L to R: Michael Bolton (Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images), Macy Gray (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for God’s Love We Deliver), Jewel (Dwayne Prokop/Getty Images for The Wellness Experience by Kroger), Sisco (Philip Faraone/ getty images)
What, in fact, does this say about the state if the most prominent musical star it can provide for itself is Sisko? (If we had to guess, this is a cultural and spiritual fixation with humble thong, tha thong, thong.)
And yet, it’s a state of affairs we’ll get to fairly soon, as Deadline reports that the American Song Contest – the officially licensed version of the famous, sometimes derided Eurovision Song Contest – has lined up the list. performers for all 50 states plus Washington DC and five US territories. Earlier this week, NBC released the names of everyone involved in the upcoming battle via an interactive map, and it’s an eclectic mix of amateurs, up-and-comers, and a few professional musicians who apparently have plenty of time to spare. for such an event.
This, of course, includes Sisko, who will be representing his native Maryland in the competition – the most lustful of states! Other featured musicians in the competition include Michael Bolton (Connecticut), Jewell (Alaska) and Macy Gray, who will compete for all the Buckeyes from the great state of Ohio.
It’s not entirely clear how any of these entries were chosen – for example, California and New York are represented by Sweet Taboo and artist ENISA respectively, which (not to be rude) is a pretty minor act if we look at the Big List of all working artists from New York or California. (One thing to note is that Atlantic Records is deeply involved in this project and releasing music from it, so the presence of Atlantic artists like Gray, Jewel and ENISA isn’t too hard to make out.) Apparently the process included in himself sending an original, non-commercial song along with a list of states with which the members had a “genuine, deep connection.”
The US Song Contest will begin streaming on March 21st, with winners determined by some as-yet-undetermined process involving fan voting and a jury of “industry professionals.” The absolute, unconditionally best song in America will be recognized sometime in May.