Macy Gray to represent Ohio on ‘American Song Contest’

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — NBC has announced the 56 artists set to perform on “American Song Contest,” hosted by Kelly Clarkson and Snoop Dogg.

NBC’s new series is based on “Eurovision Song Contest,” one of the longest-running television shows in history with 65 seasons.

The artists span a wide range of notoriety and will represent all 50 states, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Washington, D.C., according to the network.

NBC revealed the list includes “undiscovered talent, up-and-coming new artists, and rising stars to established and legendary icons.”

Representing Ohio will be Grammy Award winner and Canton native Macy Gray. The R&B singer-songwriter rose to fame in the late ’90s with the hit “I Try.”

The network also states the artist’s original songs will be released weekly by music partner Atlantic Records, which will begin making tracks available at midnight starting Monday, March 21.

“American Song Contest” executive producer, Audrey Morrissey, is excited to share the series’ music with viewers.

“Launching a new series is always a massive undertaking but mounting one that involves producing 56 original songs is a Herculean task,” said Morrissey. “Selecting the right label partner to dig in with us was crucial and we found the perfect partner in Atlantic Records. We can’t wait for viewers to discover new music from our incredibly talented artists from across the country and help decide America’s next big song.”

The all-live show will run for eight weeks, premiering Monday, March 21 and concluding with the “Grand Final,” scheduled for May 9, 2022.

Meet the Artists:

•    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 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: Sisqó
•    Massachusetts: Jared Lee
•    Michigan: Ada LeAnn
•    Minnesota: Yam Haus
•    Mississippi: Keyone Starr
•    Missouri: Brett Seper
•    Montana: Jonah Prill
•    Nebraska: Jocelyn
•    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 Pagán
•    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.: NËITHER
•    West Virginia: Alexis Cunningham
•    Wisconsin: Jake’O
•    Wyoming: Ryan Charles

An interactive map to learn more about each artist is available at nbc.com/americansongcontestmap.