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Post by Gregory (inactive) on Apr 3, 2021 1:23:50 GMT 1
We are sharing 5 songs a couple times a week that have been selected for United States of Song 2021.
Songs 31-35Now that we have the running orders published, the goal is to finalize the songs in Semifinal One so that by mid-month we can open the voting! Here are five of the latest from that semifinal. About 20 left to announce after this! Maine Amy Allen - "Difficult" Submitted by Derek Not to be confused with the actress! Allen is a prolific songwriter, having gone to the Berklee College of Music in Boston and having studied under former American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi. She has written chart-topping songs for artists like Selena Gomez, Harry Styles, and Halsey. She now aims for a solo career - with a sound that bridges soft rock, country, and acoustic pop vibes. Florida GALXARA - "Loving Nobody" Song submitted by terabyteofpuppypics Growing up in Florida and now based in Los Angeles, this electro-pop artist has a wide vocal range. Listed as one of 40 artists to watch in 2020 by Idolator, she is certainly destined for greatness. In "Loving Nobody", GALXARA confronts that oh-so-real feeling of trying to tell yourself that you're strong and not to cry but the emotions fueled by 'loving nobody' are too overwhelming. Everyone deserves someone! Wyoming WYOMING - "Ease My Mind" We considered this artist last year but went with a more established singer (to no avail), so we have come back to the man whose name is synonymous with the state he grew up in. How original This alternative indie band from Sheridan was formed in 2016 and is led by vocalist Shawn Day. I don't know if you'll dig this music, but you can't deny how beautiful the Wyoming landscape is in the video! South Carolina Haley Mae Campbell - "Paradise" Song submitted by Derek "New York-born and South Carolina-raised, Campbell’s music is a hybrid of city-slicker sass and small-town sensibilities, mixing rock-style vocals with a country-style twang. At once playful and determined, Campbell is ready to knock down doors as she continues her ascent to stardom; however, she insists she’ll never lose sight of why she chose to make music in the first place. Says Campbell: 'My music is a reflection of my life experience and it comes from the heart. With every song, the goal is to take the listener on a journey, paint them a picture and involve them in the story. I think that is truly what makes music special – when it can transport you to a different state of mind.'" Guam Harmony Chea ft. KPV - "Maybe" Artist suggested by Gregory (inactive) For the second time in this contest's history, Guam will perform center-stage, and they are bringing a soft but resilient R&B vibe mixed with island imagery. Harmony began playing the acoustic guitar when she was 12, and in 2018 an opportunity to perform in an open concert landed her a record deal. According to Chea and KPV, who are credited with writing the song, the lyrics ""take listeners through a journey of lost love, self-healing and charging forward to a bright future."
That's all we got for now! Another five will be announced probably Sunday. Cheers!
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Post by Gregory (inactive) on Apr 15, 2021 5:38:32 GMT 1
We are sharing 5 songs a couple times a week that have been selected for United States of Song 2021.
Songs 36-40Sorry for the silence! It's been a very busy past week for me. To make up for it, the last batch of songs from Semifinal One will be announced very quickly after this one. But the Committee are excited and I am too to get this show on the road. Pennsylvania Pink Sweat$ - "Icy" Submitted by Derek Sometimes you have to be a bit suspicious of artists with a dollar sign in their name. But with Pink Sweats, Philadelphia born and raised, he could only listen to Christian music until he was 17. Now 29, he can express himself freely. The money will only come naturally! Also, the window for Pink Sweat$ to participate may have closed shut before we could even announce his participation. A collaboration with Kehlani called "At My Worst" is currently at #13 on the Hot R&B Songs chart. Idaho Elena Coats - "Song Like You" Song submitted by Gregory (inactive) Elena was raised in the small city of Twin Falls. She is best known for her guitar work with the band We The Kings, and only recently has tried to find her way on the independent music scene with her own songs; this is her lead-off single. As many long-time fans of the contest know, Idaho is one of those states that have never qualified - is this the year they finally break through? Indiana Lumane - "White Lies" Success in other song contests and competitions can mean good things for an artist's career, and Lumane is no exception. Ever since recommending "White Lies" as Indiana's entry, the song has found success. The song was awarded the John Lennon Songwriting Competition's 2021 Grand Prize in the pop category. Lumane, who is natively Swiss but now lives and works from Indianapolis, says her sole purpose of moving to the USA was to pursue a career in music. Can she get Indiana back into the Top 10? New Mexico Alex Stern - "John Wayne" Song submitted by Derek According to Alex, “John Wayne” was inspired by a relationship she was in at the time. The song and video are both about realizing that who she was isn’t defined by any expectations she tries to fulfill or achieve in order to be loved. It symbolizes her own journey of understanding that her worthiness as both a person and an artist is never the sum of having to pretend to be anything she's not. As a country artist, her greatest influences are Dolly Parton, John Denver, and Loretta Lynn. Arizona The Foxies - "Anti Socialite" Song suggested by Gregory (inactive) , artist suggested by Sel Originally recommended for the 2019 contest, the band who finds its origins in Phoenix but are now based out of Nashville are fronted by the majestic, pink-haired Julia Bullock. Their sound is described as everything between alternative rock and electro-punk. In the lyrics, Bullock is tapped into the exhaustion that comes with today’s incessant need to be liked, validated, and experience something.
