Baylee Littrell
Baylee Thomas Wylee Littrell (born November 26, 2002)[1] is an American singer, songwriter and actor. Littrell's debut album, 770-Country, was released on November 15, 2019, and included songs written by Gary Baker, Corey Crowder, Seth Ennis, Tyler Hubbard, Steven Lee Olsen, Daniel Ross and Littrell himself.[2]
Baylee Littrell | |
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Born | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | November 26, 2002
Occupation |
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Years active | 2010–present |
Parent(s) | Brian Littrell Leighanne Littrell |
Relatives | Kevin Richardson |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Instruments |
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Associated acts | |
Website | bayleelittrell |
Early life
Littrell was born on November 26, 2002, in Atlanta, Georgia, to model and actress Leighanne Wallace and Backstreet Boys member Brian Littrell.[1] His father's cousin, Kevin Richardson, is also a member of the Backstreet Boys.[1] [3]
Being a sports fan like his father, Littrell started playing on a Little League and basketball rec teams both coached by his father as well as karate, lacrosse, football and soccer.[4] He also took lessons in acting, dance and cooking. When he was 6, he developed Kawasaki syndrome, a collection of symptoms that stem from swollen blood vessels around his heart.[5][6] His parents announced the diagnosis on Brian's official website.[7]
Littrell has been homeschooled at home and on the road. In doing so, he has been working on his schooling while performing as an actor and a singer, with his dad as his musical director and his mom as his manager.[8] Now that he has graduated,[9] and just released his first country album, he still plans on going to college.[8]
Career
Early career
Littrell first became involved in music when he was 2 years old, accompanying his dad on the Never Gone Tour, but never really got into music until around first grade, when he attended band, theater, and acting camps over the summer.[10] Later, he even started writing songs consisting of little poems, when he was 6–7.[11] He eventually started taking lessons in acting, singing, playing the piano, and learned to play the guitar from his father, Brian.
Broadway
When he was 13, his family left their Atlanta home for the Upper West Side while Littrell made his Broadway debut in the musical Disaster! playing identical twins Ben and Lisa on March 8, 2016, at the Nederlander Theatre.[12] His performance earned him a Drama Desk nomination in 2016.[13]
Solo artist
By the time he was 9, he started opening arena shows for his dad and the Backstreet Boys around the world, usually performing two songs. When he finished his time on Broadway, he turned to his parents and announced that he wanted to start his career as a country artist, which he did, writing his own songs and listening to Florida Georgia Line.[11]
On April 3, 2019, the Backstreet Boys announced Littrell as an opening act for their North American leg of the DNA World Tour.[14] The tour started on July 12, 2019, in Washington D.C. at the Capital One Arena and ran through 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, Georgia.[2]
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 himself. It features singles such as "Boxes", "Don't Knock It", and "We Run This Beach".
Influences
Littrell has said that some of his biggest musical influences include Tim McGraw (his greatest inspiration), Florida Georgia Line, George Strait and Johnny Cash.[15]
Discography
Albums
Year | Album details | Peak positions | Certifications (sales threshold) | |
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2019 | 770 Country
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US sales: |
Singles
Year | Single | Peak | Album |
---|---|---|---|
2018 | "Don't Knock It" | 770 Country | |
2019 | "Boxes" | ||
"We Run This Beach" | |||
2020 | "Some Guys" |
References
- "Baylee Littrell". IMDb. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
- "HITS Daily Double : Music City - A 770-COUNTRY DEBUT". HITS Daily Double. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
- "Baylee Littrell Diagnosed With Atypical Kawasaki Disease". PEOPLE.com.
- "Backstreet Boy's Nightmare". OK Magazine (#2): 44–45. January 12, 2009.
- "Backstreet Boy's Son Diagnosed With Kawasaki Syndrome". ABC News.
- "The Littrells Get Back to Normal". OK! Magazine. 24 December 2008.
- "Backstreet Boy Brian Littrell's Son Diagnosed with Artery Disease". PEOPLE.com.
- Bonaguro 11/14/2019, Alison. "Why the Son of a Backstreet Boy Called on 615 for 770-Country". CMT News.
- "Baylee Littrell on Instagram: "High School Grad sounds pretty good. Glad I got to spend it with you boys❤️ Thanks for sharing this special moment with me👊🏼 Can't wait to…"". Instagram.
- Vincentelli, Elisabeth (3 March 2016). "Backstreet Boy's son is not your average celebrity kid". New York Post.
- "Hear Backstreet Boy Brian Littrell's Son Baylee's Debut Single!". Entertainment Tonight.
- Simoes, Monica (2016-02-28). "Spend a Two-Show Day at Disaster! With Young Star Baylee Littrell". Playbill. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
- "Laura Benanti, Jessie Mueller & More Step Out for Drama Desk Award Nominations Reception". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
- "Backstreet Boys Add Baylee Littrell as DNA World Tour Opener". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
- Stokes, Liz (2019-08-01). "Baylee Littrell". Country Beat Magazine - Your Source for Country Music. Retrieved 2019-12-07.