The competition on "American Song Contest" is getting fierce.
Before this week's festivities could begin, last week's results were revealed. Representing Rhode Island, singer-songwriter Hueston received an automatic trip to the semifinals by the juried panel last week, leaving three spots available from the batch of performers.
The remaining semifinal spots were determined by a combined jury and fan vote.
AleXa, a K-pop artist from Oklahoma, and Christian Pagàn, a Latin pop singer from Puerto Rico, advanced after placing in both the jury and fan top four. The final spot went to Grammy winner Michael Bolton, who was saved by the fan vote. Never underestimate the Bolton groupies.
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All four artists advance to the semifinals, which begin April 25.
Among the highlights of the March 28 episode were performances by Grammy winner Macy Gray, representing Ohio, and former "The Voice" winner Jordan Smith, repping Kentucky.
Smith, winner of season nine of "The Voice" in 2015, sang "Sparrow," a song inspired by his faith. His performance ended with a pyro show while he was surrounded by a choir clad in all-white. Co-host Kelly Clarkson predicted it might have been enough to give Smith the automatic jury vote.
'American Song Contest': Meet the Performers
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Gray, most widely known for her 1999 smash "I Try," closed the show with a performance of "Every Night." Backed by the California Jet Club, her unmistakeable voice helped end the night on a high note.
The show also featured nine other performances from acts all over the country, including Oregon, Montana, North Dakota and Maine. The U.S. Virgin Islands also got some love when Cruz Rock performed his original song "Celebrando."
After the national jury — made up of 56 industry professionals — ranked all 11 of the night's performances, it was "Voice" alum Smith who got the automatic spot in the semi-finals. Perhaps it shouldn't be come as a surprise that he excelled in a televised singing competition.
The fate of Macy and the other artists will be decided by a joint jury and fan vote, with three more acts joining Jordan and Hueston in the semifinals. Fans at home can cast their ballots for their favorite performances on nbc.com/ascvote, the NBC App and on TikTok. Voting closes on Wednesday morning.
See who advances next week when "American Song Contest" airs Monday at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
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