The first show of the American Song Contest is due to take place next week, Monday 21 March (Tuesday 22 March in Australia).
So who is competing in the first show to be hosted by Kelly Clarkson and Snoop Dogg?
The line up of the first qualifying show and the song titles have been released
Artists and songs
Kelsey Lamb - 'Never Like This' (Arkansas)
Michael Bolton - 'Beautiful World' (Connecticut)
UG skywalkin ft. Maxie - 'Love in My City' (Indiana)
Alisabeth Von Presley - 'Wonder' (Iowa)
Yam Haus - 'Ready to Go' (Minnesota)
Keyone Starr - 'Fire' (Mississippi)
AleXa - 'Wonderland' (Oklahoma)
Christian Pagán - 'Loko' (Puerto Rico)
Hueston - 'Held On Too Long' (Rhode Island)
Jake’O - 'Feel Your Love' (Wisconsin)
Ryan Charles - 'New Boot Goofin'' (Wyoming )
Preview snippets of the songs and staging were released (with just Connecticut missing)
Artist profiles
Arkansas - Kelsey Lamb
Kelsey is from Little Rock, Arkansas and is country singer who racked up millions of streams from her recent singles 'Talk to Me', 'Where Do You Go' and 'Little By Little'. She also acts, appearing in 'Christmas in Homestead', 'Traces', 'A Very Country Christmas' and 'Christmas Wedding Planner'.
Connecticut - Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton is a global superstar who has sold over 75 million albums worldwide and won multiple Grammy awards. His biggest hits were 'How am I supposed to Live Without You?" which went no.1 in the United Stats, no.2 in Australia and no.3 in the United Kingdom. Although the song was from 1989, Michael still makes music and still tours globally.
Indiana – UG skywalkin
Josh Kimbowa aka UGskywalkin, is originally from Uganda but he and his family now call Indiana home. He is a hip hop artist and has toured the world doing shows and musical festivals.
Iowa – Alisabeth Von Presley
Alisabeth is a pink-haired musical artist with a theatrical edge. She is a fierce advocate for female empowerment and calls Marion, Iowa home
Minnesota – Yam Haus
Met at high school but formed the band after completing college. They describe their music as "neon-hued, dance floor-tailored alternative pop" and have shared tours with Kacey Musgraves, Tori Kelly, Adam Lambert and Bishop Briggs.
Mississippi – Keyone Starr
Keyone describes herself as the love child of Aretha Franklin and Lenny Kratviz. She is a Grammy Award-nominated singer, songwriter, and producer. She collaborated with Mark Ronson on his song ' I Can't Lose'.
Oklahoma – AleXa
Born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma to a South Korean mother and Russian-American father. She moved to South Korea at age 21 and has developed a successful K-Pop career. She has released nine singles and two EPs which rack up millions of views and streams.
Puerto Rico – Christian Pagán
Christian won the first edition of 'Idol Puerto Rico' which saw him find success on the Billboard Latin charts. As well as being a singer-songwriters, Christian also acts and has featured in the telenovela 'Guerra de Ídolos' and the Amazon TV series 'The Bay'.
Rhode Island – Hueston
A former frontman of the indie duo the 'Blancos', Hueston went solo recently and brings a dark and soulful sound to his music. Now living in Flordia, he is originally from North Kingstown, Rhode Island. .
Wisconsin – Jake’O
Describes his musical style as “Nuvo-Retro”, saying his broad style has to do with growing up in a military family that travelled the world. Has bbeen on same festival line-up as Florida Georgia Line, Shawn Mendez, Imagine Dragons and The Weeknd.
Wyoming - Ryan Charles
Originally from Buffalo, Wyoming, Ryan brings a cowboy rap to the American Song Contest. He now lives in Nashville and released two singles of his unique style, 'Gettin' Western' and 'Old Dirty Fancy'. He is sure to grab your attention during the contest.
How many acts advance and how is it decided?
From the show of 11 artists, four will go on to the semi-finals. The voting will be a 50/50 split of jury and public votes. The exact format is still to be revealed.
Can I watch it in Australia?
Australians may have to get "creative" as it appears no Australian service will be broadcasting the show.
The show starts at 8:00pm Eastern Time in the United States, which is 11:00am AEDT here in Australia.
The following channels internationally will be showing it. ALl details have yet to be released, however we do know SVT in Sweden will not be playing it until Wednesday.
Austria and Germany - ServusTV
Canada - CHCH-DT
Finland - YLE TV2
Greece - ERT
Iceland - RÚV
Norway - NRK
Portugal - RTP
Serbia - RTS
Spain - RTVE Play (Delayed until Wednesday)
Sweden - SVT
United States - NBC
Here is a completely unrelated article about watching TV from abroad.
The American Song Contest is based on the 'Eurovision Song Contest' and will feature no less than 56 artists and entries competing for the title of Best Hit Song in the competition. The performances will represent all 50 American states, along with five U.S. territories, as well as Washington, D.C. Grand Final will take place just one day before the 'Eurovision Song Contest' is set to take place in Turin, Italy on May 10.