American Idol is no stranger to emotional parents waiting in the wings, though impromptu parent-child duets are rare.
But the judges couldn’t pass up the opportunity to hear contestant Baylee Littrell sing with his dad, Backstreet Boys member Brian Littrell.
Sunday’s season 23 premiere marked a big moment for the budding musician, who earned a golden ticket to move forward in the competition after a unanimous vote from the judging panel. But even before 22-year-old Baylee even opened his mouth to begin his audition, judge Carrie Underwood clocked the family resemblance.
“There’s something about you that looks familiar,” the country singer said. Baylee didn’t shy away from his “nepo baby” status, immediately informing the panel that his father was a member of the ’90s boy band, to which Underwood replied, “And you look like your dad!”
Brian Littrell and son Baylee. American Idol/Youtube
With a pointed look at Underwood, fellow judge Luke Bryan joked, “You must forgive me, I didn’t have your dad’s posters in my room.”
In an accompanying interview, Baylee shared that his father’s success has been a source of inspiration for him over the years — but one that also comes with plenty of pressure.
“Following in my dad’s footsteps is scary because his career, to me, is one of the most extraordinary in music history,” he shared. “No one can ever compare.”
In a separate interview, his father echoed that sentiment.
“Obviously growing up in the industry, a lot of people would look at that as such a perk, but it’s not easy,” Brian said of his son’s childhood. But putting the pressure aside, the singer made it clear that he has plenty of faith in his son’s ability to succeed: “I’ve always told everybody that he’s 10 times more talented than I ever was.”
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Baylee — who had a taste of fame as a young age, when invited onstage to sing with his father — proceeded to audition with an original song about not giving up. The track, “Waiting on Myself to Die,” immediately won the judges over.
“Um, you’re really good. Like, you’re really good,” Underwood said afterwards. “I think you could go very, very far in this competition.”
Brian Littrell and son Baylee. American Idol/Youtube
When Bryan asked if the father and son ever sing together, Baylee didn’t hesitate to deliver, inviting his dad into the audition room to harmonize on the chorus of his song.
Underwood then praised the young musician for holding his own during the brief duet with his dad. “For your superstar singer dad to come in here, I feel like for anyone else, it would make you look bad. But it didn’t,” she said. ” You were right there with him. You didn’t pale, you didn’t shy away, you were like, ‘This is my moment.'”
Judge Lionel Richie told the duo, “I’m very happy for you and very proud of your son. He’s got his own lane and I think you can go a long way. Very happy for you.”
The Backstreet Boys singer immediately teared up over the praise for his son, noting, “I’m going to cry,” before admitting, “I’m crying.”
Watch Baylee’s full audition in the clip above.
