Jake’O, who used to work at his family’s cheese plant, sang for the state of Wisconsin. He sang his song “Feel Your Love,” which gave off some young Elvis vibes, right down to Jake’O’s hair. We can hear the young girls—and boys—screaming from here.
Mississippi’s own Keyone Starr, who has previously worked with mega producer Mark Ronson, performed her song “Fire,” which made for an upbeat, dynamic spectacle. Keyone’s got star power for days and she made us tired just watching her.
The penultimate performance of the night was Wyoming’s Ryan Charles, who describes his genre of music as “cowboy western rap,” which is apparently a thing! He performed his song “New Boot Goofin,” featuring lyrics like “I’ll never let them change me / Rap game Brad Paisley.” It won’t be for everybody, but those who love it are going to really love it.
The smallest state was saved for last, as Rhode Island’s Hueston wrapped up the first night of the competition. Describing himself as “if Adele, Chris Stapleton and Sons of Anarchy had a baby,” he performed his song “Held On Too Long.” Sitting on a barstool, his emotional ballad about love gone wrong acted as a strong cap to the evening. Snoop Dogg said it almost made him cry!
At last, it was time for the jury to send their favorite performer automatically into the next round.
The panel voted that the best was indeed saved for last, sending Hueston directly into the April 25 semifinals.
Next week, the remaining three spots from this group will be determined through a combination of jury and fan votes.
Find out who will join Hueston—and meet a new batch of competitors—when American Song Contest airs March 28 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.