'American Idol' contestant struggles to fit in with others after they learn his dad is a pop legend
ABC's 'American Idol' Season 23 has been grabbing major headlines with its talented lineup of singers. One such singer has to be Baylee Littrell, who made major news all thanks to his famous father, Brian Littrell of the Backstreet Boys. However, instead of reaping the fruits of his father's legendary status, the aspiring singer revealed that it affected him on ‘American Idol.' Not only that, but after being eliminated from the competition, Littrell also opened up about how he felt alienated on the show.
After his elimination from 'American Idol' on Monday, April 21, Baylee said that he initially struggled to connect with the other contestants, as per US Weekly. "It was hard to make friends, and it was hard for people to understand me because a lot of people they did have preconceived notions of how I would be," Baylee shared. He added that leaving was emotional because "finally, people get to see who you are. And finally, we kind of set our differences aside or our assumptions of each other, and all just started to bond."
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Despite the early challenges, Baylee said he still had "a great experience" on the show. He also said, "When I left, I was like, 'Man, I'm just now starting to know everybody and it’s so great,' but it was tough at first. I was kind of alone. I didn't have any friends." Baylee eventually formed a close bond with fellow contestant Olivier Bergeron, who was also eliminated during the April 21 episode. "He's pretty much my best friend now," Baylee shared. "He's French Canadian, he's from New Brunswick, and so we became friends during the whole process and we’ll be buddies for life."
Notably, during the 'American Idol' Season 23 premiere on March 10, Baylee was joined by his father, Brian, for his audition, leaving judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie stunned, as per E! News. After Baylee performed an original song on his guitar, the judges asked Brian to join him, and the father-son duo sang the chorus together. Underwood praised Baylee afterward, saying, "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.'"
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Baylee also gave credit to his dad, saying, "I believe I get my voice from Dad, and hopefully I can do him justice today," adding with a laugh, "I guess you can say music runs in our family. Dance moves-wise, that's the one thing genetically that did not pass down." Baylee then opened up about the pressure of following in his famous father's footsteps, admitting, "Following in my dad's footsteps is scary, because his career, to me, is one of the most extraordinary in music history. No one can ever compare."
Baylee also revealed that music has always been his true calling, explaining, "Trust me, I wish that I wanted to do something completely different, but if I'm not doing music, there's no way I can really exist." Praising his son, Brian added, "I've always told everybody that he's 10 times more talented than I ever was." After dueting with Baylee during the 'American Idol' audition, Brian watched as Underwood, Bryan, and Richie unanimously voted to send Baylee to the next round.