{"id":1316732,"date":"2019-11-14T15:22:12","date_gmt":"2019-11-14T22:22:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/?p=1814730"},"modified":"2019-11-14T15:22:12","modified_gmt":"2019-11-14T22:22:12","slug":"why-the-son-of-a-backstreet-boy-called-on-615-for-770-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/music-news\/why-the-son-of-a-backstreet-boy-called-on-615-for-770-country\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the Son of a Backstreet Boy Called on 615 for 770-Country"},"content":{"rendered":"
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by Alison Bonaguro<\/a><\/span>
\n21m ago<\/span>
\n<\/span> <\/p>\n

Baylee Littrell, the 16-year-old son of the Backstreet Boys\u2019 Brian Littrell, has had a hat hanging in his bedroom in Alpharetta, Georgia for the past two years. And it belongs to Florida Georgia Line\u2019s Brian Kelley. <\/p>\n

On the eve of his debut country album release, 770-Country<\/em>, Littrell told me why that hat was kind of his watershed moment. <\/p>\n

When Baylee was just 14, he was at a Florida Georgia Line show at the Verizon Amphitheatre \u2014 now known as the Ameris Bank Amphitheatre \u2014 in Alpharetta, just north of Atlanta. \u201cI got to go see Florida Georgia Line back in 2017. We were there in the pit in front of the stage, and BK saw me in the audience and he threw me his hat. I wasn\u2019t sure if he knew who I was, I was just in shock. It was hilarious. I was like, \u2019NOBODY TOUCH THE HAT.\u2019 <\/p>\n

\u201cI seriously have that in my room next to my bed ever since. That honestly was when I was like, \u2019Man, I am starstruck.\u2019 In that one moment, I felt completely alive. It had to be fate.\u201d<\/p>\n

(That was the same year that the Backstreet Boys celebrated their love of music<\/a> with Florida Georgia Line at a CMT Crossroads<\/em>.)<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s the night a country star was born in the 770 area code. But when it came time to write and record the new country album, Littrell did have to make a few trips to the 615 area code of Nashville. He was also there for Wednesday night\u2019s (Nov. 13) CMA Awards with his mom and dad, who have made a few stops in Nashville themselves. <\/p>\n

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Had so much at the @CountryMusic<\/a> Awards last night. Was so cool to hang with some of my favorite artists and musical inspirations like @randytravis<\/a>, Devin Dawson and @MorganWallen<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/PMdIByRusf<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Baylee Littrell (@littrell_baylee) November 14, 2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Littrell, who is academically a senior in high school, is schooled at home because of the unpredictable nature of being in an entertainment family. Which means his Georgia roots are part of the reason he\u2019s more country than anything else. \u201cI\u2019ve been home-school for over half my life. My dad is my musical director. My mom is my manager. And I\u2019m based at home and on the road. And growing up in Georgia, you couldn\u2019t help but be influenced by country music. Between my grandparents and my mom, I always had Haggard, Cash, Strait, and Jones in my ear. And I always loved it. Even with dad being in pop music, I wanted to be myself, and he was the one who encouraged me. I was gonna end up taking the safer route, and not do country music. But country was my passion, and my dad said he wanted me to do what I <\/em>wanted to do. To us, there was never a Plan B. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd it\u2019s all because of Georgia.\u201d<\/p>\n

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