"Southern Belle" is a song recorded by American country music singer Scotty McCreery. It was released on August 17, 2015, to digital retailers and released to radio on August 31, 2015, by Mercury Nashville.[1] The song only charted at 45 on the BillboardCountry Airplay chart, resulting in Mercury Nashville dropping McCreery from the label.[2]
Content
The song was written by Sean McConnell and Jason Saenz. It moves McCreery away from traditional country and more towards pop.[3] In an interview with Rolling Stone Country, McCreery said "This is probably about as far left as we'll go."[4] "Southern Belle" contains more mature themes than McCreery's previous releases.[5] McCreery acknowledges that it shows a different side of him than his public image.
Critical reception
Taste of Country said that McCreery breaks expectations. McCreery's performance evolves throughout the song.[6] Matt Bjorke of Roughstock says the song will appeal to a wide range of audiences and blends traditional and contemporary country well.[7]
Commercial performance
In its first week, it sold 7,000 copies and debuted at number 36 on the Country Digital Songs charts.[8] It also debuted at number 58 on the U.S. BillboardCountry Airplay chart for the week of October 3, 2015. It reached a peak of number 45, becoming his lowest-charting single and first to miss the top 40.
