'American Song Contest': Meet Utah's Savannah Keyes who has been writing music since age of 13
If you've been keeping up with NBC's 'American Song Contest', you know that the series features some of the country's best musical talents. With each state being represented by one musical act, the race to find the country's best song!
During week 1, Hueston from Rhode Island made it to the semi-finals by performing his song 'Held On Too Long'. Week 2 saw Jordan Smith from Kentucky advance forward with his song 'Sparrow'. And, week 3 had Tennessee's Tyler Braden make the cut with his song 'Seventeen'.
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Savannah Keyes will be representing Utah at 'American Song Contest'. While Sandy, UT, is her hometown, she currently resides in Nashville, TN. Keyes is a singer, songwriter and a radio host. Keys explained that songwriting has also been an integral part of her journey as an artist on her website. "I have been writing songs since I was 13. It's kind of my version of a diary. Melodramatics and all. Every day I get to go into studios and writing rooms in Nashville (sometimes I convert my own living room), and write songs with my best friends while we eat junk food and talk about life. Real life," she said. "This real life gets turned into a 3 minute iPhone voice memo with hope that one day it will hit your radio station. Until then, it's just me on my bathroom floor playing you my stories and, sometimes, the songs I wish I had been part of," she added.
In a conversation with ESC United, Keyes mentioned that Utah was very special to her. "For me, something that makes Utah so unique is that you can experience all the seasons when you visit… from the snowcapped mountains to the red rocks in Moab. There is so much beauty in one place and it is so rich in history. I am so lucky to have grown up there," she said. "One more thing… I know this may be cheesy, but Fry Sauce comes from Utah! Once you put that on your burger and fries, you can't eat it any other way!" she added.
When it came to her 'ASC' song selection, Keyes had a hard time picking out the one she wanted to perform. "I considered numerous songs for the show. I have written hundreds of songs over the years and I love each of them in different ways. This opportunity could change my life and the life of the song I chose. It was a fun decision to make, but definitely didn't come easy," she explained in the same interview.
Her NBC bio states, "From Utah originally, Savannah Keyes has been writing songs since age 13 after appearing on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show'." Her influences in the pop world and roots in country music allow her to bring a new mix to the country genre. After moving to Nashville, she became a radio host and correspondent for Radio Disney Country's new show 'Let the Girls Play' and released a debut EP titled 'I'm Not California'.
This week, be sure to catch performances by Allen Stone (Washington), Alexis Cunningham (West Virginia), Bri Steves (Pennsylvania), Bronson Varde (Hawaii), Jared Lee (Massachusetts), Las Marias (Arizona), MARi (New Hampshire), NËITHER (Washington, DC), Savannah Keyes (Utah), Stela Cole (Georgia), and The Crystal Method (Nevada).
'American Song Contest' airs on Monday, at 8/7c on NBC. You can vote for your favorite performances on the NBC website, the NBC app, and TikTok. You can also stream your favourite artists' songs on your preferred music streaming app.