Scotty McCreery Prepares For A 'New Life' As An American Idol

By Michael Lopez

A little bit of history was made last night on the American Idol stage. For the first time since the show's inception, a Latin-blooded singer took home the competition's top honor. And even though he's just a quarter Puerto Rican, Scotty McCreery has been proudly proclaiming his Hispanic roots for weeks. Speaking to Tr3s via conference call this morning, he shared his thoughts on the win.

"It’s pretty wild," Scotty explained. "I never would have expected this, but I’m handling it well. It’s my new life now."

In a truly over-the-top finale, A.I.'s favorite contestants came back for duets with their favorite celebrities. James Durbin wailed classic metal songs alongside Judas Priest, Jacob Lusk sang gospel with Gladys Knight, even Jack Black stepped up to the mic for a wild singalong with Casey Abrams. But, as expected, all eyes were on Scotty, who gave the crowd a huge smile when his name was announced.

"I was more than nervous going into last night," McCreery told us. "Everyone this year was so talented!"

And it wasn't just the competitors who had talent, judges Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez also got up on stage and strutted their stuff. Tyler sat at the piano and played bits of Aerosmith's classic, “Dream On.” And J.Lo got a little help from her famous hubby, who wowed the crowd with his interpretation of "Aguanile."

Despite the wide array of music displayed this season, Scotty promised his fans that he won't be abandoning his country roots.

"Country music is what I grew up with," he said. "It’s what I do. I figured it got me this far, why change it?"

And seeing how he is the first "Latino" Idol, we had to ask him about his Spanish skills.

"I don’t speak Spanish," McCreery confessed. "My grandma asked me when I was young, she said, 'do you want to learn Spanish?' I should have because I think it would have helped me a lot."

Don't fret, Scotty, it's never too late to learn (and possibly record in) español.

Did Scotty deserve to win? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags American Idol, Exclusive Entrevistas, Hot Stuff, Jennifer Lopez, Música, Scotty McCreery, Steven Tyler, Television, Tr3s Exclusives