Fifty-six contestants representing all 50 U.S. states, five U.S. territories and Washington, D.C., are competing in an eight-week live music competition for the title of best original song. Show co-host Snoop Dogg said the key to creating a hit single is writing a song that will sound good every time you hear it.
“If you can make a song that feels so good to people no matter what they look like, where they come from, what style of music they’re used to listening to, it feels good to you,” he told NBC News at a roundtable for the show, “American Song Contest,” on Monday.
The new music competition premiered March 21. It is an adaptation of the international songwriting competition “Eurovision,” which has become one of the world’s most popular televised events: It attracted 183 million combined viewers for two semifinals and the final in 2021. The show airs on NBC and Peacock, which are both owned by NBCUniversal the parent company of NBC News.
“American Song Contest,” like “Eurovision,” features both high-profile singers and upcoming solo artists, duos, DJs and bands that represent each state, territory and the nation’s capital.
Famous contestants in “American Song Contest” include Jewel for Alaska, Macy Gray for Ohio, Michael Bolton for Connecticut and Christian Pagán for Puerto Rico.
Snoop Dogg, who co-hosts the show with Kelly Clarkson, pointed out that those contestants are not guaranteed an advantage. The show features highly competitive candidates from different backgrounds.
“The people on this show, basically, they got their thing together. They just got to keep going and keep going,” he said.
The final qualifying round airs Monday. Semifinals are slated for April 25 and May 2, and the final is scheduled for May 9. Fans vote for their favorite performances, and the combination of public and jury votes determines who advances and wins best original song.
Snoop Dogg, who began his music career as a songwriter, said while “American Song Contest” can help launch diverse artists in the music industry, it’s not the only path in.
“If you’re really doing what you’re supposed to be doing and writing great songs, there’s so many ways to get your music out now,” he said, referring to the proliferation of music streaming platforms and social media.
Ultimately, Snoop Dogg said what makes a good song is that feeling that brings people together every time they hear it.
“When I play ‘Stand by Me’ by Ben E. King, everybody in the building singing. I don’t care if you’re old, young — records like that have some sort of sentimental value to it,” he said. “It makes you feel like singing it, and the person next to you feels like singing it, and it’s just a smile on your face.”
Those hit records, Snoop Dogg pointed out, can come from shows like “American Song Contest” because “there are great songwriters everywhere.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
