Baylee Littrell‘s American Idol journey has come to an end, but viewers won’t forget his emotional performance of dad Brian Littrell‘s song “Gone Without Goodbye.”
Baylee, 22, exclusively opened up to Us Weekly about his experience on Idol following his elimination, reflecting on his decision to perform his dad’s 2006 solo track on the Easter Sunday episode of the singing competition. While Baylee told his dad — an original member of the Backstreet Boys — about his song choice ahead of time, Brian wasn’t closely involved in the rehearsal process.
“There wasn’t much time for us to get in a room and work on it as I was away with American Idol, but it was definitely nerve wracking to do your dad’s song,” Baylee told Us on Thursday, April 24. “And a Backstreet Boys song — singing ‘I Want It That Way’ or something — is obviously super personal too, but when you’re singing your dad’s Christian music, it’s really emotional.”
The performance was a different “level of personal” for Baylee, whose parents were in the audience for the Sunday, April 20, broadcast.
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“I’ve never probably been that nervous to sing one of my dad’s songs ever, so it was a bittersweet moment,” he added.
“Gone Without Goodbye” appears on Brian’s album Welcome Home and was inspired by the September 11th terrorist attack in 2001. Baylee revealed after his Idol performance that his mom, Leighanne Wallace, “was supposed to be on the second flight” that struck the World Trade Center in New York City.
Baylee admitted to Us that it “was tough to get through” the whole song, adding that it was “an amazing moment” to be able to “bring attention to what happened” more than 20 years ago.
“We feel very lucky [that my mom was safe],” he continued. “And it’s something that will always just be in our hearts. … My dad lost one of his crew members on that same flight [who was] going home to surprise his wife because she found out they were expecting their second child. So there’s a lot of loss, and it’s so crazy how that event affected so many people.”
While his time on Idol was cut short before the top 14, Baylee is grateful that he gained “more wisdom under the belt as a performer” from being on the show.
“I told producers on the show, I said I walked in as one person and I left the studio as a different person, and it was just based off the pressure, the inspiration, the situations you’re put in, learning a song hours before you have to sing it to little to no sleep and performing and getting sick twice and still going out there and singing. … It really does change you,” he told Us.
Baylee had a strong support system while pursuing his dreams, including Brian and Leighanne. “I would see them in the crowd and I couldn’t look at ’em for too long, otherwise I was going to forget the words to a song. … It was just such a heartwarming feeling for them to be there,” he gushed.
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Brian’s bandmates were also cheering him on along the way. “AJ [McLean], he’s always there,” Baylee told Us. “He’s always the one that’s supportive and he’s like, ‘This is only the beginning. This is just the start.’ And he was excited to watch the journey. Everybody was tuning in, which made me feel great. My four uncles were tuning in, so it was great to have their support. It meant the world.”
Despite his Idol exit, Baylee isn’t ready to give up. The aspiring artist has “about 10 new songs under my belt” — and he’s hitting the studio to record “Hey, Jesus,” which he performed during the competition’s Hollywood round.
“I’m excited. … It’s been a heck of a journey and we’re just going to keep it going,” Baylee told Us.
American Idol airs on ABC Sundays and Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.
