While marking her return to American Idol, fans got a glimpse into Carrie Underwood’s approach to being a judge on the show. Wanting to encourage and support the contestants, the singer appeared to be a natural. But the night came with more surprises than just Underwood. Meeting a few of the contestants of season 23, Backstreet Boys singer Brian Littrell made an appearance during the season premiere. But it wasn’t to perform. Instead, he was there to support his son, Baylee Littrell, who was auditioning for the show.
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With a father like Brian behind him, Baylee had a great deal of pressure on him as he walked in front of Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan, and Underwood. And to add a little more stress to the audition, Baylee decided to perform a song he wrote. He told the judges, “This song is about me personally wanting to give up and not giving up yet. Trust me, I wish I wanted to do something completely different. But if I’m not doing music, there’s no way I can really exist.”
It didn’t take long before the judges learned about Baylee’s secret of having a member of the Backstreet Boys as a father. Recalling what it was like to grow up with Brian as a dad, he said, “I remember being 8 or 9 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 and when the guys went on, the screams and the lights went down. I was just mesmerized.”
Brian Littrell Emotional Over Audition From His Son Baylee Littrell
When it came to feedback, Underwood praised the rising singer for taking a chance and grabbing his moment. “For your superstar singer dad to come in here, I feel like for anybody else, it would make you look bad. But it didn’t. You were right there with him. You didn’t pale, you didn’t shy away. You were like, ‘This is my moment.’”
As for his father, Brian was ecstatic watching his son’s dream come true in real time. “Obviously, growing up in the industry, a lot of people look at that as such a perk. But it’s not easy. I’ve always told everybody that he’s 10 times more talented than I ever was.” He emotionally added, “I’m gonna cry. I’m crying.”
Baylee walked away from the audition with all three judges moving his forward to the next phase of American Idol.
(Photo by: Nathan Congleton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
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