American Song Contest debuted to bring a new kind of music competition to television, featuring established performers rather than newcomers to the music scene, all of whom represent a different U.S. state or territory. The series premiere revealed K-pop as co-host Snoop Dogg’s guilty pleasure, introduced viewers to “New Boot Goofin’” (which singer Ryan Charles later explained), and showcased eleven singers and groups. With the results about to reveal which three will advance to the next stage of competition, country singer Kelsey Lamb and pop rocker Alisabeth Von Presley shared their reactions to feedback from co-host Kelly Clarkson.
Kelly Clarkson came to American Song Contest not only as a coach who has been successful on The Voice and a singer who has released hit after hit, but as the winner of the first-ever season of American Idol. When the contestants from the ASC premiere spoke with CinemaBlend and other outlets, Lamb and Von Presley opened up about her feedback.
Kelsey Lamb - Arkansas
Kelsey Lamb came to American Song Contest to represent Arkansas, although she currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee. She is a country music singer and songwriter who has been performing her original songs across the Southeast for several years. She wanted to beat stereotypes about her home state with her appearance on ASC, with her performance of “ Never Like This.” On stage, Kelly Clarkson complimented the song’s “classic country vibe” and said that “it sounds like a hit country song.” Lamb shared her reaction to the Clarkson’s comments:
Oh my gosh, when Kelly came up to me to give me feedback, it was like... 'Oh my gosh, she liked my song!' It was really cool and it just felt really reassuring and encouraging to come from her, and from Snoop. It was really cool.
Lamb made sure to mention that the encouragement from Snoop Dogg hit home for her as well. He doesn’t have quite as long a resume as Kelly Clarkson when it comes to singing competition TV shows, but he did participate with Clarkson on The Voice as the Season 20 Mega Mentor. Whether or not viewers are as big of fans of Lamb's song remains to be seen with the results reveal on March 28 starting at 8 p.m. ET on NBC!
Alisabeth Von Presley - Iowa
Alisabeth Von Presley came to American Song Contest as the pink-haired pop-rocker representing Iowa, and she still resides in the Hawkeye State. She’s a small business owner as well as a performer, but presumably doesn’t have to break out the keytar and high kicks for her coffee shop like she did for her original song on ASC. She sang “Wonder” with enough energy to get the crowd hyped, and Kelly Clarkson praised the keytar solo and dubbed the song “so fun” and said that she “loved it.” Von Presley explained what the comments meant to her as a competitor:
Oh, my goodness! It meant so much. You know, you can write a song in your bedroom for nobody and hope that somebody connects to it, so that Kelly complimented a piece of the song meant the world to me. I look up to her, as do a lot of girls. She's amazing.
Snoop Dogg contributed to the feedback by attempting a high kick of his own, although without the pink hair and keytar. All things considered, Alisabeth Von Presley definitely made an impression on the hosts! Whether or not she or Kelsey Lamb follow in Kelly Clarkson’s footsteps in becoming a singing competition show champion remains to be seen.
American Song Contest is wasting no time in cutting down the competition, with only three of the first eleven contestants advancing based on audience vote. Singer Hueston from Rhode Island was advanced to the semi-finals based on the jury vote, but the rest of their fates were in the hands of the viewers casting their votes via the NBC App, TikTok, or the show’s website.
ASC is definitely one of the bigger new shows to debut on the network in the 2022 TV schedule, so keep tuning in to new episodes airing on NBC on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.
