‘American Song Contest’ Recap: Standout 17 Year Old Singer Wins Final Jury Vote
Trae Patton/NBC Reading Time: 3 minutes
American Song Contest returned to NBC with the last set of brand new performers. The final American Song Contest qualifying round jury vote was awarded to Ada LeAnn representing Michigan. Next week begins the semifinal rounds of the competition.
Last week, Allen Stone representing Washington impressed with his original song “A Bit of Both.” Everything about this performance was perfection, his unique voice stood out. Joining Stone in the semifinals is Jared Lee from Massachusetts, Stela Cole from Georgia, and MARi from New Hampshire. On top of the artists from last week, Ryan Charles was announced as the first redemption song.
The Final 11 Artists Perform in the American Song Contest Qualifier Round
One of the first performances was “Keys to the Kingdom” by Sweet Taboo. Sweet Taboo is a girl group featuring Sami, ICP Brie, and Jen. They’re representing California in the competition with powerful pop song that features a rap. Sweet Taboo put on a show comparable to AleXa representing Oklahoma, both polished and energetic.
Rap artist Khalisol representing New Mexico took the stage with his song “Drop.” Khalisol had unique staging, featuring multiple background dancers in alien costumes. I think the staging of this song was really good, but the song itself was underwhelming.
Talent show fans probably noticed a familiar face from Songland on this episode. HALIE representing Missouri won Songland when Martina McBride chose her song “Girls Like Me” in 2020. The country/pop singer performed her single “Better Things” on the stage tonight. I’m not always a fan of country/pop music, but I really liked this song.
Next came Jason J. from the island of Guam. On the American Song Contest stage, Jason sang his reggae/alternative single “Midnight.” I really like this song because it is something completely different. The vibe of this song embodied the island and was very catchy.
Four time Grammy-nominated rap artist, Sisqó representing Maryland finished out in the competition as the last performance. On the stage he sang his single, “It’s Up.” The music icon tore up the stage during his energetic set.
Michigan Singer Wins Final Qualifier Round Jury Vote
Ada LeAnn was one of the last to take the American Song Contest stage. She sang “Natalie,” a song inspired by the sound of Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo. This young singer was in total shock when her name was announced along with the jury vote honor. She killed it on the stage, so it doesn’t surprise me that she was the jury’s choice.
Michigan remains in the competition going into the semifinals. American Song Contest returns to NBC live on Monday, April 25 from 8 to 10 p.m. ET for the first round of the semifinals. Voting is now open on NBC’s website, app, and TikTok until 7 a.m. ET on Wednesday.
