Baylee Littrell and his dad, Brian Littrell, one of the members of the Backstreet Boys, share a very strong bond as father and son. Not only are they both passionate about music, but Brian cheered Baylee on throughout his journey on Season 23’s American Idol.
The respect is mutual as Baylee recently attended BSB’s opening night at The Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada, as part of the legendary boy band’s Into The Millennium residency, which kicked off on July 11. Of the concert, Baylee shared his admiration for his father, speaking highly of him in an interview with Music Mayhem.
“My dad has accomplished so many amazing things in his career,” Baylee praised, regarding his dad’s success and the group’s countless earnings of awards and accolades throughout their three-decade-long career, including the title for “best-selling boy band” of all time with over 130 million records sold around the world.
Baylee also counts the group’s current Las Vegas gig as “one of the greatest, if not the greatest.”
“The show is amazing!” He said. “The fan engagement and experience are amazing. And a lot of people told them the other night, they said, ‘The Backstreet Boys have brought happiness back to the city,’ and it’s the coolest thing to hear!”
Fan engagement includes everyone from fellow artists to athletes to “people from all across the world,” Baylee, a self-proclaimed fan of BSB, said. “I’m truly honored to see it, and I’m so proud of him. I told him, I said, ‘Dude. If I weren’t your son, I would still be a huge fan of the Backstreet Boys.’ There’s some persona they have when they perform that makes you excited, no matter what. You get this thrill. So it’s a show I’d recommend everyone seriously come out and see, even if you’re not planning on going out to Las Vegas, go see this show. It’s insane what he’s been able to do.”
One of the songs on the residency set-list includes the emotionally-charged anthem “The Perfect Fan,” which belongs on the original Millennium album and was penned in dedication to mothers and wives everywhere. The award-winning boy band’s live performance of the gratitude-filled track showcases Backstreet Boys singing in front of a slideshow showing sentimental images of the band with their moms, wives and relatives.
“Man. The first time I saw that, I cried. I don’t know how to feel. Every time, I see a different photo that makes me think of either my dad’s side of the family, or my mom’s side,” Baylee shared, in response to the snapshots on the massive screen. “It’s so different. Seeing my grandma up there, though, was the big kicker. So that’s the one that makes me sad.”
Since coming off his run on American Idol, in which he made it into the Top 20, Baylee Littrell, who has released a song called “Hey Jesus” in preparation for a forthcoming album, says he sometimes feels the pressure of doing well musically as a child celebrity, having had a dad in the spotlight growing up.
“This is another step of being vulnerable, I guess I’ve always said there’s no pressure, but yeah, absolutely. That’s a lot of pressure,” he said.
As for his dad, the pressure is off. Although the band recently released Millennium 2.0 in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the 5-time GRAMMY-nominated Millennium, Brian has achieved so much success with the group that he’s now able to enjoy the moment.
“He just told me the other night with Millennium and re-releasing that record, he was like, ‘Man. I didn’t get to enjoy this the first time it came out,” Baylee said of his dad. “He’s like, ‘I was working nonstop. We were just worried about the next album already.’ And a lot of that was record labels and managers in the industry. And he goes, ‘Now, I enjoy every second of this and that, not just going for my dad, but it goes for the rest of the guys this time around. They’re super happy. So this is again another thing, if fans want to see them truly in their element and happy, come see the show because it’s my favorite. I’ve grown up watching them, and this is my favorite show they’ve ever done.”
Backstreet Boys’ Into The Millennium Las Vegas Residency at Sphere will run through Aug. 24, 2025. The shows mark the first pop band to ever perform at the venue.
