Years ago United States sought to emulate the festival of Eurovision… And finally he has succeeded. This Monday March 21 starts the American Song Contest, the musical contest with which the country of Joe Biden wants to imitate the veteran European musical contest, which this year celebrates its 66th edition. with the rapper Snoop Dogg and the singer and winner of ‘American Idol’ Kelly Clarkson as masters of ceremonies, the main surprise is that among the participants (most of whom are not well known and with some emerging stars) there are some renowned figures such as Michael Bolton, Macy Gray, Jewel and Sisqó.
If in Eurovision the participants represent their countries, in the American Song Contest they will do so, of course, singing for their home state. Thus, Bolton will act for Connecticut, Gray for Ohio, Jewel for Alaska and Sisqó for Maryland. Altogether there will be 56 participants: each representing the 50 states, plus five contestants participating on behalf of American territories (American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands) and another for the capital, Washington DC.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GnDJxwBtes
The finale, on NBC May 9
The winner will be decided in a grand final that will be broadcast by the chain NBC on May 9, Curiously, only one day before the new edition of Eurovision starts in Turin (Italy), which will host the semifinals on May 10 and 12 and the final on Saturday 14, in which chanell He has a guaranteed position. The schedule of the galas, which will be broadcast from The Angels, it will be at eight in the afternoon, which would force the Spanish audience to stay up all night, since it is two in the morning here. RTVE is closing the details to finalize the broadcast in Spain, and the festival would be offered on the free platform RTVE Play.
Despite the similarities, the format of the North American contest is a bit more complex than that of Eurovision. Mainly, because of the duration, since they will be eight weeks of competition.
The audience will be able to follow the singers through three rounds. A first qualifier, divided into five deliveries and from which 22 candidates will emerge. These will go to semifinals, with two galas in which the last 10 ‘survivors’ of the musical competition will be selected. And finally, the grand finale.
Voting
The votes will also have an air of Eurovision, since the score of the professional jury and that of the audience.
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The American Song Contest is the executive producer’s big dream come true Ben Silverman. “I have spent 20 years trying to achieve this. I love the format,” she has confessed. “When the United States is more divided than ever and we are dealing with so many problems that divide us, the only thing that really unites us is our culture,” she justified, appealing to the unifying power of music. Silverman has known how to surround himself with an expert team in Eurovision, and in the executive production they accompany him Audrey Morrissey, Anders Lenhoff, Christer Björkman, Peter Settman, Ola Melzig and Gregory Lipstone.
Just as fans of the veteran European event are the presenters, Kelly Clarkson and Snoop Dogg, who already They also coincided in another famous musical contest. In season 20 of ‘The Voice’, she was a judge of the contest, while the rapper attended as a mentor for the edition. “I have been a fan and I love Eurovision. I am delighted to bring the musical format to the United States,” Clarkson acknowledged.