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Michigan's Ada LeAnn Is the American Song Contest Jury's Latest Semi-Finalist Pick
The 17-year-old is the youngest Artist to advance in the competition.
At the close of Week 5's Qualifying Round, the American Song Contest Jury (56 music industry experts) picked Michigan's Ada LeAnn to join the growing list of Semi-Finalists. The 17-year-old describes her sound as "indie pop" and was the penultimate Artist of the night, performing her original track "Natalie."
The Battle Creek native is the fifth and youngest Artist to be advanced by the Jury. She joins Allen Stone (Washington), Tyler Braden (Tennessee), Jordan Smith (Kentucky), and Hueston (Rhode Island).
"It's about a girl who got cheated on," she said about the song during the episode. "Teenagers, a lot of the time, their feelings are sort of hidden down. I like to try to be a voice for those young people. Being so young and representing my state, I definitely feel pressure to live up to what we stand for, but I think that there's hope for me to be a voice for young people all over the world."
It was also announced on Monday during The Kelly Clarkson Show that Wyoming's Ryan Charles was named the first Redemption Artist of the season. He performed his song "New Boot Goofin'" during Week 1's Qualifying Round but failed to earn enough votes from the Jury or fans. As a Redemption Artist, he now has a second chance at the competition and will compete in the Semi-Finals, which air live on April 25 and May 2.
As a reminder, American Song Contest follows 56 Artists, each representing either a U.S. state, territory, or Washington D.C. They've all submitted their own track for viewers to vote for as Best Original Song. April 18th marked the fifth and final Qualifying Round. At the top of the April 25th episode, one more Redemption Artist will be announced as a Semi-Finalist in addition to three more Artists from Week 5. The Semi-Finalists will each perform elevated versions of their songs during the broadcasts. Following another round of Jury and fan votes, 10 will eventually move on to the Grand Final, which airs May 9.
You can listen to all of the Artists' songs, including Ada LeAnn's "Natalie," right now on Spotify. And you still have time to vote for your favorite singers so they have a chance at the title of Best Original Song.
ASC airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
