AleXa, a K-pop artist who represented her home state of Oklahoma, was crowned the winner of NBC’s American Song Contest. The winner was announced live during Monday night’s (May 9) Grand Final as the top 10 artists took the stage one last time. (Read our Recap)
Representing Oklahoma, AleXa’s original song “Wonderland” won America and the National Jury’s vote for best hit song. “Wonderland” has been the most streamed song from the competition with over 2.7 million streams.
AleXa earned 656 points in the televote and secured the top spot with 710 points in total. Glee and Dancing with the Stars alum Riker Lynch from Colorado placed second overall, followed by The Voice season 9 winner Jordan Smith from Kentucky.
As the winner of American Song Contest, the song will be supported with airplay across iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide, using the company’s massive scale and reach to introduce this new music to the masses. The winner will also appear at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards, airing live Sunday, May 15 from Las Vegas on NBC.
AleXa is proud to represent the state where she was born and raised until the age of 21. Alex Christine, known professionally as AleXa (???), is a K-pop singer, dancer and songwriter who grew up in Tulsa. A lifelong dancer, AleXa was first drawn to K-pop because of its strong performance identity.
After nearly a million fan votes determined her the winner of online talent competition Rising Legends, she was one of the 96 chosen to participate in “Produce 48,” the most competitive audition show in Korea. In 2019, AleXa made her multilingual K-pop debut with “Bomb,” which has received nearly 22 million views to date and hit #7 on Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales chart.
A year later AleXa released extended plays “Do or Die” and “Decoherence,” garnering wins for two of Korea’s most prestigious awards. In 2021, AleXa released Y2K-inspired “ReviveR” with dance track “Xtra,” performed the national anthem for the Los Angeles Dodgers and became the first K-pop artist to host a fan meeting in the metaverse within the action-shooter game Scavengers.
Thank you so much to every single person working behind the scenes! 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!#AmericanSongContest #AleXaOnASC pic.twitter.com/8foJyH96w4
— AleXa ??? (@AleXa_ZB) May 10, 2022
Following the jury count, Allen Stone of Washington state was leading with 105 points for his song “A Little Bit of Both,” while AleXa’s “Wonderland” earned 60 points and placed fifth. However, viewers’ votes were then added into the scores and after Oklahoma nabbed 656 points, Alexa jumped to the top of the board. Washington only garnered 254 points and ultimately placed fifth.
“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,” Alexa told Billboard after the finale. “Fortunately they did and I was lucky enough to win this competition.”
AleXa described how she felt the moment after she won: “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. Sharing that moment with my team and all the ASC friends who were in the crowd meant the world to me.”
In an interview with TV Guide, AleXa said, “…While I am coming forth as the Oklahoma representative, at the end of the day, I am a K-pop artist and I’m also representing the K-pop community in this competition. The fact that there are so many, not just my fans in general, but I’ve seen so many different fandoms combining in support of me on the show. It just makes me so grateful because it’s like, look at this wonderful thing that K-pop is. It just brings people together with the love of music, the love of art.”
ASC co-host Kelly Clarkson told Billboard that her K-pop loving niece was already a fan: “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. 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.'”
American Song Contest is from the producers of Eurovision Song Contest and The Voice. The all-live music competition series, hosted by Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson, featured live new music performances – representing all 50 states, five U.S. territories and our nation’s capital – competing to win the country’s vote for the best hit song.