That's all we got for now. Another five (including the last four songs of Semifinal One) will be announced by the end of the week! Cheers!
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Post by Gregory (inactive) on May 1, 2021 7:21:34 GMT 1
We are sharing 5 songs a couple times a week that have been selected for United States of Song 2021.
Songs 41-45No promises on getting entries out sooner or later, because I'm a ding-ding-strumpfelnugget. The good news is, with this last batch we are through with announcing Semifinal 1! There are eight more songs left to announce, which will come during the voting phase of Semifinal 1. We are changing to a new, more modern video editing software, so it may take a little longer for the recap video to get out. Until then, start listening through our Spotify lists and get a knack for your favorites! Vermont Sarah King - "Nightstand" Song submitted by Derek There was actually a lot of great music to come out of this tiny state in 2020! It came down to three, and after a decent discussion among the Council, we settled on King. She brings a slightly different flavor to this edition - blues-inspired rock music, almost gothic country - but one that's familiar in past editions, and has done well in the past. King says her biggest musical influences are 'bourbon and bad decisions' - take that as you will. She released her debut EP in March of this year. Alaska Anna Graceman - "Night Follows" Song submitted by DerekIt may be a bit of a cop-out to send Graceman for the 2nd year in a row. This song is also an OASC winner... oops. But hey: it worked for Kate Earl! She won on her second consecutive attempt. Born and raised in the capital city of Juneau, Graceman came to prominence through YouTube in 2008, only 8 years old at the time. Since then, she’s performed on The Ellen Show and America’s Got Talent. She placed 14th last year with "Keep On Moving On". Can Graceman improve on last year and bring home gold again for the *true* northern frontier? Connecticut Kyle Dion - "That Don't Mean A Thing" R&B crooner Kyle Dion, who is from New Haven, has been carving out a lane for himself since 2014, harnessing a sound that is equal parts retro and modern, all leading up to the release of his debut, full-length album SUGA (the album cover is scary AF though). This specific song is almost like a throwback disco anthem, with lyrics about a relationship with a woman and that actions speak louder than words - in this case, the things she says 'don't mean a thing - you gotta show (him) what you mean'! Montana HANA - "Anxious Alien" Song submitted by terabyteofpuppypicsHana Pestle was born in Atlanta, but spent her formative years - from age 8 to 18 - in Billings, Montana. In 2005 she met with music producers in Los Angeles to begin a career, and her debut album was released in 2009. Since then she's worked with artists like Grimes, Tegan and Sara, Anamanaguchi, and Durante. The song 'Anxious Alien' is a complete 180 from "American Thread;" she says the song is about "social media. This song is a Jekyll and Hyde moment about how social media can provide confidence and a needed outlet but also occasionally be the catalyst for deep depression." New Jersey JAUZ & KARRA - "Wildlife" Artist (KARRA) suggested by Anonymous I never heard back from the person who originally reserved the New Jerseyan choice for this edition, so we're opting to send a song from an artist who... well, we don't know who sent them! No name was ever provided in the submission form. Does anyone want to step up and claim it? The song they suggested was ineligible for competing, but we found another one that's just as good. KARRA has a strong following on YouTube thanks to her music production skills, and regularly collaborates with deejays around the world. This specific collaboration is with JAUZ, who is from California, has nearly 500k listeners on his Soundcloud. Can New Jersey *finally* qualify with this song? (But maybe close your eyes to avoid the weird 3D animation...)
There will be two more song announcements of 4 entries each that are in Semifinal 2. Thanks again for your patience. Let's get this edition going with the first semifinal! Cheers!
