American Song Contest (2022) – Watch Online, Host, Participants, Winner, Release Date, Episodes, Voting, National jury and spokespersons
Trailer, Teaser & Videos
Series Details
| Based on | Eurovision Song Contest |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genres | Music competition |
| Season | 1 |
| Episodes | 8 |
| Release date | March 21 – May 9, 2022 |
| Running time | 86 minutes |
| Presented by | Snoop Dogg, Kelly Clarkson |
| Created by | European Broadcasting Union |
| Directed by | Robin Hofwander |
| Executive producers | Ben Silverman, Howard T. Owens, Audrey Morrissey, Anders Lenhoff, Brittany Martin Porter, Christer Björkman, Peter Settman, Ola Melzig, Gregory Lipstone, Snoop Dogg, Kelly Clarkson |
| Cinematography by | Erik Rubner |
| Winner | AleXa, a K-pop singer from Oklahoma, who won with her song “Wonderland” |
| Filming locations | NBCUniversal Lot, Universal City, California |
| Production Company | Voxovation, Inc., American Song Contest, Inc., Universal Television Alternative Studio, Propagate Content |
| Original Network | NBC |
About American Song Contest Series
American Song Contest is an American music reality competition television series very much bases its program on the format of more popular Eurovision Song Contest. The show was conducted by Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson for its only season, which ran for eight episodes between NBC from March 21 to May 9, 2022. Acts competed for Best Original Song on behalf of all fifty U.S. states, five territories, and Washington, D.C.
Throughout one season, 56 competing entries were divided into five qualifying rounds, leading to two semi-finals with eleven participants each and finishing in a ten-participant series finale that aired as the season’s last event. Voting by either public or juries, or a combination thereof, decided whether contestants from a qualifying round passed or made it to the semifinal and final. The state of Oklahoma, represented by AleXa singing “Wonderland”, won the contest.
NBC obtained rights to the Eurovision Song Contest in the United States beginning in 2021 and soon publicized the American Song Contest with a premiere for 2022. Promotions were organized by NBC, with a commercial during the Super Bowl in 2022 and a sweepstakes for listeners on iHeartRadio stations. Reviews of the series were mostly mixed and many critics said it fell short of its Eurovision inspiration; hence there were no plans for a 2023 season.
Format
The American Song Contest is a series of musical competitions involving professional artists from the 50 US states and territories, as well as American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. The competition has eight episodes, five qualifying rounds, two semi-finals, and one final. One out of 56 is selected by a jury in each round to be advanced to the semi-finals. after 35 hours of voting by viewers, three songs qualify to advance as well.
Two “redemption songs” from the qualifying rounds join the 22. The semi-finals consist of two 11-participant semi-finals, with the same selection process facilitating the final. The final results are presented in Eurovision style, with each jury member awarding their maximum 12 points, followed by viewer votes. Each state and territory is worth 12 points, so all have an equal say in how voting is exercised, and populous states like California and Texas cannot dominate the process.
American Song Contest Participants
| State/Territory | Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Ni/Co | “The Difference” | Andreas Carlsson, Colton Jones, Danielle Brillhart, Gaby Feldman, Kevin Hutchens |
| Alaska | Jewel | “The Story” | Jewel Kilcher, Johan Carlsson, Ross Golan |
| American Samoa | Tenelle | “Full Circle” | Ali Dee Theodore, Anthony Mirabella III, Benjamin Briggs, Bianca Sperduti, Kerry Clisby, Nikki Sorentino, Sergio Cabral, Susan Paroff, Tenelle Luafalemana, Trent Foisia |
| Arizona | Las Marías | “De La Finikera” | Eduardo Meza |
| Arkansas | Kelsey Lamb | “Never Like This” | Carly Pearce, Casey Brown, Parker Welling |
