On Monday night, NBC began airing its new singing reality series with American Song Contest.
The show is a spin-off of the very successful Eurovision Song Contest, which has been one of the top-rated singing competition series airing worldwide for over 60 years now.
Now the show is trying to make it in the United States, and the first episode shows it will be a lot more chaotic than Kelly Clarkson’s The Voice.
Kelly Clarkson and Snoop Dogg appeared on Today with Hoda & Jenna, and Kelly talked about what makes American Song Contest different than The Voice.
Kelly on differences between American Song Contest and The Voice
In American Song Contest, original musical artists from each of the 50 states and the various American territories set out to win the title of the best original singers/songwriters in the country.
This makes it very different from The Voice.
On The Voice, singers come in and sing a song by a popular artist, and the coaches choose to help them move on and develop their voice by singing other popular mainstream songs.
In American Song Contest, all the songs are original numbers by the singers, duos, or bands.
“It’s not just about the artists. It’s about the song,” Kelly said about the big difference between the two shows.
Another big difference is that big names are competing, including Macy Gray, Jewel, and Michael Bolton, taking on small-name artists trying to get their break.
“It does even out,” Kelly said. “I think you are going to be surprised. I actually think it is a disadvantage because America, what I have learned, is they love an underdog.”
Week 1 of American Song Contest provides a wild mix of talent
The first episode of American Song Contest really showed fans how different it was from shows like American Idol and The Voice.
The first episode saw Connecticut, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and Wyoming sending out their singers.
One of the night’s best performances was Kelsey Lamb from Arkansas, who was a country music singer.
Oklahoma shockingly brought out Alexa, a K-pop act, which was surprising from a state known for its country music.
Christian Pagan was from Puerto Rico, and he won the first Idol Puerto Rico contest. He sang a pretty good dance track called Loco.
The best of the night was Hueston, a Rhode Island singer who was sent straight to the semi-finals, while all other singers on the night are waiting for voting results.
American Song Contest airs on Monday nights at 8/7c on NBC.