American Idol Scotty McCreery's debut album, Clear As Day, has been certified gold for sales of more than 500,000. The album currently sits at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, a spot it has held for an impressive five weeks since its Oct. 4 release.
"It's huge!" Scotty says of his first gold album. "Every artist dreams of a gold album and works hard for it, so it's a major accomplishment to have your debut album go gold. This is just incredible.
"I want to thank the fans," he says. "This is a testament to how great the fans are."
Clear As Day debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 and Top Country Albums charts, making him the youngest man in history to open at the top of the all-genre chart with a debut release. It also garnered the highest first-week sales of any solo country artist this year.
The album's first single, "I Love You This Big," has also been certified gold.
He will be a part of Brad Paisley's 2012 tour that begins Jan. 12 in Grand Rapids, Mich.
