Pop duo including local grad advances to 'American Song Contest' finals
May 3—A pop duo that includes a Kettering Fairmont High School graduate has advanced to the finals of NBC's "American Song Contest."
Duo Ni/Co, composed of partners Colton Jones and Dani Brillhart, has been competing with their original song "The Difference."
Jones and Brillhart will go on to compete is the show's finals episode, which will air May 9.
The name Ni/Co is based off the first two letters of Jones' first name and the last two letters of Brillhart's.
Jones graduated from Fairmont in 2012.
The "American Song Contest" is based on the "Eurovision Song Contest" and features artists representing 50 states, five U.S. territories and the District of Columbia, each performing original music to win the vote for best song.
Ni/Co is representing Alabama, where Jones once lived and went to school.
Jones and Brillhart gained popularity starting in 2019 through their YouTube videos, which have accumulated over 40 million views.
Jones is the son of Mary Irby-Jones, a former editor of the Dayton Daily News and current Midwest regional editor for USA Today's regional newspaper network, overseeing Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois.