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Post by Gregory (inactive) on Jun 8, 2021 6:21:41 GMT 1
Songs 46-49 Mississippi Teneia Sanders - "City With Soul (My City)" Song submitted by Gregory (inactive) This will be the first entry under their new flag, and with that I wanted to find a song that did nothing more than to showcase the vivacity and happiness of Mississippi. Admittedly it is a state that suffers a lot of problems, but you wouldn't know that from this song and video. The 'city' they sing about is the state capital, Jackson. It's also a slightly different brand of pop music than you'd expect, which I liked too. Arkansas Joan - "Want You Back" Song suggested by Gregory (inactive), Derek They're back!.. after not qualifying in 2019 (I honestly thought they would), the retro-pop band have released their next round of music. This song is a familiar concept (wanting your boy/girlfriend to come back, despite everything) but unlike their 2019 entry, this is more upbeat and mixes more current sounds with disco and early 2000's sounds instead. Utah Justice Carradine - "Necessary Evil" Song picked by Fat NepalUtah has achieved two top ten positions in the last five years and one 2nd place, so they have nothing else to achieve but the top spot. They hope to do it with Justice Carradine, a 21-year-old singer from Salt Lake City with Italian, Samoan, and Apache roots became popular for his music on Vine and Instagram. He then transitioned to YouTube, where his career took off enough for him to be signed to Atlantic Records. The result is his 2019 EP which features album art that is... very prescient. Georgia Stela Cole - "Love Like Mine" Song submitted by DerekGeorgia takes off almost exactly where Anna Moon left off with a well-produced pop song by the brrrrrrrr-illiant vocalist Stela Cole. From Peachtree City (a suburb of Atlanta), she burst onto the scene in 2018 with her first EP and the song "You F O". So she's not afraid to be blunt, blatant, you name it. She offers girl power, and - as you'll hear in the chorus - a bit of a unique sense of energy to this piano-laden musical journey.
The last 5 entries that are in Semifinal 2 will be announced soon, duh! Why doubt that? .... >_> (Actually the Puerto Rican song was intended to be announced today but it's been discovered that it is politically motivated and so we couldn't accept it.) Cheers!
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Post by Gregory (inactive) on Jun 14, 2021 7:17:26 GMT 1
Songs 50-54And, at long long long long long last, we share the last five songs of USoS 2021! Most of these last songs were chosen by me only because these were the handful of states that had various issues with the entries submitted or didn't really have one to choose so I had to go looking. Puerto Rico Buscabulla - "Ta Que Tiembla" Song suggested by Gregory (inactive) Since I am not fluent in Spanish, it is always a welcome treat to bring Puerto Rico into the contest. This band is one of their most well-known pop groups in recent years, and they do both Spanish and English language content (they met in 2011 in NYC.) The album this song comes from, "Regresa", is inspired by the devastation they saw when they decided to move back to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria hit the island. You may hear hints of 'sophisticated reflections on anxiety, estrangement, and returning home' in the lyrics if you know Spanish. Wisconsin The Keystones - "Cut To The Chase" Song chosen by Gregory (inactive) Wisconsin was my choice state, and I announced it last because after choosing this song earlier this year I had second thoughts and decided to go 'alt-rock' instead. This band from Milwaukee is still relatively unknown, but they were nominated for a WAMI (Wisconsin's music awards) - similarly to Lex Allen last year - and so I feel they've got something to prove. We'll see how they do! Tennessee Marisa Maino - "Ever Young" Song submitted by Derek We had 6 songs submitted for Tennessee. One was actually Floridian, one was not released in 2020, one just... wasn't good enough... the selection dwindled down until Marisa was the most valid and worthy choice left. Although she isn't a Tennessee native, she lives in Nashville now in the pursuit of a music career, like many! I'd tell you more about this artist, but her about page on her website is one of the most "lmao go away" type webpages I've ever seen. So, she is mysterious, but a great vocalist! South Dakota Judd Hoos - "Lights On" Song submitted by Gregory (inactive)After competing in 2017 but placing 22nd in the Final Round, Judd Hoos (which I found out is the name of the band, not the lead singer's name - Tyler Bills) returns for South Dakota with the hopes of -at least- keeping up the good work that LAYNE started off last year. Last week they released their newest EP, and they are now touring throughout the Central Plains states. Rhode Island Toad and the Stooligans - "Stevie Sees" Song suggested by Gregory (inactive)And lastly, we have a tongue-in-cheek band from this smallest of states with a song about ... seeing Stevie. They claim to be a hip-hop band, which I guess is somewhat correct since there are lyrics that are more rapped than sung, but they are much more than that - the number of different musical influences and genres coming together in this song is really awesome. 'Stevie' in this case is an indirect nod to how this song sounds like Stevie Wonder, and 'seeing' (he was blind)... well, I guess they thought it was ironic? Haven't figured that part out yet.
You've seen them all now. One of these 54 songs will be our sixth champion! Do you have a far-and-above favorite? What songs do you think are obviously out? And as we just finished Semifinal 1, do you think Semifinal 2 will be stronger or weaker? It's all up next weekend! Thanks for sticking through it all! 0:)
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