Parade.com spoke to host Snoop Dogg to get his advice on how the contestants should go about uplifting their performances. “I think one thing about the songs that I’ve written that have been great, you can change the background,” he said. “You can change the fourth run. Ain’t gonna change nothing. That song feels good to you every time you hear it and that’s the key to this show is that we’re gonna find that one song that feels good every time you hear it, no matter what’s going on in the background or what’s over here, whatever it is, when you hear that song, it gives you that.” To date, 17 of the 20 semifinalists have made it through with the final three that were voted through last week to be announced on tonight’s show. And they are representatives from various genres of music. “America’s open right now,” Snoop added. “America’s open to all varieties of music, so that’s why it’s no one particular style that’s dominating right now. It’s not just country music, it is some of everything on there. I feel like when we get down to the end of it all, then you going to find out what song really had the most impact, no matter what genre it comes from, it’s all about the impact of that record. I believe people will cross genres to find that song that makes America feel like this is the greatest song written this year.” Among the contestants for American Song Contest have been several well-known music artists such as Michael Bolton,Jewel and Macy Gray. And, of those, to date, only Bolton made it to the semifinals. “One thing I’ve learned about this show is that nobody’s bigger than nobody,” Snoop said. “It’s all about the way the song hit. If that song hit, then the state’s gonna be on that, that top wop and then the name behind it. So, I don’t believe it’s about the artists. I believe it’s about the song, the state, and then the artist.”
The 11 artists performing live tonight on the semifinals are:
Ada Leann (Michigan) AleXa (Oklahoma) Allen Stone (Washington) Hueston (Rhode Island) Jared Lee (Massachusetts) Jonah Prill (Montana) Jordan Smith (Kentucky) MARi (New Hampshire) Ni/Co (Alabama) Riker Lynch (Colorado) Ryan Charles (Wyoming) “It’s the way the song feels,” Snoop wrapped up. “It’s a feeling we’re searching for because a song could sound good, but don’t feel good. It’s not matching the intensity of the song. A lot of times our favorite songs make us feel a certain way. So, we want to find people that can write that particular song that has the world feeling like it’s supposed to feel.” At the end of the night, one artist will be selected by a national jury of music industry experts to automatically advance to the Grand Final. Then, America’s votes help to decide which four additional artists will advance. American Song Contest airs Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. Next, Here’s What We Know About Season 21 of The Voice, Including the Winner
