The final season of American Idol begins Wednesday night (January 6^th) with judges Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick, Jr. Scotty McCreery, who took home the title in 2011 on Season 10, says he’s really proud to have been on American Idol, and plans to make an appearance or two this year.

“Idol is one of the biggest shows in pop culture history, but also television history. So, it’s really cool to be a part of that, being with Carrie, Kellie and all sorts of folks. It’s really been an honor to carry that flag, to carry that torch around the country and [it] did a lot of great things for me, that show. So, sad to see that go, but it had a great run,” he says. “Proud to be a part of it, proud of what the show did for a lot of folks, you know, your next-door neighbor could be the American Idol. That was what was so great about the show, and that was me. I was bagging groceries, and now I’m on your radio, so it’s been a cool four, five years after. Sad to see it go. Bittersweet, but it’ll be a fun final season.”

Scotty is set to release his first book, Go Big or Go Home: The Journey Toward the Dream, in May.