‘American Song Contest’ returns with Ohio in the mix

(NBC) — Week two of “American Song Contest” is on tap Monday night on NBC and viewers will find which of last week’s contestants are moving on to the semi-finals and see a whole new batch of contestants perform.

Last week, the smallest state had the first performer to advance to the semi-finals.

“I did not think that was going to happen,” said Hueston, who is representing Rhode Island. “I was just like ‘Okay! Here we go!’”

Ten other ten acts from the premiere will find out Monday night who is grabbing the other three qualifying spots.

“Felt like I did great and America will let me know,” said Skywalkin, who represents Indiana.

“You’re rooting for yourself, obviously, you want to make it to the next round, but you’re rooting for everybody else too, said Wyoming contestant, Ryan Charles. “It’s great!”

After Monday’s reveal, 11 more artists will take the stage representing states, including New York.

“I have one of the biggest states to represent, so I have a lot of pressure on my back,” said New York contestant, Enisa.

U.S. territories are also in the mix.

“I am representing the Virgin Islands!” said Cruz Rock.

Some acts have name recognition like “Voice” winner Jordan Smith. The Kentuckian is now songwriting too.

“I was able to write a song for Celine Dion!” said Smith. “Which was my biggest accomplishment as a songwriter!”

And Grammy winner Macy Gray is representing Ohio.

“We have our own song, it goes OH-hi-oh,” joked Gray.

For others, it is a big chance to make a name for themselves.

“It’s just in my blood,” said King Kyote of Maine. “I wanna play music and share my music with the world.”

“The contest aspect is cool, but we’re just stoked by music, that’s really it,” said Eli Hirsch, of the band courtship. that represents Oregon.

Viewers will decide if Monday’s songs have the “it” factor.

Watch “American Song Contest” Monday at 8 p.m. on NBC4 followed by a new episode of “The Endgame.”

Monday, March 28: The Qualifiers Part 2

Listed in Alphabetical order by State

• KANSAS – Broderick Jones
• KENTUCKY – Jordan Smith
• MAINE – King Kyote
• MONTANA – Jonah Prill
• NEBRASKA – Jocelyn
• NEW YORK – ENISA
• NORTH DAKOTA – Chloe Fredericks
• OHIO – Macy Gray & The California Jet Club
• OREGON – courtship.
• US VIRGIN ISLANDS – Cruz Rock
• VIRGINIA – Almira Zaky

Voting

Fans at home can vote for their favorite performances on nbc.com/ascvote, the NBC App and on TikTok.  Voting for the Qualifiers will open Mondays during the show and will close Wednesday morning at 7 am ET.

• The competition will be comprised of three rounds, taking place over eight weeks. The Qualifying Rounds will have 11 acts in each episode (with one week featuring 12). Twenty-two artists will perform in the two-part Semi-Finals with the Top 10 performing in the Grand Final, where a winner will be crowned.
•  In the five-week Qualifiers (March 21, 28, April 4, 11, 18) at the end of each night, the jury will advance one artist immediately to the Semi-Finals. The remaining three spots will be determined through a combination of jury and fan votes. The artists advancing to the Semi-Finals will be announced the following week.
• In the Semi-Finals (April 25 & May 2), 10 artists will perform each week, with a slightly elevated performance of their original song.
• To make the stakes even higher, in each Semi-Final a “redemption” song will be revealed, adding an 11th artist back into the competition to perform that week for the chance to advance to the Grand Final.
• At the end of each Semi-Final, the jury awards their highest-rated artist with an immediate spot in the Grand Final. America’s votes will then help to decide along with the jury which four additional artists will advance.
• In the Grand Final (May 9), the top 10 artists take the stage one last time to win America’s and the jury’s vote for best hit song.