Arkansas – Kelsey Lamb
Song: Never Like This (Listen via Spotify or Apple Music)
Official Bio: Kelsey Lamb is a country music singer/songwriter born known for her strong but pure vocals. She grew up listening to a broad mix of artists – from Avril Lavigne to Blake Shelton to the Fray to Jo Dee Messina – that have heavily influenced her songwriting. Lamb has accumulated over 2 million streams since releasing her first song, “Little By Little” in 2018 and since then has been continuing to write, record and perform her original music across the Southeast. Even though Lamb is currently living in Nashville, she’s still very connected to Arkansas.
Things To Note: Whilst we hear the influences of Carrie Underwood in her music, clearly the production team are going more for the early Taylor Swift-esque ‘enchanting girl next door’ appearance. This kind of country music is accessible and should appeal to a wide audience, the song is authentic to her in terms of storytelling which bodes well, but her previous career choices have been more tailored to older crowds (tours with Alan Thicke, Kenny Rogers). She is also multi-talented, having appeared in a number of Hallmark movies over the last decade, meaning she should be very comfortable in delivering an on-camera performance that is tailored to the TV viewing audience rather than a studio audience. This should see her gain decent and deserved support America-wide, but whether the song is memorable enough for the younger viewers armed with the NBC app and Tik Tok to win her the top votes and get her through to the next round is another matter.
Listen to another example of their music
https://www.tiktok.com/@americansongcontest/video/7076557225522711850?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7067292942301398534
Connecticut – Michael Bolton
Song: Beautiful World (Listen via Spotify or Apple Music)
Official Bio: Michael Bolton is a multiple Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter who has sold more than 65 million records globally and continues to tour the world. Bolton is strongly committed to humanitarian causes, especially through the Michael Bolton Charities. In recognition of his artistic achievements, Michael won two Grammys for Best Pop Male Vocal Performance (nominated four times), six American Music Awards, three Emmy Award nominations and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As a songwriter, he has earned more than 24 BMI & ASCAP Awards, including Songwriter of the Year and the Hitmakers Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. His coming-of-age story starts in Connecticut, where he was born and raised and most importantly where he discovered his love of singing and songwriting. He’s proud to represent the state as an artist and as someone who still loves going home to Connecticut.
Things To Note: Whilst not appearing in the official preview posts on Tik Tok or Twitter, Michael will be debuting what is a new single off his upcoming album. Despite being the “big name” in this qualifier, with number 1 chart toppers such as “How Am I Supposed To Live With Out You” still getting airplay over 30 years later, the sheer fact that the broadcaster has left him off this promotion shows it is trying to create a level playing field. I anticipate that we will not see the amazing “bells and whistles” in terms of staging, but rather that the performance will be kept simple and let him and his song do the talking. In saying that though, through sheer recognition, it would be a shock not to see him qualify to the semi final. The song has been co-written by Justin Jesso, another competitor in the series representing Illinois in a future episode.
Listen to another example of their music
Indiana – UG Skywalkin
Song: Love In My City (Listen via Spotify or Apple Music)
Official Bio: Josh Kimbowa, known as UG skywalkin, is a hip-hop pop artist and songwriter. He’s known for his charismatic stage performance and ability to capture the energy and engagement of the crowd. UG skywalkin has toured the world doing shows and musical festivals. Although he is from Uganda, UG skywalkin and his family now call Indiana home.
Things To Note: I think the main problem lies in that this song isn’t going to win votes from people don’t already appreciate the genre. For me it’s hard to judge, as hip-hop to my own untrained ears all sounds similar enough that I don’t know what to deem bad from genius. It just feel’s ‘there or abouts’, and as soon as I move onto the next act, it is quickly forgotten. We also need to address the elephant in the Eurovision fandom room – there are a LOT of people on the stage. The creative production choice to have this number of backing dancers feels less about showcasing the artist and song, more trying to replicate the ‘vibe’ of an MTV awards performance (and I suspect we will hear the word ‘vibe’ a lot in this Contest). But how many people are going to vote for a ‘vibe’, when they are also going to be told to vote for the best song 20 times in the course of 2 hours?
