'American Song Contest' run puts Tyler Braden, Tennessee in spotlight

Suppose country music artist Tyler Braden does not win the finale of the first season of "American Song Contest" airing Monday night on NBC. In that case, he's still spent the past six weeks hobnobbing with the likes of hosts Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson and the contestants, including '90s pop superstars Michael Bolton and Jewel.

"Winning 'American Song Contest' for Tennessee — a state with so much singer-songwriter history — puts a stamp on me as being a representative of so many great artists that have come before me," Braden told The Tennessean on a Friday morning before rehearsing for his final-round performance.

However, if he doesn't win, he does count fist-bumping Snoop Dogg as "an awesome, surreal moment" in a whirlwind over the past two months that's also seen him recently get married to his longtime girlfriend, Marisa Taylor, in an intimate wedding with family and friends at Joshua Tree National Park last month.

"When I started the competition, I was as nervous, but all of the acts — Michael Bolton and Jewel included — are nice as can be and amazing human beings. We're all pretty much pulling for each other, win, lose, or draw," Braden said about the time he's spent in Los Angeles recording the program. He also highlights the incredible diversity of talent ("This is a melting pot of talent") and backgrounds of the artists as notable, too.

NBC's "American Song Contest" is the network's attempt at mimicking the iconic seven-decade run of Europe's "Eurovision Song Contest." That competition has yielded global superstars like Britain's Lulu (1968), Sweden's ABBA (1974), Switzerland's Celine Dion (1988) and Norway's Secret Garden (1995).

The American competition featured 56 competitors (representing all 50 U.S. states, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Washington, D.C.) performing an original, unreleased song in a competition featuring five qualifying rounds, two semifinals and one final. In addition, mainstream "name value" artists like Jewel (representing Alaska) and Bolton (representing Connecticut), plus Sisqo (Maryland) and Macy Gray (Ohio), with two-dozen Billboard hits over the past three decades, made things interesting.

The performances were judged by a 56-member jury of music industry professionals (one for each state and territory) that included more than a dozen iHeartMedia radio professionals, Grammy-nominated artists and songwriters, a representative from song rights holder Hipgnosis and more.

For Braden — a former first responder born in Slapout, Alabama, but now located in Nashville — representing Tennessee has been "stressful." Numerous artists in the competition have not entirely uprooted to Music City but are frequent visitors to the music industry hub to pursue similar success to the type Braden is currently achieving.

While on the surface it could be daunting being surrounded by rivals, the songwriter said there's a fellowship in the community where shared passions inspire deep respect among competitors. In addition, he counts "tremendous support" for his work as one of the seven-week competition's unexpected career benefits.

Braden sang his self-written song "Seventeen" during the competition. Its popularity adds to a career-redefining run, including the XM Satellite Radio success of his 2021 single "Try Losing One," which had 15 million Youtube views in the past year. This has led to forthcoming opening dates for Brooks and Dunn, plus a feature spot during Warner Music Nashville's Saturday night Ascend Amphitheater concert during CMA Fest.

"('Seventeen') is one of the first 25 songs I ever wrote," Braden said. Alongside his team at Warner Music Nashville, management and the producers of the "American Song Contest," he chose it from 12 possible songs for the program. "('Seventeen') speaks about nostalgia and thinking you have it figured out at a very young age. It's a super-relatable song at multiple stages of people's lives."

Regarding the competition and what to expect from the final round, Braden offers one important note as a reminder: "The song is king."

Due to Because of the competition, his regard for his craft as a songwriter and performer has grown.

"As an artist, you can look the part and play the part, but the song's strength is what stands the test of time. I feel like the judges and the fans on television are hearing me sing a great song that I feel as comfortable and confident in singing on that stage as I do at a live show in Nashville."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tyler Braden could help Tennessee win on 'American Song Contest'