Idol, adding, “The excitement level is still there.”

Reflecting on his time on the show, Scotty admitted he was unsure of what he was doing when he started.

“I started so young off Idol,” the singer explained. “I really didn’t know what I was doing and was just trying to hold on for dear life.”

That’s all changed now, however, as he told us, “Now, I feel like we’re in a groove and I kind of know the music business inside and out.

“I know, you know, what kind of sounds that I want to make and what songs I want to sing and stories I want to tell. And so I think just the comfort level for me is the biggest change from, you know, starting out so young, not knowing what I was doing to now just kind of, you know, it’s always weird to feel like the veteran and still only be 31 years old. But that’s that’s kind of where I’m at.”