Brian Littrell

"I've been a born-again Christian since I was 8 years old, and I've known for a very long time that making music for the church has been my calling," Littrell says. "God laid this on my heart, and it's time to do something about it. It's not my timing but His."

"My main objective as a Christian artist is to spread God's word. God has allowed me through the Backstreet Boys to minister in a positive way, encouraging people to stand up for what they believe," he says.

Belying his stardom, Brian Littrell engages you like a next-door neighbor, warm and familiar, speaking still with a hint of a Southern accent. He lives in Atlanta with his wife, Leighanne and their son, Baylee, hailing originally from Lexington, Kentucky.

He was born with a congenital heart problem, a condition which made him incredibly susceptible to infections. By age 5, a small cut landed Brian in a hospital for an entire summer, the infection spreading throughout his small body. Doctors didn't expect him to live.

"It's a miracle that I'm here today because they didn't really have medicine to overcome the infection. Instead, doctors were literally beating the infection, physically pounding my chest, to keep it away from my heart.

"What kept me going was my faith," Littrell reveals. "My faith consisted of going to church and singing in church. Did I really understand what faith was at that point in my life? No, of course not. What 5-year-old boy does? But I did understand that there was some sort of relationship there. It directly tied me to people joining hands and praying around me. When you're in the middle of that, you feel power and energy."

After high school, Littrell planned to attend college on scholarship at Ohio's Cincinnati Bible College, intending to study youth or music ministry. But his cousin, Kevin Richardson, persuaded him first to try out for an upstart, Orlando, Fla., vocal group. When the five-member team eventually emerged as Backstreet Boys, the band quickly grew to personify an unprecedented, youth-driven era in popular music. Since its introduction in 1997, BSB has sold more than 74 million records worldwide and has earned a mountain of accolades.

"These songs represent who I am and what I believe. It's no secret: What you see is what you get, and I couldn't be more proud to have the opportunity to share this music, both with the church and with longtime Backstreet fans alike," Littrell says. Although he'll continue to perform with Backstreet Boys, as well as working behind the scenes at the nonprofit organization he established—the Brian Littrell Healthy Heart Club for Kids—it's a foregone conclusion Brian's church-music influences won't be far from his mind.

"There is nothing more rewarding than having a loving wife and a strong, healthy little boy," he affirms. "I am blessed. That's what God has given me, so I hope this record is a chance to give something back. Most importantly, I hope I can do something that opens doors and benefits lives."