Tune in: ‘American Song Contest’ Premieres Tonight on NBC
The new reality competition is hosted by Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson
It’s finally happening. TikTok is going mainstream as the official voting platform partner for “American Song Contest.” Tonight, at 8 pm ET/PT, NBC’s “American Song Contest” makes its debut, along with the contestants, and the newly-announced 56-member jury of music experts that will take part in the live music competition. This is the first time TikTok has partnered with a live competition series. Viewers will be able to vote for their favorite artists in real-time with an in-app voting hub. They can also create original TikTok content using music from the series and directly engage with contestants.
“American Song Contest” is the U.S. version of “Eurovision,” which has been extremely popular in participating and non-participating countries. The Italian rock band Måneskin took home top honors overseas in 2021, gaining greater worldwide attention after their cover of Frankie Valli’s “Beggin'” went viral on TikTok.
In this iteration, fifty-six artists will be representing their state, territory, or district. NBC has even made available an interactive map for fans to explore. Fifty states, five U.S. territories, and our nation’s capital will all compete for best hit song. The jury – made up of music industry executives, songwriters, radio programmers from various genres, A-list managers, and members of the Recording Academy – will evaluate artistic expression, hit potential, originality, and visual impression for every artist participating. Judges include KLOS radio host Matt Pinfield [New Jersey], musician Justin Derrico [Virginia], and President of Music and Publishing at NBCUniversal, Mike Knobloch [Illinois].
The point system goes as such: every state and territory holds equal power, regardless of population. A combination of public and jury votes will decide who will advance in the competition. In addition to TikTok, fans at home can vote for their favorite performances on nbc.com/ascvote, or the NBC App. Voting for the Qualifiers will open Mondays and will close Wednesday morning.
“America Song Contest” will take place over eight weeks and will be broken down into three rounds. The Qualifying Rounds will feature 11 acts in each episode except for one week, which will feature 12. Twenty-two artists will perform in the two-part Semi-Finals. The Top 10 will perform in the Grand Final, where a winner will be crowned. T-Mobile is the official voting partner of “American Song Contest.” In addition, the company will be giving one of the Top 10 finalists the opportunity to have their song featured in an upcoming T-Mobile commercial.
During the five-week Qualifying Rounds [March 21, 28, April 4, 11, 18], the jury will advance one artist immediately to the Semi-Finals at the end of each night. Then, jury and fan votes will determine the remaining three spots. The artists advancing to the Semi-Finals will be announced the following week.
During the Semi-Finals [April 25, May 2], 10 artists will perform each week, delivering a different version of their original song. In addition, a “redemption” song will be revealed in each Semi-Final. This adds an 11th artist back into the competition to perform that week for the chance to advance to the Grand Final. The jury awards their highest-rated artist with an immediate spot in the Grand Final at the end of each Semi-Final. America’s votes help the jury decide which four additional artists will advance. The Grand Final takes place on May 9, when the top 10 artists will take the stage for the last chance to win America’s and the jury’s vote for best hit song.
Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson take the stage tonight, March 21, as hosts of “American Song Contest” at 8 pm ET/PT on NBC.
