Baylee Littrell Begins a Bold New Chapter With Raw, Faith-Filled Single, ‘Hey Jesus’ [Exclusive]

Baylee Littrell is stepping into what he calls a “rebirth” of his musical career, and it all starts with his brand-new single, “Hey Jesus.”

Sitting down for an interview with Country Now, Baylee shared his excitement ahead of today’s official release.

“That’s kind of how I look at it is today is the end of the past six years or so, and tomorrow it’s the beginning of a new,” he shared on the eve of the song’s official release.

He goes on to give a look inside the struggles he was facing at the time the song was written, noting that he never actually thought the song would see the light of day.

“It’s really impactful…It’s unexpected and it’s a different route than what I’ve tried before, so I’m very, very excited for it.”

The Powerful Message Behind The Song

“Hey Jesus” is a stripped-down tune that highlights Littrell’s soulful vocals over the delicate strums of an acoustic guitar. Hoping listeners will connect with the raw honesty and vulnerability in the lyrics, the emerging artist offers a reminder that nobody is perfect and that it’s okay to struggle. He also leans heavily into his faith, which he says is the saving grace that got him through the difficult chapter of his life.  

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The song is both a spiritual and motivational anthem that invites everyone, regardless of their beliefs, to embrace their flaws, learn from their setbacks, and hopefully, find the strength to move forward to better days.

“I think what I want everyone to know is that I’m not perfect. I don’t try to be, I have struggles just like everybody else and I want them to kind of go on that journey with me through this song,” Littrell expressed honestly. “I really want everyone too to find that in themselves and realize they can’t be perfect and to not try to set themselves to this personal high standard that we all automatically put ourselves at. We all expect ourselves basically to be perfect and when we’re not, we’re disappointed.”

He continued, “[The] message is God will take you as you are and with this song it’s like that’s the person you have to turn to find strength. So it’s like, that’s what I want people to find. And then two, for people that aren’t religious, hopefully this kind of helps them have an insight on it or it’s just a motivational song for them to at least put their trust in themselves as well and get back up. I hate to see people fall down, but it’s part of life.”

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Littrell Opens Up About His American Idol Journey

The world first heard Littrell’s powerful storytelling within “Hey Jesus” during his time as a contestant on American Idol. He took the stage during Hollywood Week to sing his original tune and earned strong praise from both the judges and America who watched from home.

Even though Littrell grew up immersed in the music industry being the son of Backstreet Boys member Brian Littrell, he says performing on the singing competition show unlocked a new level of fear in him.

“I hadn’t been that terrified since I was a child performing…My mom actually talked to me about this one before I went on and performed. She was like, ‘do a song that you feel is best. ‘Hey, Jesus’ is something the world should hear.’ And so I took her advice on that one and did it,” he admitted. “I was so nervous, but I truly believe that’s the one song that I was going to be able to get through that day and it ended up playing out that way. So it was just like I found my strength in that song and I mean, I was petrified, but I’m so glad I got to sing it.”

Following his Idol appearance, the song quickly gained traction online and marked a turning point in his career. Littrell says the past seven years of his musical journey have been filled with drastic changes and plenty of high highs and low lows, but he’s feeling grateful for the journey he’s had so far and is excited for what the future holds.

“I seriously believe being a musician, especially in today’s world, is one of the toughest jobs you could possibly try to do because it’s really hard to make it. So there’s still a long way to go, but anytime I want to find motivation, I think about where I’ve been the past six years, especially before American Idol. I got a lot of work to do, but I’m so excited. I mean, I’m really thankful, especially to American Idol for the outreach that this has had because it’s helped me so much.”

Creating A Fresh New Sound For A Forthcoming Album

Those same messages of gratitude and persistence are strongly reflected in his upcoming new album. Littrell says his next project will offer a raw and emotional look into his musical path and his love for powerful storytelling through songs that are mostly live takes featuring just him and his guitar, as well as a few full-production tracks.

He has spent the last two or three years in the studio cutting and recording music that reflected where he was at the time, but now, he’s made it a goal to present something completely fresh for his growing fanbase.

“These are brand new, it’s a perspective on life, it’s vulnerable. A lot of this stuff is actually going to be pretty much live takes with my acoustic guitar and me singing…So it’s definitely going to be a different vibe than what I’ve done before. I’ll still definitely have some full production songs, but it’s just, I think it’s the most raw anyone has heard me. They’ve heard polished versions and I want everyone to hear how it is raw, the imperfections, the vulnerability in my voice.”

Sonically, Littrell says the project will mark a shift from his previous work, leaning more into singer-songwriter and indie influences. “If there’s any country in this record, it’s going to be very old school,” he said. “I compare a couple songs on this as kind of like Bob Dylan’s first stuff, which is cool.”

Balancing Two Dreams

On top of living out his musical dreams, Baylee Littrell is pursing another passion – sports. He is currently halfway through earning his online degree in sports administration at LSU and hopes to become a sports agent one day.

“That’s another dream of mine is, I love the sports industry and being able to see the ins and outs of really behind the scenes working the books. And I would be intrigued with being a sports agent. That would probably be one of my dreams right there…I would love to be the first person that could somehow do both. I have no idea,” he said while trying to determine if he can combine his love for music and sports to create one unique career.

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As for what’s next, the rising artist is preparing to launch a mini tour later this summer, with plans to hit cities across the Southeast and potentially the West Coast. With brand-new music on the horizon and a renewed sense of purpose, Baylee Littrell is ready to share his most authentic chapter yet.