United States of Song 2021 - Theme Reveal

Happy New Year!

The United States of Song 2021 theme and location will be...

Minneapolis, Minnesota! I don't think this surprises anyone. It's the most logical choice because it's the biggest city in Minnesota. But it is also home to a bountiful music scene. You can hear everything from rap to rock, rhythm and blues, funk and punk and indie and folk - so many famous musicians come from here. It is the perfect place to hold a music competition.

Now, I enjoy coming up with theme slogans like ESC. But for 2021, we needed something uplifting and healing. The theme is "Northern Light, Future Bright." The inspiration is pretty clear. Minnesota must emerge in 2021 from a dark time in its history. In 2020 they represented the national epicenter of a lot of hatred and discontent. This logo kind of 'glows' like the Aurora borealis (northern lights) - it represents hope. 2020 was not kind, (and I wrote this paragraph before the events of this week, so wrap January 2021 into that conversation too.)

But we can move forward together, hold people to higher standards, work for that 'bright future' we all want to see, and reach for the stars. A northern star (which is a prominent symbol of Minnesota) appears in roughly the location of Minneapolis, because the glowing rays are roughly in the state's shape

There are two 'variants' of the design. One (for the State selections and Semifinals) represents the bright green lights and black / dark purple skies; the other (Final Round) is a rainbow borealis, which I think is representative of our community's collective mindset of acceptance, inclusion, and growth.


Individual state selection designs will not vary much this year, BUT - if you shall desire, we have support banner designs at the ready for wherever you would like to share your support! (Yes I know dEM is from MN, not SC. But I needed an example of a long state name!)


What do you think of the designs? Let us know your thoughts below. ^v^

This post is also a reminder for Song Suggestions! There are quite a few states that don't have anything yet (examples are Indiana, Delaware, Louisiana, New Mexico, Rhode Island...) so if you would like to submit songs or confirm with one of these states, I wholeheartedly encourage you to do it!


The deadline for state confirmations is still January 16th, and the deadline for deciding / submitting songs is January 31.

After the 16th, you may send PMs to the committee (which is myself, Derek, and Chante™) to have your song confirmed and/or be sent a list of songs to choose from. Once we confirm it, you can publicly post it if you wish and I will design a support banner for you.

Good luck!