A little over a year after Baylee Littrell‘s run on “American Idol” ended with him feeling “frustrated and lost,” the singer has a new sound and a bright future, joining the Jonas Brothers’ 2026 North American tour as a supporting act.
Littrell, the son of Backstreet Boys star Brian Littrell, competed on season 23 as a country singer after years of trying to break through in Nashville. He made it to the Top 20, but judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie didn’t send him through to the Top 14. Though upsetting, it inspired him to shift gears, change his sound, and chart a new course.
Baylee Littrell Says He Needed to Find a Way to Have Fun Making Music After ‘American Idol’
Getting cut from “American Idol” was devastating, Littrell has said in multiple interviews. But it eventually inspired him to reconsider whether it made sense to stay in country music. He decided pop music was probably a better fit, and began writing songs inspired by the hard place he was in emotionally.”
“I was feeling a lot of sadness, sorrow and anxiety,” he told Pittsburgh Music Magazine. Especially post ‘American Idol,’ I was frustrated and lost. It’s like when you look in the mirror and don’t recognize who you see.”
After trying for seven years to make it as a country artist and then not fully resonating with the “American Idol” judges, Littrell said, “I needed to find my inner child and what I grew up loving. Just have fun with music again.”
That led Littrell to write “I’ve Had Enough,” a new pop-infused single he released in early October, after his Top 40 success with another song, “So Be It.” Now, he’s opening for the Jonas Brothers on 13 dates of their North American tour.
“This is the highlight of my year,” he told Pittsburgh Music Magazine. “I missed being on a bus and nothing compares to this. It is a luxury to get to do this.”
Baylee Littrell Says Opening for the Jonas Brothers Has Been ‘Amazing’
Appearing on Fox59 in Indianapolis earlier this month, Littrell said, “Sharing the stage (with Jonas Brothers) in these packed, sold-out arenas? It’s been amazing. The crowds are amazing, too. You know, the fan engagement — you don’t expect as an opener, and they have shown up and they’ve been so amazing.”
“You know, you get out there and ask the crowd how they’re doing, and everyone screams at you and you’re like, ‘I’m not used to this! This is great!’ It’s been amazing. You know, I’m so blessed that they had me on this (tour) — it’s honestly a dream come true.”
Littrell, who plans to release a new pop and R&B album in 2027, said following in his dad’s footsteps “has been a very interesting, hard journey, but rewarding at the same time. I think when you grow up around it, it just seems so normal, until finally it clicks and (you realize) it’s not! He was on the road with me last week and he looked at me and said, ‘Do you realize we’re on a tour bus and it’s not for me — it’s for you?'”
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One Year After Frustrating Time on ‘American Idol,’ 23-Year-Old Singer Is a Rising Star, Touring With the Jonas Brothers