Baylee Littrell

Last updated

Baylee Littrell
Born
Baylee Thomas Wylee Littrell

(2002-11-26) November 26, 2002 (age 22)
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter
Years active2010–present
Parents
Relatives
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Website bayleelittrell.com

Baylee Thomas Wylee Littrell (born November 26, 2002) is an American country singer. His debut album, 770-Country, was released on November 15, 2019. It has songs written by Gary Baker, Corey Crowder, Seth Ennis, Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line, Steven Lee Olsen, Daniel Ross, and Littrell himself. [1]

Contents

Early life

Littrell was born on November 26, 2002, in Atlanta to model and actress Leighanne Wallace and Backstreet Boys member Brian Littrell. [2] He is an only child. [3] [4] [5]

Littrell played on Little League baseball and basketball teams, both coached by his father. He was active in karate, lacrosse, football, and soccer. [6] When he was six, he developed Kawasaki syndrome, characterized by a collection of symptoms caused by swollen blood vessels around his heart. [7] [8] [9] When he was around seven or eight he began to be homeschooled and was able to skip a grade at home and on the road. He was an actor and a singer while being homeschooled. His father has been his musical director and his mother his manager. [10]

Career

Early career

Littrell became involved in music when he was two years old, accompanying his father on the Never Gone Tour. However, he never really got into music until around first grade, when he attended band, theater, and acting camps during the summer. [11] Later, he even began writing songs consisting of short poems, when he was six or seven. [12] His piano teacher heard him sing when he was six. [13] By the time when Littrell was 8 years old, he did a skit with his cousin and was in a band; he realized that he wanted to be a performer follow his parents' footsteps even if they had concerns about that type of career. [14] He started taking lessons in acting, singing, playing the piano, and had guitar instruction from his father, Brian.

Broadway

When he was 13, his family left their Atlanta home for the Upper West Side of Manhattan while Littrell made his Broadway debut in the musical Disaster! playing twins Ben and Lisa on March 8, 2016, at the Nederlander Theatre. [15] He received a Drama Desk nomination for the performance in 2016. [16]

Solo artist

By the time he was nine, he was opening arena shows for his father and the Backstreet Boys worldwide, usually performing two songs. After being on Broadway, he announced to his parents that he wanted to start his career as a country artist, which he did, writing his songs and listening to Florida Georgia Line. [12] On April 3, 2019, the Backstreet Boys announced Littrell as an opening act for their North American leg of the DNA World Tour. [17] The tour ran from July 12, 2019 in Washington D.C. at the Capital One Arena until September 2019.

Starting on October 31, 2019, Littrell joined American country music artist Chris Lane for a string of performances on his Big Big Plans tour in Cincinnati, Ohio; Louisville, Kentucky; and Atlanta. [1] On November 15, 2019, Littrell released his debut album, 770-Country, via BriLeigh Records. The album includes songwriting and production from Gary Baker, Corey Crowder, Seth Ennis, Tyler Hubbard, Steven Lee Olsen, Daniel Ross, and Littrell. It features "Boxes," "Don't Knock It," and "We Run This Beach." In May 2022, he announced that he was working on a second album. [13]

On July 27, Littrell joined his father, cousin (once removed) Kevin Richardson, and the rest of the Backstreet Boys in a charity softball game in Columbus, Ohio, for On Our Sleeves, a Nationwide Children's Hospital mental health charity. [18]

On September 9, 2022, he released his first ep, EP Vol. One. [19]

In March 2025, Littrell appeared on American Idol and was given a golden ticket to Hollywood. He also sang a short duo with his father on the show. His appearance on the show sparked some controversy, with some viewers saying that due to him being a "nepo baby", he should not be on a program meant for undiscovered talent. [20]

Influences

Littrell said that some of his biggest musical influences include Tim McGraw (his greatest inspiration), Florida Georgia Line, George Strait, and Johnny Cash. [21] Other than his father, he says that his favorite Backstreet Boy member is AJ McLean. [22]

Personal life

Littrell lives in Alpharetta, Georgia with his parents. [3] He is private about his romantic life. [23] [24] [25] On June 26, 2022, Littrell lost his maternal grandmother from a heart condition. He said that he was strongly influenced by her. [26]

