The USoS 2020 Class: Florida, Tennessee, New Mexico, Arizona, New Hampshire
Happy Leap Year Day! It might still be February but song selection season comes here to United States of Song a bit earlier each year. That means, starting with today's blog post, we'll begin posting about two to three times a week 3 to 5 songs that have been selected for this year's contest.
You already know two of them - Florida and Tennessee - because they were decided by you all out there in the USoS Song Duels. You'll learn a little more about those two artists and their songs below. More importantly, we share three other songs that have been internally chosen. The three states in the title above (NM, AZ, & NH) had their entries decided on by our committee, and we are sharing them with you today.
Florida NYA - Love You To Death Submitted by Greg/Sel
“Hailing from Tampa, Florida, NYA began her artistic pursuits under the guidance of the GRAMMY Music Foundation, and quickly discovered music to be the most powerful channel for her self-expression. Rooted in her personal values of living one’s truth, and spreading kindness & love, NYA’s sound is mercurial, and a timeless blend of classic soul and alternative R&B.” -- Spotify
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Tennessee Built By Titan ft. Joe Kirk - Ghost Submitted by Pablo
Built By Titan is a single-man project led by Fred Williams that originates from Soundcloud fame, but really his work behind the scenes with big-name artists like Sara Bareilles and the Backstreet Boys. Williams was born in Manila, Phillipines and currently resides in Nashville alongside Joe Kirk, a Carolinian-born singer who took part on The Voice USA. His connection to Tennessee goes back quite a few years, when he’d perform around Nashville with his siblings.
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New Mexico Beirut - Landslide Submitted by Pablo
The alternative band from Santa Fe is probably what you’d call an “album band”. They’ve survived these last fifteen years by combining electronic sounds into world and indie folk music. Based on fame, they’re the most significant act that New Mexico has sent to this contest. In “Landslide,” singer Zach Condon shares lyrically about failing to hold on, but the song is musically and melodically progressive.
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Arizona Alec Benjamin - Must Have Been The Wind Submitted by Amanda
Born in Phoenix, 25-year old Benjamin had a single collab-hit in 2018 with “Let Me Down Slowly” - hitting #79 in the USA. Since then, he’s continued on with a second album release, which includes this low-key, guitar-laden ballad. It tells a story about living underneath an apartment of a girl who he hears crying. She denies it, claiming that ‘it must have been the wind’. Benjamin claims to write many of his songs based on real-life experiences he’s had.
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New Hampshire Joe Sambo - How We Do Submitted by Greg
In a stark contrast from not only the music of New Hampshire, or last year’s entry, but from the entire 50SS/USoS library, Joe Sambo is straight-up reggae. To emphasize the contrast, the music video is shot in downtown Manchester (NH, that is) during the snowy winter! The New England Music Awards gifted Sambo with Male Performer of the Year in 2019, which solidified his place in the USoS lineup.
And that's it for today. Be sure to follow our blog posts, Twitter feed, or Facebook page for our weekly updates over the next few months. This edition is officially underway, so stay tuned for the freshest underground American music!
-Greg