| California | Sweet Taboo | “Keys to the Kingdom” | Breanne Santana, Gian Stone, Jennifer Torrejon, Madison Love, Richard Vission, Samantha Ramos, Sean Douglas |
| Colorado | Riker Lynch | “Feel the Love” | Andreas Carlsson, Desmond Child, Jimmy Jansson, Vera Hotsauce |
| Connecticut | Michael Bolton | “Beautiful World” | Justin Jesso, Michael Bolton |
| Delaware | Nitro Nitra | “Train” | Ali Dee Theodore, Anthony Mirabella III, Auanitra Aiken, Bianca Sperduti, James A. Pollard Jr. |
| Florida | Ale Zabala | “Flirt” | Alexa Zabala, Andreas Carlsson, Melanie Joy Fontana, Michel Schulz |
| Georgia | Stela Cole | “DIY” | Hollyn Shadinger, Mark Evans, Stephen Harry Dunkley, Steven Cheung |
| Guam | Jason J. | “Midnight” | Chaz Mark Toney, Jason Niel Jabinigay |
| Hawaii | Bronson Varde | “4 You” | Ali Dee Theodore, Anthony Mirabella III, Bianca Sperduti, Bronson Varde, Nikki Sorentino, Sergio Cabral, Susan Paroff |
| Idaho | Andrew Sheppard | “Steady Machine” | Andrew Sheppard |
| Illinois | Justin Jesso | “Lifeline” | Devin Kennedy, Justin Jesso, Lukas Kostas |
| Indiana | UG skywalkin (ft. Maxie) | “Love in My City” | Albert Sprears, Antonio Maxie, Josh Phillip Kimbowa, Theophilus Akai |
| Iowa | Alisabeth Von Presley | “Wonder” | Ali Dee Theodore, Alisabeth Von Presley, Anthony Mirabella III, Timothy James King |
| Kansas | Broderick Jones (ft. Calio) | “Tell Me” | Broderick Jones, Callan Searcy |
| Kentucky | Jordan Smith | “Sparrow” | Andreas Carlsson, Desmond Child, Jordan Smith |
| Louisiana | Brittany Pfantz | “Now You Do” | Brittany Pfantz, Ryan Corn |
| Maine | King Kyote | “Get Out Alive” | Darren Elder, Jonathan King, Jonathan Wyman, Joseph Mahoney |
| Maryland | Sisqó | “It’s Up” | Mark Althavan Andrews, Nathan L. Mooring |
| Massachusetts | Jared Lee | “Shameless” | Carly Paige, Dan Whittemore, Diamond Karruen White Long, Jared Lee |
| Michigan | Ada LeAnn | “Natalie” | Ada LeAnn Compton, Carter Jon Frodge |
| Minnesota | Yam Haus | “Ready to Go” | Lawrence Lane Pruitt, Simon Oscroft, Zachary Kurt Beinlich |
| Mississippi | Keyone Starr | “Fire” | Ali Dee Theodore, Anthony Mirabella III, Bianca Sperduti, John Emanuel Morris, Lakreshia Keyone Edwards, Sergio Cabral |
| Missouri | Halie | “Better Things” | Alex Angelo, Blake Densmore, Halie Wooldridge |
| Montana | Jonah Prill | “Fire It Up” | Jared Mullins, Jordan Schmidt, Seth Ennis |
| Nebraska | Jocelyn | “Never Alone” | Danelle Joy Leverett Reeves, Jason Bradford Reeves, Jocelyn Anderson |
| Nevada | The Crystal Method (feat. Koda and VAAAL) | “Watch Me Now” | David Mårtensson, Jordan David Sudak, Scott Kirkland |
| New Hampshire | MARi | “Fly” | Ali Dee Theodore, Andreas Carlsson, Anthony Mirabella III, Bianca Sperduti, David Mullen, Ian Anthony Osborne, Mari Burelle-Valencia, Scott Callaway |
| New Jersey | Brooke Alexx | “I Don’t Take Pictures Anymore” | Autumn Buysse, Brandon Meagher, Brooke Alexandria Greenberg |
| New Mexico | Khalisol | “Drop” | Geoffrey McCray, Kaelin Ellis, Zachary Chicoine |
| New York | Enisa | “Green Light” | Cameron Warren, Enisa Nikaj |
| North Carolina | John Morgan | “Right in the Middle” | John Morgan, Justin Wilson, Rodney Clawson, Will Bundy |
| North Dakota | Chloe Fredericks | “Can’t Make You Love Me” | Chloe Fredericks, Melissa Carter, Rob Nagelhout |
| Northern Mariana Islands | Sabyu | “Sunsets and Seaturtles” | Chris Mena, Gerson Zaragoza, Matthew Sablan, Mike Kohfeld, Skúli Gestsson |
| Ohio | Macy Gray (ft. The California Jet Club and Maino) | “Every Night” | Alex Kyhn, Billy Wes, Christopher Dotson, Jamal Rashid, Jermaine Coleman, Natalie Hinds, Tamir Barzilay, Thomas Lumpkin |
| Oklahoma | AleXa | “Wonderland” | Albin Nordqvist, Andreas Carlsson, Bekuh Boom, Ellen Berg, Moa Carlebecker |
| Oregon | courtship. | “Million Dollar Smoothies” | Eli Rueben Hirsch, Micah Ross Gordon |
| Pennsylvania | Bri Steves | “Plenty Love” | Avery Earls, Brandon Hodge, Brianna Ashleigh Stevenson, Darryl Pearson, Donnie Meadows, Kristal Oliver, Larrance Dopson, Quintin Gulledge |
| Puerto Rico | Christian Pagán | “Loko” | Bileidy Hernandez, Christian Pagán, Desmond Child, Emilio Amaya Acosta, Faisal Ben Said, Jodi Marr, Markus Sepehrmanesh, Samuel Kvist, Timothy Caifeldt |
