On Monday October 26th, Baylee Littrell makes a return to Pittsburgh as a supporting act on the Jonas Brothers “The Burning Up Tour All Over Again.” The show starts at 7:30 pm at PPG Paints Arena.
Littrell has performed at this very place in what seems like a lifetime ago. He was a supporting artist on tour with the Backstreet Boys in 2019. He got to make that stop alongside his father, Brian, who has famously carved his own musical success as part of that group. With a lot of personal changes and growth comes another opportunity for Littrell to share his talents with Pittsburgh. “This is the highlight of my year. I missed being on a bus and nothing compares to this. It is a luxury to get to do this,” Littrell said.
This tour was also timed with a new release of his own. Earlier this month, Littrell dropped a new single, “I’ve Had Enough.” The pop-infused ballad is all about self-reflection and a reckoning. During writing, Littrell was working through coming to terms with deciding who he wanted to be and what sparked his light and creativity. “I was feeling a lot of sadness, sorrow and anxiety. 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,” Littrell said. At the end of the day, he hopes listeners take heart to the message that it is ok to not be ok. The song captures this in true story form. For Littrell, verse one is deciding that you personally are the only one who can say when it’s over, and verse two is from the perspective of someone watching their loved one go through a dark time. Littrell’s mom was a big inspiration for this second verse. “My mom would tell me, ‘I can be there in your corner, but you also need to be there for yourself,’” Littrell said. It’s an honest testimonial.
Despite growing up being a fan of pop heavy hitters like John Mayer or Robin Thicke, Littrell started his music career as a country artist, which is how he found himself on American Idol. The whole experience and being a country artist did not quite live up to his dreams. “I spent seven years in Nashville with little momentum. I really just wanted to make an impact and be seen,” Littrell said. He did get some things out of his time on the show, such as practice persevering through fear. Every experience was exposure therapy when he had to be in front of millions of people. “I wouldn’t be where I am now without these types of life changing moments,” Littrell said.
After wrapping up his time on the show, Littrell wanted to rediscover who he was as an artist, which ultimately led him back to his pop roots. “I needed to find my inner child and what I grew up loving. Just have fun with music again,” Littrell said. Again, very fitting considering his childhood was an ultimate destiny to where he would end up. He was around so much musical talent, especially his father, but still he had the thought that one day he would be doing the same thing. “I would tell my cousin, better get a Blackberry and start practicing the guitar because one day we are going to have a rock band,” Littrell said. Pretty close to reality if you think about it.
Besides touring, Littrell is also working on a full album release for the early part of 2027. His intentions when writing were to make the album as vulnerable and authentic as possible, meaning he may not have written it with a traditional approach. Sometimes he even got his best ideas while cooking! “Sometimes a song will drive me crazy until I write it. I could write 15-20 songs and then stop for a few months,” Littrell said.
Along with looking forward to performing and new music, Littrell is also grateful to be surrounded by a great support system of family and friends. One of his biggest supporters was his grandmother. “She didn’t doubt the journey. I never booked the Opry and she would say, ‘Yet…’” Littrell said. On the other hand, he has his grandfather who helped him realize his true progress, his father as a monumental inspiration and his mother who he quotes as “the reason I’m a determined human being.”
Make sure to not miss Littrell and the Jonas Brothers in a few days. You can follow him on social media and check out his music. Don’t forget to come back later for the new album!