‘Hey Jesus’—Son of Backstreet Boys Singer Brian Littrell Performs Original Song on ‘American Idol’

On Monday, 144 hopeful contestants entered the Idol Arena during Hollywood Week on “American Idol” to battle for a chance to become one of 62 to move on to next week.

The show started off with all three of its platinum winners, which included 17-year-old aspiring preacher Canaan James Hill, gospel singer Kolbi Jordan, and Filo, treating contestants and fans to a powerful rendition of “Get Ready” by The Temptations.

The night included contestants singing songs by Elevation Worship, Lauren Daigle, and an original song by Baylee Littrell, titled “Hey Jesus.”

RELATED: 17-Year-Old Aspiring Preacher Makes ‘American Idol’ Judge Testify to God’s Glory

Littrell is the 22-year-old son of Brian Littrell of the nine-time Grammy Award-winning Backstreet Boys.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Church Leaders (@churchlead)

Brian Littrell recorded a Christian album in 2005, titled “Welcome Home,” which sold over 100,000 copies and landed him a Dove Award for the song “In Christ Alone.”

During Littrell’s “American Idol” audition, he shared that “when your family’s in the music business, it opens a lot of doors, but it also creates a lot of animosity.” Littrell said that he entered the competition “to make this on my own.”

Littrell told viewers that he wrote “Hey Jesus” when he was “going through a pretty tough time in my life” after he lost somebody he loved.

“My grandma was my best friend. With my dad being away on tour, she would always step in. She understood me like not many people do,” he said.

Littrell shared that after his grandmother passed away almost three years ago, he began to question his faith.

“I thought she was gonna be around for moments like this. I never expected to lose her,” he said. “So when I did, I questioned everything, and I pushed away faith, thought I would not find it again. This song kind of helped me find it.”