| Rhode Island | Hueston | “Held On Too Long” | Cory Hueston |
| South Carolina | Jesse LeProtti | “Not Alone” | Ali Dee Theodore, Andreas Carlsson, Anthony Mirabella III, Bianca Sperduti, Jesse Leprotti |
| South Dakota | Judd Hoos | “Bad Girl” | Adam Dennis Agin, Andrew Arthur Young, Denham Issac McDermott |
| Tennessee | Tyler Braden | “Seventeen” | Tyler Braden |
| Texas | Grant Knoche | “Mr. Independent” | Grant Christian Knoche, John Arnell Newsome |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | Cruz Rock | “Celebrando” | Ali Dee Theodore, Anthony Mirabella III, Bianca Sperduti, Errol Ajani Williams, Frankie Garcia, Sergio Cabral |
| Utah | Savannah Keyes | “Sad Girl” | Blair Daly, Heather Morgan, Savannah Keyes |
| Vermont | Josh Panda | “Rollercoaster” | Clinton Lewis Bierman, Joshua Pender, Peter Whitfield Day |
| Virginia | Almira Zaky | “Over You” | Almira Zaky |
| Washington | Allen Stone | “A Bit of Both” | Allen Stone, Tyler Acord |
| Washington, D.C. | Nëither | “I Like It” | Marcus R. Neither |
| West Virginia | Alexis Cunningham | “Working on a Miracle” | Alexis Paige Cunningham, Eric Bazilian, Martin Štibernik |
| Wisconsin | Jake’O | “Feel Your Love” | Ali Dee Theodore, Anthony Mirabella III, Bianca Sperduti, Jacob Brendan McCluskey |
| Wyoming | Ryan Charles | “New Boot Goofin'” | Khadi Clamoungou, Ryan Charles Kinzer |
Grand final
| Draw | State/Territory | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connecticut | Michael Bolton | “Beautiful World” | 338 | 7 |
| 2 | North Dakota | Chloe Fredericks | “Can’t Make You Love Me” | 267 | 9 |
| 3 | Texas | Grant Knoche | “Mr. Independent” | 366 | 4 |
| 4 | Alabama | Ni/Co | “The Difference” | 285 | 8 |
| 5 | Kentucky | Jordan Smith | “Sparrow” | 407 | 3 |
| 6 | Washington | Allen Stone | “A Bit of Both” | 359 | 5 |
| 7 | American Samoa | Tenelle | “Full Circle” | 342 | 6 |
| 8 | Oklahoma | AleXa | “Wonderland” | 710 | 1 |
| 9 | Tennessee | Tyler Braden | “Seventeen” | 251 | 10 |
| 10 | Colorado | Riker Lynch | “Feel the Love” | 503 | 2 |
American Song Contest Winner
The inaugural winner of the American Song Contest, a music competition based on the Eurovision Song Contest, was AleXa, a K-pop singer from Oklahoma, who won with her song “Wonderland”.
American Song Contest National Jury and Spokespersons
National jury
- Alabama – Amber Parker, program director, WTXT Tuscaloosa, iHeartMedia
- Alaska – Quinn Christopherson, singer-songwriter
- American Samoa – Joseph Fa’avae, founder, Island Block Network
- Arizona – Double-L, music director, on-air personality, KNIX Phoenix, iHeartMedia
- Arkansas – Kevin Mercer, program director, KHKN Little Rock, iHeartMedia
- California – Dan McCarroll, former president of Capitol Records and WB Records
- Colorado – Isaac Slade, frontman of The Fray
- Connecticut – Jaime Levine, CEO, Seven Mantels, artist manager
- Delaware – Christa Cooper, on-air personality / assistant program director, WDSD Wilmington, iHeartMedia
- Florida – Jose Tillan, director/producer – The POPGarage
- Georgia – Jennifer Goicoechea, SVP A&R Sony Music, EPIC
- Guam – Heidi Chargualaf Quenga, executive director, Chamorro Cultural Advisor
- Hawaii – Eric Daniels, keyboardist/arranger, The Voice
- Idaho – Shari Short, singer/songwriter/producer
- Illinois – Mike Knobloch, president, music and publishing, NBCUniversal
- Indiana – Nancy Yearing, talent development
- Iowa – Taylor J., program director / on-air personality KKDM Des Moines, iHeartMedia
- Kansas – Michelle Buckles, program director, KZCH Wichita, iHeartMedia
- Kentucky – Ashley Wilson, director of country programming, Kentucky/Indiana, iHeartMedia
- Louisiana – Uptown Angela, Executive Vice President of Programming, format lead custom R&B/gospel, iHeartMedia
- Maine – Lauren Wayne, general manager, talent buyer, State Theater
- Maryland – Caron Veazey, Founder & CEO, Something in Common
- Massachusetts – Jamie Cerreta, EVP Hipgnosis Songs Group
- Michigan – Shahida Mausi, CEO The Right Productions, Inc./Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre
