Tonight (21-03-2022) The American Song Contest will be unleashed onto the world! The contest, that partially has the same set-up as the Eurovision Song Contest, or is at least inspired by its Eurovision counterpart, is really a spin-off of the original version. Tonight the first out of three Qualification Shows will take place live from Los Angeles. The show will be broadcasted in the USA on NBC.
The American Song Contest is hosted this year by singer Kelly Clarkson and legendary rapper Snoop Dogg. The Grand Final of this year’s American Song Contest will take place on May 9th 2022, and must become the epic conclusion of 8 weeks of music shows.
You can watch The American Song Contest live on the “ESCplus Live: Multi-window”, which you can find by clicking here.
What is The American Song Contest?
The American Song Contest is a song competition which is a spin-off of the Eurovision version. In the American version 50 states, 5 territories, and the nation’s capital, Washington D.C., will compete to win the title of “The Best Original Song”. The contest will have 3 Qualifier Rounds, Semi-finals, and a Grand Final in which the winner will be decided. All genres of music can enter the competition, from soul to house, and from ballads to dance music.
Who will compete?
All sorts of American artists can compete in The American Song Contest. In this first edition of the contest grand international names in music, like Michael Bolton, Macy Gray, and Jewel will compete, which is very exciting. For a full list of entrants, click here.
Is The American Song Contest different from the Eurovision version?
The things that are similar as the Eurovision Song Contest are the following: There will be postcards shown before every song is performed. The song that gets the most points allowed will get the world-famous “12 points”. The winner will be decided by 50% jury votes and 50% public votes. The American public will not be able to vote for their own state. Singers must be at least 16 years of age to compete.
What has been changed is the allocation of the 12 points, but how this is changed is unknown. At least one member of each jury has to be a music industry representative, and there are 5 members per jury. Songs can have a length of 2 minutes and 45 seconds, instead of 3 minutes. Competing acts can have more than 6 people on stage.
The qualifier show
During the 3 Qualifier Shows each time 11 states will compete. A total of 56 American states and territories, and the nation’s capital, will compete. The 11 acts per show will battle it out for one of the four places in the Semi-Finals.
The entrants of tonight’s Qualifier Show
The entrants of tonight’s Qualifier Show are the following:
- Arkansas – Kelsey Lamb, Never Like This
- Connecticut – Michael Bolton, Beautiful World
- Indiana – UG skywalkin, Love In My City (feat. Maxie)
- Iowa – Alisabeth Von Presley, Wonder
- Minnesota – Yam Haus – Ready To Go
- Mississippi – Keyone Starr, Fire
- Oklahoma – AleXa, Wonderland
- Puerto Rico – Christian Pagán, Loko
- Rhode Island – Hueston, Held On Too Long
- Wisconsin – Jake’O, Feel Your Own
- Wyoming – Ryan Charles, New Boot Goofin’
In this list Michael Bolton is one of the special names, because Michael Bolton has already had quite the international music career. Michael Bolton has sold 53 million albums worldwide, and is known for his rock-ballads and tenor voice. Bolton has had 8 worldwide top-ten albums, and 2 international number one hits. Worldwide he is well-known for his original song “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You”, and the Percy Sledge cover “When a Man Loves a Woman”. Among other awards, Bolton has also won a Grammy Award.
How are the qualifiers decided?
A jury of 56 judges has been assembled; one for each state and territory. These judges will vote during the show. The results of all jury members will be accumulated, and by doing so the qualifiers of each of the qualifier rounds will be decided.
From the entrants who did not make it to the Semi-finals, the public can vote for their favorites from Monday 08:00 PM (20:00) ET until Wednesday 07:00 AM (07:00) ET.
How to watch The American Song Contest?
You can watch The American Song Contest live on our special “ESCplus Live: Multi-window”, by clicking here.
