Clear As Day Is Certified Gold And Sits At No 1 On Billboard Top Country Albums Chart For Fifth Week

New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Interscope Records) Scotty McCreery's debut album, Clear As Day, has been certified gold for sales of more than 500,000. The album currently sits at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, a spot it has held for an impressive five weeks since its Oct. 4 release.

"It's huge!" Scotty says of his first gold album. "Every artist dreams of a gold album and works hard for it, so it's a major accomplishment to have your debut album go gold. This is just incredible.

"I want to thank the fans," he says. "This is a testament to how great the fans are."

Clear As Day debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 and Top Country Albums charts, making him the youngest man in history to open at the top of the all-genre chart with a debut release. It also garnered the highest first-week sales of any solo country artist this year.

The album's first single, "I Love You This Big," has also been certified gold.

Scotty will perform his current hit, 'The Trouble With Girls," on the American Country Awards, which airs live on Fox tonight at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT.

He will be a part of Brad Paisley's 2012 tour that begins Jan. 12 in Grand Rapids, Mich.