Baylee Littrell’s famous dad Brian said he didn’t want him to audition for American Idol but eventually did great, ending up in the Top 20

Brian Littrell said his son Baylee is an inspiration for him (Image: Penske Media via Getty Images)

Backstreet Boys singer Brian Littrell has revealed he “didn’t want” his son to audition for American Idol at first – but said he “did well” in the end.

Baylee, 22, made it to the Top 20 on the most recent season of the ABC singing competition, but didn’t advance to the Top 14.

Now, his proud dad, 50, revealed he didn’t think Baylee was ready to star on the show, but “stepped up” and ended up being “super professional.”

In a chat with Parade Magazine, the musician said, “It wasn’t [my idea] actually. To be honest with you, I didn’t want him to do it at first, but they courted him for a couple of years.

Brian added, “He stepped up. He’s super professional. He’s just a great individual. He’s just a great person. He has a heart of gold, and he’s super talented.”

Talking about his son’s music career, the singer said he feels inspired – and mentioned his first single, called Hey Jesus, is coming out on July 24.

He said, “I get choked up a little bit when I talk about my boy. He’s just [the] most inspiring thing in my life right now. He inspires me more than anything.

“Top 20 isn’t a bad thing out of 124,000. Let me just take this shameless plug really quick: His first single comes out [July 24]. It’s called ‘Hey Jesus.’ Check that out.”

After Baylee was eliminated from the show, he issued a statement to his fans, writing on Instagram, “My American Idol journey has come to an end. Thank you so much to all who supported me this season. I love you all.”

In the comments section of the post, his famous father and a fellow Backstreet Boys member expressed their support for him.

Brian, who shares Baylee with actress wife Leighanne, wrote, “Bubba I am and always will be in your corner. You’d are so strong and so very talented, and inspire me every day. It’s never the end, only the beginning for so many to be blessed by your gifts….. you killed it last night.”

Meanwhile Kevin Richardson, 53, wrote that he was “so glad you got to experience this. Proud of you young man. Your journey has just begun…”

Baylee Littrell made it to the Top 20 (Image: American Idol/Youtube)

Baylee also revealed making friends on the show was “hard” at first because people had “assumptions” about him – but he later managed to form friendships.

Speaking to US Weekly, Baylee said, “It was hard to make friends, and it was hard for people to understand me because a lot of people, they did have preconceived notions of how I would be.

“And that’s one of the emotional parts of leaving is finally people get to see who you are. And finally we kind of set our differences aside or our assumptions of each other and all just started to bond.”

Despite the initial challenges, the young singer said he had “a great experience” on Idol, as he explained, “When I left I was like, ‘Man, I’m just now starting to know everybody and it’s so great,’ but it was tough at first. I was kind of alone. I didn’t have any friends.”