On Sunday night (April 28), Scotty McCreery returned to the stage where his career started when he won American Idol 13 years ago.

Scotty McCreery was just 17 years old when he took home the American Idol crown in 2011. The North Carolina native is the series’ youngest male winner ever and is one of the show’s greatest success stories.

It was only fitting that McCreery return to the stage where he got his start to promote his soon-to-be released album, Rise & Fall. Scotty performed the album’s lead single, “Cab In A Solo,” marking his first televised performance of the heartbreak ballad.

Ahead of his Idol return, Scotty spoke to Country Now about it, saying, “It’s fun. Especially as ‘Cab In A Solo’ is kind of starting to peak on the charts…So it’ll be fun to play that on TV show where I got started.

He added that he is excited to meet this season’s contestants as he vividly remembers when he was in their shoes.

“I’m always happy to chat and help them any way I can. I mean, it’s a ringer they put you through on Idol. Any of those TV shows, not just Idol. It’s a lot at once and you’ve got to just do your best to get through it and sound good and pick great songs and look confident,” he told the outlet. “If I can help, I love doing that stuff.”

Scotty McCreery‘s American Idol performance comes on the heels of two huge career milestones.

Five months after Garth Brooks invited Scotty to become the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry, the “Five More Minutes” singer was officially inducted. Josh Turner and Randy Travis had the honor of welcoming McCreery to the hallowed Opry family on Saturday, April 20.