10 May 2022
From the moment Alexa appeared on the stage in the first head of the American Song Contest, she had winner written all over her. So it proved as Wonderland brought victory for Oklahoma in the very first edition of the event. Alexa won with 710 points, ahead of Colorado’s Riker Lynch on 503 points then Kentucky’s Jordan Smith on 407 points.
The public had an overwhelming impact in the voting, meaning Washington’s Allen Stone, who scored most from the jury with 105 points, was swamped by Oklahoma’s 654 points as the public’s choice. Washington was only the public’s seventh favourite with 254 points while Oklahoma was the jury’s fifth favourite with 56 points. Washington was somewhat a mystery in the grand final as it had been advanced directly there by the jury from the heats and the semi finals so it wasn’t known whether it was popular with the public. Clearly it wasn’t.
Alexa’s win in the grand final was the culmination of a season lasting 8 weeks, where 56 America states, territories and Washington DC first performed in 5 heats. From there, 22 songs progressed to two semi finals of 11 songs, before the decider of 10 songs.
As the first edition of the ASC, it’s been surprisingly very enjoyable, especially with the many music styles on offer from the vast United States of America, and a similar range of interesting and artists involved too. With Alexa and Wonderland, it’s produced a great winner. With her K-Pop style, catchy song and elaborate stage presentation, it was clearly the best package of the season.
Kudos also to the runner-up, Colorado’s Riker Lynch, for the colourful and fun, Feel The Love.
Let’s also not forget Ni/Co, the ultra sweet duo from Alabama with The Difference. Such a beautiful song, and presented so passionately.
Now we move onto the ASC’s inspiration: the Eurovision Contest Song, which starts tomorrow in Turin.
Watch the ASC Grand Final here or check the official youtube channel for all individual performances throughout the contest.
Mr Eurovision Australia 