Can a Eurovision-style song contest actually work in the United States?
In short: In 2022, NBC launched the American Song Contest, a high-stakes musical competition featuring representatives from all 50 states and five territories. Hosted by Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson, the show aimed to replicate the global phenomenon of Eurovision, but faced significant skepticism about whether the format could survive in America.
The American Song Contest was the culmination of a two-decade effort to bring the Eurovision format to U.S. television. Producers Christer Björkman and Anders Lenhoff, who had previously worked on the European original, teamed up with executive producer Ben Silverman to adapt the concept. They pitched the show as a way to unite a fractionalized nation through a shared love of music, replacing national rivalries with state-based competition. The format required each state and territory to submit an original song, which was then performed live in a series of qualifying rounds, semi-finals, and a grand final.
The production was ambitious, featuring a 56-member jury of music industry professionals and a complex voting system designed to ensure smaller regions had equal power to populous states like Texas or California. Despite the star power of its hosts and a massive promotional push—including commercials during the 2022 Super Bowl—the series struggled to capture the public imagination. Critics noted that the show lacked the campy, self-deprecating energy that defines Eurovision, often feeling like just another iteration of the saturated American talent competition market.
Ultimately, the experiment was short-lived. The series was not renewed for a 2023 season, and only the winning song, "Wonderland" by Oklahoma's AleXa, saw any notable success on the Billboard charts. Post-mortem analysis from producers pointed to poor promotion and a lack of awareness as key failures. By 2026, Eurovision leadership distanced the brand from the American adaptation, suggesting that the format's reliance on specific cultural elements made it difficult to transplant into the American musical landscape without losing its unique identity.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: American Song Contest
- Also: Wikidata — American Song Contest · CC0
- Also: Wikidata — American Song Contest 2022 · CC0
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