Listen to another example of their music
https://www.tiktok.com/@americansongcontest/video/7076561637469080874?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7067292942301398534
Iowa – Alisabeth Von Presley
Song: Wonder (Listen via Spotify or Apple Music)
Official Bio: Alisabeth Von Presley is a pink-haired pop rock artist raised on a well-balanced diet of Pat Benatar, a plateful of glitter and a touch of Midwestern sass. She has left memorable impacts on stages from Los Angeles to New York with her full-blown and fully choreographed pop-rock production. She’s as edgy as she is authentic and is an advocate for female empowerment through her music, lyrics, public platforms and work in area schools. Alisabeth toured on the heels of her “Diamonds in the Blackout” album and recently played a show for over 16,000 in her home town of Cedar Rapids. With her live shows drawing rave reviews, this girl is a performer to watch.
Things To Note: There is no doubt that Alisabeth understands who she is visually, but trawling through her back catalogue, I am not sure she is distinct enough musically. She name drops a lot of powerful female rock names of the past as her influences, but then I can’t help liken her to more modern popstars such as Lady Gaga, P!nk and Katy Perry, thus suffering by comparison. The power pop genre though plays well to TV events like this, and as you can see from her other filmclips she clearly knows how to give a great staged performance. This should be memorable, but going on the preview, I have queries over whether the audience will go along with what feels a little cookie-cutter song-wise in that genre if that is what we are really judging.
Listen to another example of their music
https://www.tiktok.com/@americansongcontest/video/7076553658736971051?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7067292942301398534
Minnesota – Yam Haus
Song: Ready To Go (Listen via Spotify or Apple Music)
Official Bio: Yam Haus invites everyone into the embrace of their neon-hued, dance floor-tailored alternative pop. The Minneapolis quartet and childhood friends fuse together intimate songcraft with stadium-size ambition. Right out of the gate, their 2018 single “West Coast” caught traction and eventually notched north of 1 million streams. In the wake of their full-length debut album “Stargazer,” they shared bills with the likes of Kacey Musgraves, Tori Kelly, Adam Lambert, Bishop Briggs, Andy Grammar, AWOLNATION, lovelytheband, JOHNNYSWIM and more. Their single “The Thrill” gathered 948,000 Spotify streams and paved the way for “The Band Is Gonna Make It” EP in 2020. After independently amassing nearly 15 million total views and streams, playing to sold out crowds and building a fervent fanbase, they continue to release new music in 2022 with producer Mark Needham.
Things To Note: Yam Haus capture that same happy and bouncy nature we seen in the past with Eurovision acts like Lake Malawi (Czech Republic 2019), with a tinge of the Britpop sound. On paper, this band is riding high for a chance of making it all the way to the final. On top of playing headline gigs and producing albums, they have captured a lot of media attention in the lead-up, gained support from their neighbouring states competitors, and have a strong and engaging social media presence that should solidify a decent televote. The love and charm I feel through those posts, the joyful nature of their music, as well as their back catalogue of videos on You Tube though doesn’t feel like its necessarily translated well to the ASC stage. Instead, going by the preview, it feels muted – both in sound and visual (and let’s not go too far in discussing the production choice of including parkour other than its distracting from the band). Therefore, what felt like a sure thing prior, may need just a little extra jury love to allow it another chance to polish the performance again on what is actually a catchy song.
Listen to another example of their music
https://www.tiktok.com/@americansongcontest/video/7076562166890892586?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7067292942301398534
Mississippi – Keyone Starr
Song: Fire (Listen via Spotify or Apple Music)
Official Bio: Keyoné Starr is a Mississippi preacher’s daughter and a Grammy Award-nominated singer, songwriter, and producer. A powerhouse rock ‘n’ roll soulful-singing flower child, Keyoné humorously refers to herself as the love child of Aretha Franklin and Lenny Kratviz. Keyoné sings in the language of the heart with her clear powerful vocals and captivates her audiences. Her declaration performance of the hit single “I Can’t Lose,” featured on Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Special” album, landed in the Billboard Top 20 chart and has well over 7 million streaming views, affording her opportunities to sing, write and produce music across Australia, Germany, London, Malaysia and Spain.
Things To Note: This track Fire demonstrates that Keyone has the powerhouse voice of the show, and her stage presence despite being quite static is still engaging. What it really speaks to is her experience – she has worked on the big tour productions, but also clearly understands what she can deliver vocally as an artist. Whilst we have been given quite the repetitive song sample in preview, the build up of both stage and vocal energy means that I am already longing to see the full song in full swing – it’s promising to be a belter. If I was at a voter at home and had to judge between Keyone and Alisabeth on the performance and styling right now, she is the clear winner for me in the ‘strong female’ stakes.
