Reba McEntire isn't shy about championing American Idol stars Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina.

“I’m supporting them 100 percent,” Reba told St. Louis Today. "It's tough getting in this business. I’m their No. 1 cheerleader. I wish the best for all of them. It’s a lot different from when I got started. I didn't have a No. 1 record for five or six years.”

Though Reba’s career launched in 1976, she didn’t score her first No. 1 until 1983 with "Can't Even Get the Blues.” “It’s a faster-paced business nowadays, without the patience it used to have,” she says. Still, the multitalented entertainer says the secret to success remains the same. “Look for the songs. The songs are the most important thing. You’ve got to find that right thing for you.”

Both Lauren and Scotty seem to be intent on doing just that; Scotty’s debut album, Clear as Day, premiered atop the all-genre Billboard 200 chart, while Lauren Alaina earned a Top 5 debut on the Billboard 200 with her first album, Wildflower.