ATLANTA — ‘American Idol’ is back on the search for a superstar and at least one metro Atlanta musician is hoping for a ticket to Hollywood.
Balylee Littrell, an Alpharetta native, has a long family history of musicians, including his father, Backstreet Boys member Brian Littrell. But the 21-year-old wants to forge his own path to the top of the music charts.
Channel 2′s Alison Mastrangelo caught up with to see how he’s feeling ahead of the Season 23 premiere on Sunday.
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“I’m really nervous to watch it. I’m excited. But all the emotions from audition day come back,” Littrell said.
Growing up around music, he said his passion started at a young age.
“I think my dad has always inspired me by, you know, he’s succeeded at doing what he loves,” he said.
He said that his journey in the music industry hasn’t been easy just because his dad is a famous singer. He said it’s actually been the opposite.
“It’s always like, you know, ‘Why don’t you just use your dad’s name to go get you a record deal or a publishing deal?’ And I’m like, ‘Guys, I get turned away because of that.’ You know, and, and it, you know, it makes me frustrated, but it also hurts my dad,” he described.
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Littrell said he’s excited to watch along, but isn’t planning on giving out any spoilers.
“I feel like trying to drop hints of what happens is just like never the way to go. Like the beauty of this is I could go home or I could move on,” he teased.
He’s planning on having a small watch party with friends and family for Sunday night’s premiere.
Carrie Underwood, who won the show’s fourth season in 2005, joins Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan on the judging panel while Atlanta’s Ryan Seacrest keeps hosting.
“American Idol” premieres Sunday, March 5 at 8 p.m. on Channel 2.
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