Backstreet Boys singer's son appears on 'American Idol'
It's Backstreet Boys 2.0! Social media users are praising Brian Littrell's son after his incredible audition.
Baylee Littrell, Backstreet Boys star Brian Littrell's son, stole the show on the season 23 premiere of 'American Idol'.
The 22-year-old, who is the mini-me of his famous father, wowed judges Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan and Carrie Underwood with his raw talent.
Baylee performed an original song – a risky choice for an audition as it often goes wrong. Fortunately, the move paid off for the aspiring country singer.
"You're really good... That was great... I think you could go very, very far in this competition," Underwood gushed.
Brian, who was backstage with his wife Leighanne Littrell, could barely contain his emotions as his son took on one of the biggest auditions of his budding career.
"We're super proud. He's obviously grown up in the business and I think he's cut out for it," he said.
Baylee says he gets his singing talent from his dad, but that there's one thing he didn't inherit.
"I guess you can say music runs in our family, dance moves wise, that's the one thing that didn't get passed down genetically," he joked.
Baylee has big shoes to fill. His dad achieved mega-success with the Backstreet Boys, which included members Nick Carter, AJ McLean, Howie Dorough and Kevin Richardson, in the '90s and early 2000s.
The group is still active and included Pretoria and Cape Town in their 'DNA World Tour' in 2023.
Baylee has joined his dad on some of the tours, even performing two songs during a concert when he was a kid.
"I remember being eight or nine years old, and they sold out this huge arena, and I got to open up for them. I just had my two little songs and I came off stage. When the guys went on, and the screams and the lights went down.
"I was just mesmerised and I thought, 'Oh, my gosh. Like, what is this?' When you're a kid, you're not afraid, but when you start to get a little bit older, especially a teenager, you kind of get timid," he said.
They have also performed together at shows. The father-son pair got to duet again on 'American Idol', when the judges asked them to sing the chorus of his song.
It seems Baylee has very little to be afraid of in terms of his music career. Famous dad or not, the judges think he's going places.
"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," Richie said.
Baylee was overwhelmed by the support he received following the premiere episode of 'American Idol'.
Social media users and Backstreet Boys fans flooded his Instagram page with messages of support. They praised his singing and applauded him for not coming across as an entitled nepo baby.
"Well deserved! You are legitimately so talented on your own and worked so hard!" one person commented.
Baylee expressed gratitude for the support.
"And the journey begins! Feeling incredibly grateful for all the love and support y’all have shown me over the last 24 hours. I couldn’t do this without you! Keep tuning in to @AmericanIdol on ABC this season – I can’t wait to share this experience with you."
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Main image credit: Instagram/@rokspics