Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson have been announced as the hosts of the upcoming American Song Contest, a Eurovision-styled singing competition set to premiere on NBC this March.
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Initially announced in 2020, the new contest was due to appear on TV in February but was delayed by NBC. It will feature “original musical performances representing all 50 states, five US territories and the nation’s capital, with artists competing to win the title of Best Original Song in a grand spectacle”.
“I am honored to host American Song Contest alongside my lil sis Kelly Clarkson, aka Miss Texas,” Snoop Dogg said in a statement.
Clarkson added: “I have been a fan and love the concept of Eurovision and am thrilled to bring the musical phenomenon to America. I’m so excited to work with Snoop and can’t wait to see every state and territory represented by artists singing their own songs.”
American Song Contest will kick off on March 21 then air for eight weeks with the Grand Final scheduled for May 9, the day before the first semi-final of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest takes place. The list of 56 solo singers, duos or bands will be announced at a later date.
The search for America's next big hit is on! 🎶
Join music icons @SnoopDogg and @kellyclarkson as they host the #AmericanSongContest 🇺🇸 premiering 21 March! 🌟pic.twitter.com/kq9Y81MDFD
— Eurovision Song Contest (@Eurovision) February 14, 2022
Executive producer of the new show, Ben Silverman, said: “I’ve spent 20 years trying to pursue this,” in trying to bring the show to US audiences. “I just love the format.”
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He added: “When America is more fractionalised than ever and we are dealing with so many issues that divide us, the one [thing] that truly unites us is our culture…it can unite it by celebrating its diversity, its distinctions and in pulling everyone around its love of music and its love of song.”
The 2022 Eurovision Song Contest will take place at the PalaOlimpico in Turin, Italy, with the Grand Final set for May 14. Last year’s Eurovision was won by the Italian band Måneskin.
Mika was recently announced as one of a trio of hosts for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. He’ll be joining renowned Italian singer Laura Pausini and TV personality Alessandro Cattelan on presenting duties.