Discography

Albums

TitleDetails
770-Country
  • Released: 15 November 2019
  • Label: BriLeigh
  • Format: LP, digital download, streaming

EPs

TitleDetails
EP, Vol. 1
  • Released: 9 September 2022
  • Label: BriLeigh
  • Format: Digital download, streaming

Singles

List of singles released as main artist, showing year released and album name
TitleYearAlbum
"Don't Knock It"2018770-Country
"Boxes"2019
"We Run This Beach"
"Some Guys"
"Gone"2022EP, Vol. 1
"Change Your Mind"
"Hey Jesus"2025Non-album single

References

  1. 1 2 "Music City – A 770-Country Debut". Hits Daily Double. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  2. Staff (May 18, 2022). "Check Out Baylee Littrell's Story". Voyage ATL. Retrieved September 5, 2023. I'm a singer/songwriter born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia.
  3. 1 2 "Baylee Littrell Talks Run This Beach, Touring w/ The Backstreet Boys & His Dog's IG". YouTube.
  4. "Baylee Littrell Diagnosed With Atypical Kawasaki Disease". people.com.
  5. S, Nicole; December 2, s. "Backstreet Boy Brian Littrell's Son Baylee Makes His Country Music Debut During His Sweet 16 Bash". people.com.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. "Backstreet Boy's Nightmare". OK Magazine (#2): 44–45. January 12, 2009.
  7. "Backstreet Boy's Son Diagnosed With Kawasaki Syndrome". ABC News.
  8. "The Littrells Get Back to Normal". OK! Magazine. December 24, 2008.
  9. "Backstreet Boy Brian Littrell's Son Diagnosed with Artery Disease". people.com.
  10. Bonaguro November 14, 2019, Alison. "Why the Son of a Backstreet Boy Called on 615 for 770-Country". CMT News. Archived from the original on November 16, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. Vincentelli, Elisabeth (March 3, 2016). "Backstreet Boy's son is not your average celebrity kid". New York Post.
  12. 1 2 "Hear Backstreet Boy Brian Littrell's Son Baylee's Debut Single!". Entertainment Tonight.
  13. 1 2 Stories, Local (May 18, 2022). "Check Out Baylee Littrell's Story – Voyage ATL Magazine | ATL City Guide". voyageatl.com.
  14. "Baylee Littrell Forges his Own Path in Country Music". Sounds Like Nashville. March 11, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  15. Simoes, Monica (February 28, 2016). "Spend a Two-Show Day at Disaster! With Young Star Baylee Littrell". Playbill. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  16. "Laura Benanti, Jessie Mueller & More Step Out for Drama Desk Award Nominations Reception". Broadway.com. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  17. "Backstreet Boys Add Baylee Littrell as DNA World Tour Opener". Billboard. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  18. "Dave & Jimmy's Celebrity Softball Classic". WNCI 97.9.
  19. "Baylee Littrell – EP Vol. One". ffm.to.
  20. Angermiller, Michele Amabile (March 10, 2025). "'American Idol' Nepo Contestants, From the Son of a Backstreet Boy to a Country Legend's Grandchild and More". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  21. Stokes, Liz (August 1, 2019). "Baylee Littrell". Country Beat Magazine – Your Source for Country Music. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  22. Staff, Leena Tailor, ETCanada com (May 2, 2021). "AJ McLean On Pushing Gender Boundaries, Influencing The Backstreet Boys' Sons & Painting His Daughters' Nails". ET Canada. Archived from the original on May 3, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  23. "Backstreet Boy Brian Littrell Doesn't Think Ryan Gosling Auditioned For The Band". YouTube.
  24. Tailor, Leena (November 7, 2019). "Backstreet Boy Brian Littrell and Son Baylee Talk the Teen's New Country Album". Variety. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  25. "Baylee Littrell interview". YouTube. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  26. Palsa, Nicole (July 12, 2022). "Baylee Littrell Shares How His New Song "Change Your Mind" Was Influenced By Morgan Wallen". Music Mayhem Magazine.