Backstreet Boys Star’s Son Joins AMERICAN IDOL Season 23
By Movieguide® Contributor
After growing up around the music industry, Baylee Littrell, the son of Backstreet Boys’ Brian Littrell, is embarking on his own journey in the industry, starting with an audition on Season 23 of AMERICAN IDOL.
Baylee teased the audition on Instagram earlier this month, sharing that he will be featured on the opening episode of the upcoming season, which airs on March 9.
“Well guys 😁 recently I had the opportunity to audition for @americanidol 🙏🏼 Tune in to see the season premiere and what happens,” he wrote.
Since then, Brian and Baylee have been bonding over what it takes to actually be successful in the industry and the fact that being a musician is not smooth sailing like many think. Instead, it takes hard work and long hours to be successful.
READ MORE: BACKSTREET BOYS’ BRIAN LITTRELL DISCUSSES STANDING FOR FAITH IN ‘SECULAR MUSIC BUSINESS’
“[Baylee] was just texting me last night, going, ‘Dad, dude, how do you do this? Like, it’s hard work,’” Brian told TODAY. “He’s been busting his butt, and I’m super proud of him. He kind of gets a new sense of reality of what this is.”
While this is Baylee’s first solo step onto a major stage, he has great experience in the industry from the past. When he was young, Baylee would introduce the Backstreet Boys before they came out on stage, and he made his Broadway debut when he was 13 in the musical “Disaster!” In 2019, he also released his debut album, 770-Country while also serving as the opener for his dad’s band.
“I got to introduce my dad at 5 years old. And then when I was 10, I started opening up for them,” Baylee told PEOPLE in 2023. “I would sing two or three songs before the opener would come out and play their set. And then that transcended into 2019, being able to go on a 42-show run with them and be the official opening act. That was the experience of a lifetime.”
“[My dad] has shown me stepping out of my comfort zone and courage is what it takes to get to the next level,” Baylee added. “So now seeing him, I’m beyond proud and I really want to replicate what he’s done and as close to his success as I can get. That’s a once-in-a-lifetime career, but I want to be successful in music as well because of him.”
READ MORE: CARRIE UNDERWOOD CAN’T WAIT FOR HER RETURN TO AMERICAN IDOL
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