Billboard and Samsung Galaxy have kicked off Billboard NXT, a first-of-its-kind singing competition designed to discover the next great unsigned artist, by selecting 12 multi-talented artists from across the country based on their performances in a hashtag challenge on TikTok. With the competitors selected and ready to show off their skills, each artist was asked to participate in the first official challenge of Billboard NXT: an original song showdown.
Using their Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G — a phone designed for capturing moments, expressing yourself and socializing — each contestant showed off their vocals, songwriting abilities and technical skills by performing a fully original song. All 12 artists delivered, with each contestant approaching the first Billboard NXT challenge with their own style and flair and showcasing intricate harmonies, powerful vocals and impressive lyrics.
The 12 contestants will be ranked weekly on a custom Billboard chart based on the competition challenges, and the three top-performing artists will become finalists and be paired with one of three superstar celebrity mentors: Charli XCX, Anitta and Todrick Hall. Each will perform at the competition’s Grand Finale, a livestreamed event on Billboard.com, and the winner will receive a Billboard cover, a music video, studio time to record a first single and tickets to the Billboard Music Awards.