Listen to another example of their music
https://www.tiktok.com/@americansongcontest/video/7076557667975564586?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7067292942301398534
Oklahoma – AleXa
Song: Wonderland (Listen via Spotify or Apple Music)
Official Bio: Proud to represent the state where she was born and raised until the age of 21, Alex Christine, known professionally as AleXa (알렉사), is a K-pop singer, dancer and songwriter who grew up in Tulsa. A lifelong dancer, AleXa was first drawn to K-pop because of its strong performance identity. After nearly a million fan votes determined her the winner of online talent competition Rising Legends, she was one of the 96 chosen to participate in “Produce 48,” the most competitive audition show in Korea. In 2019, AleXa made her multilingual K-pop debut with “Bomb,” which has received nearly 22 million views to date and hit #7 on Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales chart. A year later AleXa released extended plays “Do Or Die” and “Decoherence,” garnering wins for two of Korea’s most prestigious awards. In 2021, AleXa released Y2K-inspired “ReviveR” with dance track “Xtra,” performed the national anthem for the Los Angeles Dodgers and became the first K-pop artist to host a fan meeting in the metaverse within the action shooter game Scavengers.
Things To Note: Of all 56 acts participating, if you went just on who is dominating the socials right now, AleXa is your winner for the whole series. She has the K-Pop fandom salivating over her teasers of this performance, and they are all geared up to push the voting methods to it’s limits come showtime. The genre she is playing in is one of the dominating youth sounds in the US right now, but yet this song has stepped back enough to a more generalised rnb-pop mode to perhaps draw in a more casual viewer. For me, the disappointment is in the visual – I like whats on stage, but it is entirely too dark and red for something that should instead be more colourful and playing on that ‘Alice in Wonderland’ motif she was promising online. AleXa though as a performer is a highlight; she’s extremely polished, perhaps her fans will wish she had committed to going full-blown K-Pop, but this clearly has qualifier written all over it.
Listen to another example of their music
https://www.tiktok.com/@americansongcontest/video/7076569478812765486?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7067292942301398534
Puerto Rico – Christian Pagan
Song: Loko (Listen via Spotify or Apple Music)
Official Bio: Christian Pagán is a singer, songwriter, musician and actor known for winning the first edition of “Idol Puerto Rico,” a feat that showcased his versatility and depth as a vocal performer. His first studio album, “Más de lo Que Soy,” debuted at #6 on Billboard’s Latin Pop Albums chart and his single, “Desde que se fue,” also hit the charts. Christian was also cast in the Telemundo telenovela “Guerra de Ídolos” where he had the opportunity to write songs for the soundtrack. Recently, he was featured in the Amazon TV series “The Bay.”
Things To Note: A very popular performer in his home territory, this feels like the first of the artists that is going to gather pace based on their origin – with the Latin American diaspora in general likely to support Christian. However, I feel its a brave choice to switch to English for the Contest song, potentially chasing a wider audience, but in consequence coming off as a more generic, Anglo-fied concept of what Latino music “is” (see the various entries of Alvaro Estrella at Melodifestivalen as further examples of this). I personally feel Christian carries it well and is a worthy competitor to go further on performance and charisma, but if we are meant to truly judge on song I am slightly disappointed this doesn’t follow his usual Spanish language r’n’b- flavoured tracks, which would speak more to his artist authenticity.
Listen to another example of their music
(Note: TikTok has removed the audio track due to copyright – instead, watch the Twitter preview post here, from 2:14)
Rhode Island – Hueston
Song: Held On Too Long (Listen via Spotify or Apple Music)
Official Bio: Originally from Rhode Island, artist, songwriter and producer Cory Hueston was previously the frontman of the indie/alternative-duo the Blancos, but has since shifted his sights to his very first solo project. Drawing from past and present experiences, his dark and soulful sonics highlight his innate abilities as both a writer and producer. With a voice and energy of a mystic viking, the only thing overshadowing his vocals is his wild fingerings on the six string. Mysterious and gritty, his new sound represents the hard-working people of his hometown.
Things To Note: There is a sense of anticipation with Hueston already that this is the standout song from this episode. Every contest needs an emotional pinnacle, and this performance provides it; a raw vocal, staging that is simple but effective. He already has a great back catalogue of similar blues and rock tracks as part of his time in the the band The Blancos, but now the focus is on him and I am finding it captivating. It’s easy to compare to the likes of Rag N Bone Man, not just because of looks, but the depth and authenticity on display and I feel the song will speak to a lot of people. This is where my money would go on winning the jury vote, and perhaps not just for this episode alone.
