The artists taking part in the American Song Contest have been revealed. All 56 acts were revealed in one big go by Eurovision.tv. On the list, we see some big names, such as Jewel and Michael Bolton.
Jewel and Michael Bolton among American Song Contest entrants
On 21st March, the competition will launch on American network NBC for the very first time. 56 acts will be fighting for the title of Best Hit Song. Each state or territory will be represented by an artist, just like in the Eurovision Song Contest. Every participant has selected a solo singer, duo or group to represent them the best they can. The result is a mix of upcoming artists, established acts and legendary singers.
Perhaps the biggest name on the list is Michael Bolton. The multiple Grammy Award winner is representing Connecticut. He’s got some big hits to his name, including How Am I Supposed To Live Without You? Now aged 69, he’ll be trying his hand at the American Song Contest. Also on the list is Jewel, representing her home state of Alaska. She was born in Utah, but has lived in Alaska since early childhood. She’s most famous for songs like Hands and Foolish Games.
Other big names on the list include Macy Gray (Ohio), SisQó (Maryland) and The Voice winner Jordan Smith (Kentucky). To help you get familiar with all the participating entrants, NBC have released an interactive map so you can click your way through the entrants.
You can see the complete list of acts below:
- Alabama: Ni/Co
- Alaska: Jewel
- American Samoa: Tenelle
- Arizona: Las Marias
- Arkansas: Kelsey Lamb
- California: Sweet Taboo
- Colorado: Riker Lynch
- Connecticut: Michael Bolton
- Delaware: Nitro Nitra
- Florida: Ale Zabala
- Georgia: Stela Cole
- Guam: Jason J.
- Hawaii: Bronson Varde
- Idaho: Andrew Sheppard
- Illinois: Justin Jesso
- Indiana: UG skywalkin
- Iowa: Alisabeth Von Presley
- Kansas: Broderick Jones
- Kentucky: Jordan Smith
- Louisiana: Brittany Pfantz
- Maine: King Kyote
- Maryland: Sisqó
- Massachusetts: Jared Lee
- Michigan: Ada LeAnn
- Minnesota: Yam Haus
- Mississippi: Keyone Starr
- Missouri: Brett Seper
- Montana: Jonah Prill
- Nebraska: Jocelyn
- Nevada: The Crystal Method
- New Hampshire: MARi
- New Jersey: Brooke Alexx
- New Mexico: Khalisol
- New York: ENISA
- North Carolina: John Morgan
- North Dakota: Chloe Fredericks
- Northern Mariana Islands: Sabyu
- Ohio: Macy Gray
- Oklahoma: AleXa
- Oregon: courtship.
- Pennsylvania: Bri Steves
- Puerto Rico: Christian Pagán
- Rhode Island: Hueston
- South Carolina: Jesse LeProtti
- South Dakota: Judd Hoos
- Tennessee: Tyler Braden
- Texas: Grant Knoche
- U.S. Virgin Islands: Cruz Rock
- Utah: Savannah Keyes
- Vermont: Josh Panda
- Virginia: Almira Zaky
- Washington: Allen Stone
- Washington, D.C.: NËITHER
- West Virginia: Alexis Cunningham
- Wisconsin: Jake’O
- Wyoming: Ryan Charles
If you want to get to know the American Song Contest acts much better, make sure you check out the article below. There, you can read about all artists and listen to their music!
Kelly Clarkson and Snoop Dogg to host
In eight weeks, the search for the very first winner of the American Song Contest will take place. The show will commence on 21st March and will have its final in May. Clarkson, who covered Eurovision winning song Arcade just a few weeks ago, will host the show alongside rapper Snoop Dogg.
A whole new world…
With the American Song Contest confirmed, the Eurovision brand is crossing the Atlantic in a massive way. Of course, Netflix released a surprise hit film about the contest, titled Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga in 2020. You can read our team’s thoughts on the movie here.
Plans for the contest had been in the making for a while, with Christer Björkman announcing in March that talks were ongoing. The first reports about the ideas came out in May 2019, with both Björkman and Ola Melzig hosting a press conference. Ola Melzig will also be involved in the first edition for 2022. Soon after the first announcement, organiser Peter Settman confirmed that multiple broadcasters had an interest in the rights. This presumably included NBC, who have ended up landing the gig.
Besides the 50 states, five additional territories will also participate. They include Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands. The final participant is the capital, Washington D.C.
Are you excited about the American Song Contest? What do you think of the participating acts, do you have an early favourite? Let us know! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to follow us on Spotify and YouTube to see our reactions to the news in the run up to the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest in Turin!
