Scotty McCreery is returning home to Garner to celebrate his new album. How to see him.

Ten years after winning “American Idol,” Scotty McCreery is releasing his fifth studio album this week, and he’s coming back home celebrate in Garner, the town that catapulted him to country music fame.

McCreery’s new album, “Same Truck,” a follow-up to 2018’s “Seasons Change,” will be released Friday. The 12-track album is supported by multiple singles, including “Why You Gotta Be Like That,” and “You Time,” both of which are inspired by his wife, Gabi, and were released earlier this year.

On Tuesday, McCreery released another single, “Damn Strait,” a tribute to legendary country music singer and songwriter George Strait. Another song from the album, “Carolina To Me,” which honors North Carolina and compares it to a blissful afterlife, was released last month.

To launch the album, McCreery will perform, meet with fans and sign CDs at two events in Garner on Friday.

Getting to share his new music with his hometown is “huge for me,” McCreery said in an interview with The News & Observer on Wednesday.

“It’s no secret that I love North Carolina and I love Garner, and Raleigh,” said McCreery, who splits his time between Raleigh and Nashville. “They’ve had my back for 10 years now, and I think they’re a huge reason why I won the show in the first place, ‘Idol.’ They were humongous during that, and ever since then, they’ve always been so supportive.”

“Same Truck” has been in the works since 2018, and there are songs on the album that were originally written as early as 2015.

The country music chart topper kept busy during the pandemic, appearing in more than 130 online performances in 2020. When he wasn’t performing virtually, he was picking up a guitar and writing songs, McCreery said. On his new album, McCreery is credited for co-writing 10 of the 12 tracks.

Working on the album gave McCreery a chance to look back at his career and what he’s achieved, and endured, along the way.

“Some of my best stuff I think I’ve ever written is on this record,” McCreery said. “It’s very personal, too — somewhat reflective and grateful. I haven’t had time to sit down and reflect like that since I was 15 years old. I’ve been going, going, going for 10 years now.

That’s why it makes sense to debut his album with the fans and the town who know him best, he said.

“Anywhere I go in town people are saying, ‘Hey, we appreciate your music and we love what you’re doing,’ and that means the world to me,” McCreery said. “This is just a cool way for me to thank them. We could’ve, I guess, gone anywhere, but this is a chance to come back to Garner and celebrate here. This album touches on hometown stuff and people you love, and that to me will always be Garner.”

How to see Scotty McCreery

Here are details about the appearances on Friday.

▪ At 12 noon, McCreery will perform a few songs on an outdoor patio at the Aversboro Restaurant and Sports Bar, 1411 Aversboro Road, Garner. Fans can meet McCreery after the performance and buy his new album for a release-day price of $5. He will sign albums.

▪ At 5 p.m., McCreery will attend the “Greatness of Garner” football game at South Garner High School and perform at few songs at 6 p.m. South Garner is playing his alma mater, Garner Magnet High School. He will meet fans and sign CDs, which will be available for $5.

Both events are expected to take place entirely outdoors, and masks are not expected to be required. But if either venue does require mask-wearing, attendees will be expected to comply, a spokesperson for McCreery said.

In addition to the Friday events in Garner, McCreery is planning to stop by Schoolkids Records, at 2237 Avent Ferry Road in Raleigh on Sept. 22, at 5:30 p.m. He won’t be performing during that visit, but he’ll be signing CDs, which will be available for purchase.