- Minnesota – Barry Lather, creative director, choreographer, producer
- Mississippi – Joe King the Big Daddy, program director, WZLD Hattiesburg, iHeartMedia
- Missouri – Tommy Austin, SVP Programming, iHeartMedia
- Montana – Stephanie Davis, singer-songwriter
- Nebraska – Hoss Michaels, program director, KXKT Omaha, iHeartMedia
- Nevada – Jim Vellutato, CEO, Arrival Music
- New Hampshire – Charlie Singer, music television producer, executive producer
- New Jersey – Matt Pinfield, nationally syndicated radio host, A&R consultant, former MTV host of 120 Minutes
- New Mexico – Tony Manero, SVP Programming Southwest, iHeartMedia
- New York – Tom Poleman, Chief Programming Officer & President, iHeartMedia
- North Carolina – Paul Schadt, on-air personality, WKKT Charlotte, iHeartMedia
- North Dakota – Allison Bostow, program director / on-air personality, KIZZ Minot, iHeartMedia
- Northern Mariana Islands – Galvin Deleon Guerrero, President of Northern Marianas College, radio DJ
- Ohio – Khirye Tyler, songwriter, producer, musical director
- Oklahoma – Ester Dean, singer-songwriter
- Oregon – Mark Hamilton, program director / on-air personality, Portland Audacy
- Pennsylvania – Ty Stiklorius, Founder & CEO of Friends at Work
- Puerto Rico – Carlos Perez, creative director
- Rhode Island – Kristin Lessard, on-air personality, WSNE Providence, iHeartMedia
- South Carolina – Miss Monique, on-air personality / program director, WXBT Columbia, iHeartMedia
- South Dakota – Jered Johnson, President / CEO, Pepper Entertainment
- Tennessee – Brian Phillips, Executive VP, Content and Audience, Cumulus Media
- Texas – Natural, music producer
- U.S. Virgin Islands – Ajanie Williams, music producer & author
- Utah – Jeff McCartney, SVP Programming, Salt Lake City, iHeartMedia
- Vermont – Lee Chesnut, A&R Consultant
- Virginia – Justin Derrico, musician
- Washington – Zann Fredlund, on-air personality, music director & assistant program director, KBKS Seattle, iHeartMedia
- Washington, D.C. – Dustin Matthews, Director of Rock Programming, Washington, DC, iHeartMedia
- West Virginia – Judy Eaton, program director, WTCR Huntington, iHeartMedia
- Wisconsin – Shanna “Quinn” Cudeck, program director / on-air personality, WMIL Milwaukee, iHeartMedia
- Wyoming – Ian Munsick, Warner Music recording artist
Spokespersons
| Region | Juries | Spokesperson |
|---|---|---|
| Midwest | Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin | Yam Haus (MN) |
| Upper South | Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia | Almira Zaky (VA) |
| New England | Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont | Jared Lee (MA) |
| Plains | Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma | Alisabeth Von Presley (IA) |
| Mountains | Colorado, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming | Ryan Charles (WY) |
| Lower South | Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee | Ale Zabala (FL) |
| Mid Atlantic | Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C. | Nitro Nitra (DE) |
| Territories | American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands | Jason J. (GU) |
| Southwest | Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Texas | Savannah Keyes (UT) |
| Pacific West | Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington | Bronson Varde (HI) |
American Song Contest Episodes
| No. | Title | Original Release Date | U.S. Viewers (millions) | Rating (18–49) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | “The Live Qualifiers Premiere” | March 21, 2022 | 2.90 | 0.49 |
| 2 | “The Live Qualifiers Part 2” | March 28, 2022 | 1.88 | 0.34 |
| 3 | “The Live Qualifiers Part 3” | April 4, 2022 | 1.65 | 0.28 |
| 4 | “The Live Qualifiers Part 4” | April 11, 2022 | 1.44 | 0.28 |
| 5 | “The Live Qualifiers Part 5” | April 18, 2022 | 1.53 | 0.27 |
| 6 | “The Live Semi-Finals Premiere” | April 25, 2022 | 1.44 | 0.27 |
| 7 | “The Live Semi-Finals Part 2” | May 2, 2022 | 1.61 | 0.28 |
| 8 | “The Live Grand Final” | May 9, 2022 | 2.04 | 0.33 |
Where to Watch American Song Contest Online?
American Song Contest is available on NBC.