Listen to another example of their music
https://www.tiktok.com/@americansongcontest/video/7076555168531402030?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7067292942301398534
Wisconsin – Jake’O
Song: Feel Your Love (Listen via Spotify or Apple Music)
Official Bio: Jake’O is an American vocalist, guitarist, performer, and entertainer from Plain, Wisconsin. He combines vintage vibes, modern motifs, futuristic flair in every original song by fusing Rock ’n’ Roll, Blues, Pop, and R&B. He has built a reputation in Wisconsin by using his soulful vibrato voice, reverberating mile-wide guitar tone, electric showmanship, and signature baby blue brand. He is excited to make his family, friends and fans from his home of Wisconsin proud as he takes the national stage.
Things To Note: The material from Jake’O typically embraces a lot of the sound of Eddie Cochran, Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, merged with the stylings of Elvis Presley, all the while bringing a flair of modernity to it. It’s for this reason I struggle with this entry; I’m questioning firstly whether it’s self-penned, but also the style of the performance which somehow found itself firmly in the 1960’s era of psychedelics rather than his traditional 50’s roots. Whilst most watching at home wouldn’t know his usual repertoire, it’s the fact the whole delivery feels a bit forced and inauthentic (with some poor production choices shown in the preview clip), that has me doubting this will connect with viewers. Rockabilly and Rhythm n’ Blues stylings may be niche for a modern mainstream TV audience, but it’s a shame it’s lost an opportunity to be showcased properly.
Listen to another example of their music
https://www.tiktok.com/@americansongcontest/video/7076556419993996586?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7067292942301398534
Wyoming – Ryan Charles
Song: New Boot Goofin’ (Listen via Spotify or Apple Music)
Official Bio: Western rapper Ryan Charles from Wyoming brings a style all his own — meshing the cowboy lifestyle with flow of 2000’s rap. A natural-born entertainer, Charles quickly became one of the most skilled freestyle rappers on the school bus. As an artist, Charles has released a few singles, including the jiggy buckaroo bop “Gettin’ Western” in 2020 and most recently “Old Dirt Fancy” in 2021. Known for his signature fashion sense, light-hearted twang and high-energy live shows, Charles now continues to work on new music in Nashville.
Things To Note: In the very opposite to Wisconsin, I have absolutely no doubt in my mind this is self-penned and a truly authentic sound to Ryan Charles. It also has a clear visual and a sense of place as a song that could come from nowhere else but the United States. Whether you go along with what’s dished out is another matter – the whole boundary pushing of mullet cowboy meets hip hop with a country twang is entirely not my own cup of tea, but over the whole artist field for the episode, this is the one I have kept coming back to strangely engrossed. It’s ridiculously memorable and an earworm, whether it’s the result of being bewildered by what you are hearing or seeing, or the sheer fact that you can actually picture yourself dancing to it on a night out. It doesn’t need to qualify (and it probably won’t), as the measure of success is that it will go on mine and others Spotify playlists as a guilty pleasure, whether it makes the cut or not.
Listen to another example of their music
https://www.tiktok.com/@americansongcontest/video/7076558385973398827?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7067292942301398534
So, who do you think will be the lucky 4 to make it through the next round? Let us know your opinions and feedback on who caught your attention from this first selection.
I appreciate the work that has gone into this preview, Sharleen. I’m assuming your predictions are based on the short video snippets rather than the full audio versions that can be found online today.
In terms of the four to qualify: I’ve said in reply to another post that my personal favourites, based solely on listening to the complete songs, are Yam Haus and UG Skywalkin. But all 11 songs are respectable. In terms of who will come over best live on stage and what will go down with the American juries and public (as opposed to the ESC audience we are familiar with) I have absolutely no idea.
Certainly, this article was published prior to the full audio release, and judgement calls made on both the video previews, as well as what else is available out there on the socials. Some artists leaked more audio, personal video/photos from set, and we’ve seen increased social media engagement from some artists as well. This will be the format moving forward in the next 4 weeks as well.
Personally, I haven’t changed any opinions from what I have said in the article since the full audio release, so I think the production team have made good calls on what 20 seconds they have released to the public.
Sharleen, I would be interested in your take on the actual programme (or from any ESC Insight fans who were able to watch it).
I have watched all the Youtube videos of the performances. From what I have seen and also garnered from the comments of others, ASC Heat 1 came across more like Melfest than Eurovision. The standard for me was higher than a Melfest Heat (but then again I’m not the biggest fan of Melfest or the type of music that comes out of it).
