Baylee Littrell took a major step in his music career on American Idol, and his proud father, Backstreet Boys member Brian Littrell, was right by his side—tears and all.
The season 23 premiere of the singing competition was a memorable one as 22-year-old Baylee auditioned with an original song, Waiting on Myself to Die. The heartfelt performance earned him a unanimous “yes” from judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie, securing his golden ticket to the next round.
Before he even began singing, Underwood immediately noticed something familiar about Baylee.
“There’s something about you that looks familiar,” she said, prompting the young contestant to reveal his famous father’s identity. Underwood smiled and said, “And you look like your dad!”
Bryan, however, took a humorous approach, quipping, “You must forgive me, I didn’t have your dad’s posters in my room.”
In a pre-audition interview, Baylee opened up about the pressures of following in his father’s footsteps.
“His career, to me, is one of the most extraordinary in music history,” he said. “No one can ever compare.”
Brian Littrell acknowledged that while growing up in the industry might seem like an advantage, it comes with its own challenges.
“A lot of people would look at that as such a perk, but it’s not easy,” he admitted. Still, he has full faith in Baylee’s talent: “I’ve always told everybody that he’s 10 times more talented than I ever was.”
Baylee’s emotional performance won over the judges, with Underwood praising his potential:
“You’re really good. Like, you’re really good. I think you could go very, very far in this competition.”
Bryan then asked if Baylee and his father ever sang together, and without hesitation, Baylee invited Brian into the audition room. The two harmonized on the chorus of his song, creating a heartwarming moment.
Rather than being overshadowed by his father’s legendary vocals, Baylee held his own. Underwood applauded him, saying, “For your superstar singer dad to come in here, I feel like for anyone else, it would make you look bad. But it didn’t. You were right there with him.”
Richie also chimed in with praise: “I’m very happy for you and very proud of your son. He’s got his own lane, and I think you can go a long way.”
Hearing the encouragement, Brian Littrell couldn’t hold back his emotions.
“I’m going to cry,” he said before correcting himself. “I’m crying.”
With his golden ticket in hand and the support of his father, Baylee Littrell is ready to carve out his own path in music—one step at a time.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
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