‘Larger Than Life’ songwriter comes to Manassas

When most children hear their father singing around the house, they’ll probably roll their eyes at the off-key harmonies or mangled lyrics. Baylee Littrell’s father is different: He’s a Backstreet Boy.

Littrell was with his son in the studio putting the finishing touches on his solo Christian album. Baylee (who loves to hear his voice in the headphones) said, “Daddy, I want to hear ‘Jesus Loves You,’ ” an a cappella number he’d heard around the house.

The producer liked the way Baylee sounded and added the sound bite to the beginning of the track. “Jesus Loves You” closes out “Welcome Home,” released in May. Littrell co-wrote half of his solo album as well as several Backstreet Boys songs, including hits like “Larger Than Life” and “The One.”
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The cleanest-cut of the clean-cut super quintet goes solo
November 01, 2006

In late 2000, at the height of what future music historians may well term the Boy Band Era, Brian Littrell walked into a room full of robed beauties.

“I didn’t know what was going on, but I saw all these young ladies,” the Backstreet Boy says over the phone from his home in Atlanta. Adds the chucklesome Littrell in his boyish Kentucky drawl: “They were naked.”

The shoot was for Rolling Stone magazine, Littrell explains. Celebrity photographer David LaChapelle wanted to shoot the Boys with naked ladies because “that was his interpretation of what the Backstreet Boys should be. We, at the time, were larger than life.”
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This Backstreet Boy never meant to be an international superstar. He wanted to be a youth pastor.

Why did you want to do this project?
Before I became a Backstreet Boy, I grew up singing in the church. Later on, I discovered that I truly had a God-given gift. I began to travel around to youth groups and churches—even some out of state—to be a guest revival singer. I traveled with my youth group all over the nation singing and delivering God’s Word. Little did I know that God was setting me up for a much bigger musical platform.

Did you plan on singing professionally?
No. I didn’t really want to be a pop star. I didn’t even want to do even Christian music. I wanted to be a youth minister or a music minister in a church. My plan was to attend Cincinnati Bible College and study youth ministry and music ministry. I visited the school and spent a whole weekend there. I love it and had my whole life planned out.
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The fifth annual Families in Need concert will bring one of Christian music’s hottest new acts to the Orpheum Theatre.

Brian Littrell, Christian artist and Backstreet Boys member, will perform one show at 7 p.m. Nov.18.

The annual concert supports the children and family counseling activities of Catholic Charities across Northwest Iowa. In the last six years, government funding to Catholic Charities has decreased by nearly 75 percent

Littrell, one of pop’s most recognized and bestselling artists, made his Christian debut with the release of his “Welcome Home” CD.
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The Backstreet Boys have been one of pop music’s super-groups for over a decade, selling more than 76 million records. But group member Brian Littrell, wanting something different, felt called to return to the Christian music he was brought up on. In 2005, his chart-topping remake of Michael English’s signature song “In Christ Alone”—featured on the WoW No. 1s compilation—would go on to earn a Dove award for Inspirational Recorded Song. And just this month, Littrell released his solo debut Welcome Home (Reunion). It’s quite a step away from the B-Boys, who didn’t share Littrell’s commitment to faith—a situation that sometimes led to tensions within the group, including a cover photo shoot for Rolling Stone when the guys were asked to pose with some scantily-clad women. Littrell refused, catching grief from his bandmates but kudos from fans who appreciated the stance he’d taken. In this interview, he talks about his new project, his Christian background, and his celebrity experience with the Backstreet Boys over the years.
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