AleXa.Photo: JC Olivera/Getty
NBC’sAmerican Song Contesthas named its first-ever winner!
On Monday, theEurovision-inspired singing competition series aired its Season 1 finale, which saw the remaining 10 of 56 total acts perform in hopes of winning the coveted best original song title. In the end, Oklahoma-born K-pop singerAleXaemerged victorious with the electro-pop banger “Wonderland.”
“Thank you so much to every single person working behind the scenes,” the 25-year-old performer wrote on Twitter after the finale. “The songwriters, my fellow contestants, my friends, family, & loved ones…Zanybros & ZB Label…and my fellow Oklahomans- thank you for supporting me!! A.I TROOPERS I LOVE YOU!”
Similar toEurovision, the voting process forAmerican Song Contestsees 56 professional jurors, spaced out among 10 geographic locations around the United States, submit their votes. Each location has a live representative announce which contestant earned the ultimate score of 12 points, while lower point counts are quickly awarded onscreen.
“I was a little nervous after the jury vote but knowing how the point system works out, I was holding hands with my mother and father, praying so hard for my dreams to come true,” the 25-year-old performer and longtimeEurovisionfan toldBillboardafter the finale. “Fortunately they did and I was lucky enough to win this competition.”
After learning she’d won the season with “Wonderland,” AleXa felt overwhelmed. “It felt like my brain exploded because my mother was holding onto my arm and she was crying and shaking and so I cried with her. It was a very emotional experience,” she said. “Sharing that moment with my team and all the ASC friends who were in the crowd meant the world to me.”
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Having already performed the track twice this season, first in episode 1 and again during the semi-finals, AleXa stepped up the spectacle of her performance for theAmerican Song Contestfinale. “First of all, being strung up in the air in a chair is quite different I’d say but it’s also super cool because during the dress rehearsal, I didn’t get to see the dancers' outfits,” she explained. “I saw them for the first time today on stage and they looked phenomenal and they kicked butt like usual.”
During her final “Wonderland” performance, AleXa did a choreographed freefall from atop of a staircase — and like a true star, she wasn’t afraid. “I love stunts. I love doing falling things,” she told the outlet. “I talked to [American Song Contestco-host]Snoop Doggabout this and he is, apparently.”
Elsewhere during the interview, she acknowledged those who helped her get to this point. “I’m happy to have this incredible creative team to make everything possible,” said AleXa. “Every stage felt like a new challenge to overcome and I’m so grateful that we conquered this one together.”
To many fans, AleXa is already a star — just ask co-hostKelly Clarkson. “I knew of her before because my niece is a huge K-pop fan. She is already obsessed with her, and so are many fans,” said the “Walk Away” musician and talk show host. “Honestly, that’s why the vote counted, right? Like Allen Stone was going to take it and America comes in and votes and it’s like, ‘Nope.'”
Clarkson, 40, also spoke toBillboardabout the unique nature of theAmerican Song Contestwinner’s artistry. “I’ve never seen anything like AleXa. That’s her biggest pull,” says the formerAmerican Idolstar. “Her performance and her vibe and the fact that she’s from Oklahoma is so funny to me, because I grew up in North Texas and I didn’t see any of that hanging out, like those kind of artists.”
Ultimately, the co-host appreciated the diversity present in the show’s array of performers, songs, and genres. “We think people are boxed into these [categories] and we’re not,” said Clarkson. “It was really interesting to see the 56 states and territories expressing that. There’s a lot of different kind of vibes everywhere and I thought that was really cool.”
source: people.com
