If you'd told Brian Littrell that he would someday be a part of one of the biggest-selling pop groups of all time, breaking music and concert sales records the world over, he would never have believed it.
But as a 13-year member of the pop music supergroup Backstreet Boys, Littrell and his boy-band counterparts sold more than 87 million copies worldwide thanks to hits like "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)," "As Long As You Love Me" and last year's "Incomplete."
What you may not know is that Littrell, born in Lexington, Ky., was a typical church kid, active in his youth group and even spent time on the church payroll as the building's wedding coordinator. "I was paid $25 a room to set up the candelabras, move the pulpit, make sure all the seats were correct and the tables were up in the gymnasium," he laughs. "When the doors were closed and nobody was there, I would sing at the top of my lungs on stage."
Littrell was still in high school when his cousin Kevin Richardson called and urged him to join him in Orlando and be a part of the Backstreet Boys. The rest, as they say, is history.
But this May, Littrell gets to fulfill a longtime dream with the launch of his long-awaited solo album – a Christian project titled "Welcome Home." The record's straight-ahead pop sound was produced by Billy Mann (Jessica Simpson, Ricky Martin), Dan Muckala (Backstreet Boys, Mandy Moore), and the production team of Mark Kibble and Dave Thomas (Take 6, Mariah Carey, CeCe Winans).
"I'm a family guy making music for the family," says Littrell. "This really is like a dream come true." Plans are coming together for Littrell to support "Welcome Home" at select Christian music festivals this summer. But you don't have to wait for summer or for the album's May 2 release. Get a preview now by downloading the title track, available today on SongTouch.com.
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