USoS 2020: State Song Selection Results (+ An Apology)
At long last, the results of the three state song selections can be announced. We had a small group of very devoted and interested people send their picks last month. I tallied the votes, and in the spoilers below are the three winners. We hope you enjoy them as much as I do; it was a *VERY CLOSE* call in two of them.
CALIFORNIA: MUNA - "Number One Fan" - 49 points
This bouncy electro-pop dance song comes from a Los Angeles-based female trio. Their second album, "Saves The World", came out in 2019. If you watch the video, you can get an idea of the song's message - perhaps it's not healthy to 'stan' your favorite celebs? Maybe? Who knows. ----------------- 2nd place: Kitten, "Me" - 38 pts 3rd place (Tie): Anja Kotar, "House Party" / Moxi, "Wolves" - 30 pts
NEW YORK: LP - "Shaken" - 38 pts
She may be a world-renowned rocker at age 39, but in the United States she remains relatively unknown despite a career that spans 10 years.
Note: There is a possibility that this song may be disqualified due to chart success ineligibility. We will keep you posted. ----------------- 2nd place (Tie): Raia Was, "I Can't Reason" / MALINDA, "Don't Make Me" - 31 pts
TEXAS: Wild Moccasins, "Doe-Eyed Dancer" - 38 pts
The voting came down to a single point here. But the song did receive at least 1 point from every juror. Wild Moccasins are an eclectic four-piece indie pop band led by Zahira Gutierrez (vocals) and Cody Swann (guitar). They hail from Houston and celebrate their ten-year anniversary this year. ----------------- 2nd place: Jessie Frye, "Fantasy" - 37 pts 3rd place: Paul Cauthen, "Holy Ghost Fire" - 31 pts
In addition, I must apologize for the complete silence over these last 40 days. The voting form for the three state song selections remained open until April 10, a good month after it was supposed to close. There is no real excuse. "Current world events" are the primary reason. For a good, long time, it was difficult to deal with. It's still a day-to-day thing with me. I'm very sorry. Because of this, the timeline for this year's contest will be extended, which we hate to do, but it's the best decision from a management point of view. It gives us more time to plan out how to gather interest and to get things back up to date. We will use the remainder of this month to catch up by updating the Calendar. We will slowly get back to announcing the chosen entries, in bigger groups than just 4 at a time, so that we can begin Semifinal 1 sometime in May. This is the current outlook, but everything is subject to change. Again, we sincerely apologize. Here's to hoping we can come together (online) to celebrate the best of American music. We certainly need music in our lives right now, and we want to be that resource for you. -Greg
