The Difference Between ‘American Idol’ and New Show ‘American Song Contest’
ABC/Eric McCandless Reading Time: 2 minutes
The biggest competition in Europe is finally making its way over to the United States for the first ever season of American Song Contest. While this new series and long-running hit American Idol have similar names and air at the same time, let’s look into the biggest differences between the two competitions.
American Idol is a series that has been on television for over 20 seasons. This series searches around America for the next American Idol, or next big music superstar. Every season, they set out on a Idol Around America tour which stops at different cities for auditions. During this season’s virtual auditions, singers had to sign up to audition on behalf of a state. After auditioning for American Idol, singers fight for the grand prize of $250,000 and a record deal with Hollywood Records.
In this competition, singers are able to perform cover songs to prove they have what it takes to become a music star. American Idol begins with re-recorded auditions, then moves onto the rigorous pre-recorded Hollywood week, Top 24, Top 16, and finally, live shows. While some singers (like Chayce Beckham) choose to perform original songs during the live rounds of the competitions, singers aren’t forced into it.
This Brand New Series Isn’t Really a Singing Competition
American Song Contest differs from Idol in many ways. To begin, this brand new series is set to premiere fully live during it’s time slot on NBC. It also will not air auditions of any kind. All of the singers on the series were pre-determined before the show ever starts.
American Idol doesn’t take into account which state each singer is from, but American Song Contest does. The new series contains exactly 56 artists representing each state, Washington D.C., and the five territories.
On American Song Contest, fans will see the artists sing their original songs. Instead of competing for the chance to be America’s next superstar, they are simply battling for the best original song. This contest doesn’t promise super stardom. At the end of the day, this series seems to be more of a songwriting competition then a singing competition.
American Song Contest premieres on NBC on Monday, March 21 from 8 to 10 p.m. This series is host by Kelly Clarkson and Snoop Dogg. Meet the 56 artists competing on the brand new songwriting series.
