{"id":1303864,"date":"2019-02-18T22:07:42","date_gmt":"2019-02-19T05:07:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/?p=1803126"},"modified":"2019-02-18T22:07:42","modified_gmt":"2019-02-19T05:07:42","slug":"newcomer-baylee-littrell-on-taking-his-own-path","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/music-news\/newcomer-baylee-littrell-on-taking-his-own-path\/","title":{"rendered":"Newcomer Baylee Littrell On Taking His Own Path"},"content":{"rendered":"
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by Samantha Stephens<\/a><\/span> 44m ago<\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n

You only have one<\/em> first video premiere: that\u2019s just one of the million thoughts racing through Baylee Littrell\u2019s mind today.<\/p>\n

The newcomer is celebrating the world premiere of his debut music video for the single \u201cDon\u2019t Knock It,\u201d and to say he\u2019s over the moon is an understatement for the Georgia native.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, I\u2019m living the dream. Getting ready to drop a record, dropping my first music video\u2026I\u2019m living the dream, I\u2019m on cloud nine,\u201d the singer told CMT.com.<\/p>\n

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It started when a handful of songs landed from Florida Georgia Line\u2019s publishing outfit Tree Vibes Music. Littrell knew \u201cDon\u2019t Knock It\u201d was for him from the moment he heard it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the first song I heard,\u201d he said. \u201cI was really excited when I heard it. I was like, \u2019man, this really describes me and my life at home, my family. Let\u2019s cut it and see how it sounds.\u2019 Well, it was on hold. A couple of months later, I was cutting some more songs in Nashville and my producer told me, \u2019you remember \u2019Don\u2019t Knock It?\u2019 I say, \u2019Yeah. I really love that song.\u2019 He said, \u2019Well, someone took it off hold. If you want to cut it, we can.’\u201d<\/p>\n

And the rest, for Littrell, is history. Now it\u2019s the first single. And this video debut is a monumental moment in time, an opportunity for him to pursue his dream while carrying on a family legacy, on his own terms, of course.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think this song kind of shows that I\u2019m going on my own path, and that I\u2019m not going to fake who I am at all,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is my life. I\u2019m a Georgia boy, I grew up in Georgia. It\u2019s my lifestyle.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was raised on country music. My grandpa is from Athens. I was raised on Georgia football and country music,\u201d he continued. \u201cMy grandma is the same way, and my mom is a diehard Bulldogs fan. She would play me Travis Tritt, Randy Travis, and Tim McGraw, and then my grandma would play me George Strait, Johnny Cash, and Merle Haggard. It was surrounding me and I knew it was the path.\u201d<\/p>\n

Littrell admitted filming the video for the single was a little more difficult than he expected. Videos are tough; days are long, it\u2019s more awkward than we could ever realize and not nearly as glamorous as you\u2019d think. Even still, Littrell spoke with the excitement and gratitude as he talked about the memory of the day.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI was so nervous to do this video,\u201d he said. \u201cI was thinking to myself, \u2019what am I gonna do? What do I do when I\u2019m just lip singing to the camera and everyone is jamming out? It\u2019s gonna be so awkward!\u201d<\/p>\n

But he had a very special team at the helm of the shoot: his mother, actress Leighanne Littrell, who wrote the treatment for the video with her husband, Baylee\u2019s dad, Backstreet Boys\u2019 Brian Littrell.<\/p>\n

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\u201cMy mom directed it,\u201d Littrell revealed. \u201cThis was her first music video directing job and she was incredible. I was like, \u2019My mom is the bomb,\u2019 he said with a laugh.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s not all.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t hire one person for this gig, except the crew. All my friends were in the video. Amber Davidson played my girlfriend in the video and we\u2019ve known each other since we were nine years old. My best friends Nate and Aidan are in it, so many of my lifelong friends are a part of it. I thought, \u2019You know what? If I\u2019m going on this journey, they\u2019ve gotta come to.’\u201d<\/p>\n

Littrell even got a chance to hop behind the camera with his mom to help direct and set up scenes and film.<\/p>\n

For Littrell, the single and video debut is a monumental moment in time, an opportunity for him to pursue his dream while carrying on a legacy, on his own terms, of course.<\/p>\n

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