American Song Contest is making its debut on Monday night (21 March) at 8pm on NBC.
The US adaptation of Eurovision will be hosted by Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson and will include 56 artists representing 50 states, five US territories, and the nation’s capital, all battling for the best hit song.
Some recognisable competitors include Connecticut’s Michael Bolton (the former frontman of Blackjack), Ohio’s Macy Gray (Grammy-winning R&B singer), and Kentucky’s Jordan Smith (The Voice season nine winner).
Below is everything we know about the competition, from how it will work to the full list of contestants and how to vote.
How will it work?
The competition will span eight weeks and include three rounds: Qualifying Round, Semi-Finals, and Grand Final.
In the five-week qualifiers (21, 28 March and 4, 11, 18 April) there will be 11 or 12 performances in each episode. And according to NBC, at the end of each night, the panel of judges will advance one artist immediately to the semi-finals.
The two-part semi-finals (25 April and 2 May) will be comprised of 22 artists, and each week, 10 will compete with a slightly elevated rendition of their original song.
In the grand finale (9 May), 10 will perform for the last time to compete for the winning title.
How to vote
Viewers and the jury panel will jointly vote to decide who advances each round. The competition will follow a point system, and regardless of population, each state and territory’s votes will have equal power. Viewers will be able to vote via TikTok and the NBC app.
Voting for the “Qualifying Round” will open on Mondays and close on Wednesday mornings.
Who is competing?
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 Kane’Opio 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: Sisqo
Massachusetts: Jared Lee
Michigan: Ada LeAnn
Minnesota: Yam Haus
Mississippi: Keyone Starr
Missouri: Brett Seper
Montana: Jonah Prill
Nebraska: Jocelyn Anderson
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 Pagan
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.: Neither
West Virginia: Alexis Cunningham
Wisconsin: Jake’O
Wyoming: Ryan Charles
American Song Contest premieres on Monday 21 March at 8pm on NBC.