The authenticity of the songs was good as was the variety of genres on display. None of the songs/stagings were bad, but then nothing really stood out as above average – i.e. that I could see ending up on the left hand side of the board at ESC.
Regarding the programme, I gather there were a hell of a lot of add breaks (which an American audience is probably used to), but then the show appears to have compounded the problem by having unnecessarily long video introductions to each act. Some American viewers seemed to have been confused by the scoring system, and the announcement of the jury pick (over the end credits) came across as rushed. I really think they need to announce the public vote result on the same night.
Also, by keeping the one jury pick and three public picks separate, they may fall into the trap of the 100% televote system at ESC in the 2000s. I can see the Puerto Rican and K-Pop stars qualifying, irrespective of the quality of their entries, simply because they have a constituency across the US.
The biggest concern of all is that, with the partial exception of the K-Pop artist, the number of Youtube views for any of the songs is very small. (This compares to views for videos from one of the established singing contests which also aired yesterday, which are in the 100,000s.) If this pattern is typical of other social media platforms, I fear ASC could be heading for a massive ratings flop, which would be a real shame given all the work/money that’s gone in.
There is certainly an article in this.
But essentially, you can’t go on just the engagement numbers on YouTube as its measure. Most of the social/interactive aspects of the contest is linked to TikTok, which when I looked post-show was up around 25K+ on at least half the artists who competed. Also, the tag ‘#americansongcontest’ had be viewed 9.9 million times, when it was in the low thousands prior to the show. The clips are also available for viewing via the NBC website, NBC app, twitter, etc. I wouldn’t be surprised if the numbers you see on YouTube are mostly drawn from overseas, from fans like ourselves.
The difference in the voting is first how a lot of reality shows have done it in the past in the US, but also because of the timezones. The West Coast of the USA take the show on delay, as if it was to run live there, it would screening at 5pm on a Monday when people are trying to get home from school, work etc. You also have the likes of Hawaii, Guam etc affected by the timezones. How they will then still make it work as live voting in the final then I am still not sure of. I don’t think you can eliminate the influence the element of fandom such as K-Pop from having a sway over results, in the same way as you can’t eliminate say, the Polish diaspora at Eurovision for televoting. But thats why you have the jury there to even things out.
I certainly would say that the level of staging and camera work is better than your average US reality tv contest, more a meld of what we see at Melfest, Eurovision and also the likes of MTV Awards show. It is far more personally engagement, and ‘slick’. Each song had its own look and feel as well, and the space was used well.
Advertising – as an Aussie, I am also used to the proliferation of them. It certainly felt excessive, but I am not sure we can accurately measure by just how much unless we look at other other prime time shows do it (eg. The Voice). My guess is, at the same rate. If I was to watch an episode of The Masked Singer in Australia for instance, I know it would generally be one song, then advertising, etc.
I fully support their need for long postcards. This is a new concept to Americans, and they need that information level to really push home 1. its about the song, 2. its based on state voting. Storytelling has always been used in US reality contest shows, and I never expected this to change for the Song Contest format. I appreciated being introduced to the artist and state, and I think Eurovision could benefit from some of the same, but perhaps it could be tightened for US market in future series. For the first year though, it’s a smart choice to bring the audience on the journey.
You make some excellent points, Sharleen. After posting, I realised that it is because of the time zones that they have to do the voting this way.
I found some rating data online. ‘Nielsen’s official national ratings’ (whatever they are) show AMS having a national audience of 2.9 m compared to a new series of American Idol airing at the same time at 5.2m.
Of course, I don’t know what NBC’s expectations were, but my hunch from these figures is that, rating’s wise, the show may already be in trouble and its return for future series may be uncertain. I really hope I’m wrong.
Yes – competing for the same market, American Idol as the known format clearly won out.
The ratings were the average for a Monday NBC timeslot, similar to Americas Got Talent (but not as good as The Voice) – this suggests that they didn’t capture any additional viewers interest despite heavy investment for a big launch.
In even bigger perspective, Idol was beaten by drama series such as 911 on Monday night.
As a note, it was the final episode of auditions for Idol with the promise of a ‘platinum ticket’, making it a ‘special episode’ to watch. I know in other markets, the ratings tend to dip for the format after that, but will need to look at US trends.
Lots of research to be done and questions to be asked of the show producers to see if the ratings for a first episode were concerning to them and/or how they will build the audience.
Further to that, remember that a big gauge of success for artists, record companies and management will be those streams from the likes of Spotify. Means people are interested in the songs, which is a step towards embracing the fact its not about the singers journey like other music tv contests.